Michael Clay - Head Coach, eagles Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-10 | Full transcript (primary source).
Michael Clay, Head Coach of the Eagles, addressed the media during a press conference on September 10, 2026. The session focused on player performance and team strategies as the season progresses, particularly highlighting the roles of players like Makai and Cole Payton.
Transcript
Clay: Good afternoon, everyone.
Reporter: Michael, what's your confidence level with Makai being back there for punts?
Clay: Yeah, obviously, you've been able to work with Makai the last, obviously, in the spring before he got dinged up a little bit then at the latter part of training camp. He's been diligent in working out, catching a ton of balls after a ton of footballs after practice, after he gets his work with the offense. So yeah, I'm always going to have confidence in the work that they put and the work that I see and them going in. It's not just Makai. I see Cooper DeGene out there. Smitty came back last week and said, proved to himself that he could still do it out there. So there's plenty of opportunities for Makai to catch and learn from some guys that have caught in this league.
Reporter: How are you putting Cole Payton in punt coverage kind of come about? And what did you think of it? And is that kind of a plan going forward for him?
Clay: Yeah, no, Cole, a superb athlete. He played a little teams at North Dakota State. And I've always been a big component in terms of, I'll use any help I possibly can. And he has the ability. He's smart, a bigger cat that was able to go out there. And he did a really good job, kind of springing it on a guy in a week. But he didn't blink an eye. We met with him prior to attending meetings. He didn't miss any quarterback meetings. And he did a great job going out there. Then it's just evolving him to be the best football player instead of just the best quarterback. He could be a pretty good football player in general. I mean, obviously, this organization really values that position whenever it's putting them in a position of tackling.
Reporter: Is that a conversation? How does that conversation go?
Clay: Yeah, there's no stone unturned in terms of the risk reward to everything. But as long as everybody's in the same page around here, which we are, you go out there and you put your best foot forward. And you put some good film out there. And I thought Cole did a good job.
Reporter: Michael, how difficult is it to have all your units set for an opener when the summer is so many different combinations?
Clay: That's the beauty of being a special teams coach. You get to work with everybody. You try to mold everybody. You try to think in your own mind who can possibly be on your 53, who could be on your possible 70 with the practice squad. And at the end of the day, you're able to put the best 11 out there. And it may be a surprise to some people who's out there, who's not out there. But we're always thinking, who's the best 11 each snap on special teams that are going to give this team an opportunity to win. And help the offense and defense in a field position.
Reporter: On the Dutch art set out, Tank Bixby was an option at kickoff returner. You had mixed results last year there. How is he different this year with the full summer working at it?
Clay: Yeah, no. I think Tank, he's never faltered by it. Last year, I think it was just a lot of it falls on myself more than Tank. Tank's going to go out there and do everything he can for the team. Don't get that misconstrued or twisted. He's going to do whatever he wants. I did a poor job with the coach and instilling the full confidence, just in terms of bad things happen. How do you respond to it? And I did a poor job as a coach of just taking them under my wing and having this confidence with them. So that's on me. That has nothing to do with Tank. But from Tank, I love being around Tank. He's been a ball of energy. He's going to do whatever he can. Obviously, you guys see on offense, he's going down the field every time trying to get a block. When the ball is in his hands, you get your popcorn ready. It's great to watch him do all that. So for myself, and you spend a little bit more time cultivating a relationship with him, talking with him. So I think Tank's going to have a good season on offense. And I think he's going to help out this team, especially as much as he possibly can. And we're looking forward to it.
Reporter: I guess the question there, though, is you got him after week one last year, right? So you didn't get the full offseason with him. Is there a different understanding you have of him and familiarity he has with you now that you've had the full offseason?
Clay: Yeah, I think as with anything, you spend a whole offseason. You get to know the person a little bit better, better familiarity, things that we all can work on, things that he obviously excels at. So just having that whole spring and summer is just going to help out the relationship more than anything else and help him, player to coach relationship, be even higher than it was last year.
Reporter: At least you said that he owes you one after Lot 2 got claimed. Where does that one rank in terms of the ones that sting for you?
Clay: I don't think anything really stings for me. That's the life you choose when you be a special teams coach. You may not know who you have until Saturday night before the game. But that's my job, to be ready in anything that does happen. We've lost a whole bunch of good players to unfortunate scenarios where we have a good team and you lose good players when you have a really good roster. And that's nothing to dwell on or be sad about. It's not like that may be even an issue just in the world today. It's like something bad happens to you and you take your ball and go home. You prime yourself, all right, next man up. Let's find a way to get it done and put the best 11 out there. So I'm more proud of Cam Lot 2 being able to get picked up and play and be a big role for him. Everybody talks about the bad. Let's talk about the good, the positive. Cam had the ability to go to another team, get put on a 53-man roster. And he made a huge play on that first kickoff last night. So it has nothing to do with me. I just try to help them out as much as I can. And Cam was had the opportunity to excel in special teams and he's rewarded with it. So that's good for him. I've known Howie now for eight years and I'm not worried about an IOU or anything like that. He does a great job with the roster. So I'm going to put the best 11 out there and we're going to go against a good Washington Commander's Special Teams unit. And it's going to be a dog fight, but we're ready for it.
Reporter: Is he like Stowers who never did special teams in college, ready to contribute?
Clay: Yeah, I think everybody's going to. He may have played in college, but it is football. He played tight end. He knows how to block, he knows how to run. A lot of special teams units. You use your athletic ability to your advantage and he progressively got better as the training camp went on. I think it's a lot of, it's a shell shock for a lot of rookies, you know, we're playing against grown men here in terms of the physicality. But I think Eli, he's diligent in meetings. He asks questions. He asks, you know, to keep on them. So I think Eli is going to have a very good career, both as a tight end and he's going to help out this team, special teams, wise as much as he possibly can. So I'm always looking forward to anybody I can work with regardless of if they played any, if they didn't play any first time playing football. So that's the beauty of coaching.
Reporter: And you're here for this career. How have you seen Keely embrace the special teams really?
Clay: Yeah, I think especially this year, the coolest part is seeing him take that leadership role. Obviously, you know, he was able to come in as a rookie and he played well on special teams as a gunner and a vice guy. Then, you know, being able to be partnered with Sydney Brown and everything of that nature and, you know, be able to work hand in hand with him. And now he's kind of the veteran out there in the gunner room, the vice room, and he's played enough football to have that role. And I kind of challenged him in the spring, you know, it was during OTAs or whatever. And he was the second man up in one of the drills and I challenged him like, you should be the leader of this. I should see you every time you're the first man up. And he took that to heart. And he's been great with that. His communication with, you know, some of the younger guys, you know, Mac on the outside cause he does do a very good job excelling in the vice and the gunner role. So we're going to put a lot on his plate, but I think he's embracing that role to take his game to a whole nother level, special teams wise.
Reporter: I know Jake and Braden are veterans, but how valuable was the preseason experience, especially getting to work with a new member of the operation with Rocco out there and just establishing a sense of consistency?
Clay: Yeah, I love, you know, preseason for these young guys, cause you're able to show them, hey, it's even, you know, the intensity is ratcheted up even more from practice. Obviously I try to create an environment where it's intensified as much as I possibly can. But when you go against somebody else that has a different color jersey, that intensity, you know, kind of uptick is great then being able to get into a flow, what Jake likes, what Braden likes for warm ups in terms of getting ready for a punt, getting ready for field goal, getting into a routine. So all of these are invaluable moments for Rocco. And I think he's taken it in stride. And I think if you ask Braden and Jake, they think he's done a really good job as a rookie, taking it in stride and getting better as a professional each and every day, which is pretty cool to see.
Reporter: You mentioned that Cam, you had mentioned the positive and getting picked up to beneficiary here with EJ. Being on the 53, he's done some nice things on special teams. What do you like about him?
Clay: When you get a guy that's that big and that could run in that physical, it's always great from a special team standpoint. We try to keep it as simple as possible so they could just, you know, have one idea and then they get to go. You know, I think it gets lost in translation a little bit. EJ started three of the four special teams for us in the Super Bowl and he was the opposite wing of Jordan Davis in the Super Bowl. So it was not his first rodeo. I mean, he played on the biggest stage for us and he did a really good job for that. So it's again, now he's one of the veteran guys in the tight end room that has seen a lot of football and we're going to rely on him a lot to be a core four player for us and helping any way possible. So a guy that big and that strong is always going to bring some value from a special team standpoint.
Reporter: What's top of the mind for you when it comes to this Commander's special teams unit?
Clay: You know, it starts with the top. You know, Larry Izzo, you know, great special teams player in his right and his special teams play like he played as a player. I think he had over 250 tackles in 200 games as a special teams player. Like guys that have that mentality, their units are going to feed off of it. Tyler Owens and Percy Butler on the outside are a heck of a tandem from a Gunner's perspective, vice perspective and they are uber aggressive in terms of their rush scheme, which, you know, it's going to be a challenge for us but we're looking forward to the challenge and it's going to be a physical game. I think the biggest thing, you know, when you play in the NFC East, every game is physical. Not every game is going to be a blowout or, you know, a high scoring game is going to be physical. So we got to be, we have to have a great day today in our Thursday longer practice then be really in tune into our walk through tomorrow so we're ready on Sunday at 4.25 to play against a very good Washington Commander's special team.
Reporter: That's really left in his unique frame, give you opportunities to use him differently than you would other offensive linemen.
Clay: Yeah, I mean, everybody's not built, you know, made the same or whatever but you have different qualities that I'm able to use, you know, Jordan Davis and Jordan Milota on field goal. That's a pretty good edge to have right there. Vice versa with Willie, a guy that has, you know, that type of mobility, but still an offensive lineman and be able to put his hands on somebody and drive them. That kind of creates a new running lane and new idea. And, you know, we're still, you know, I never want to put a player in a spot he doesn't feel comfortable with because any place slow, then it's all over the place. But once, you know, we have that rapport with Willie in which we have and he feels confident and you can see that light turn off, like, oh, this guy's ready to go. We're going to use anybody and everybody willing to help out this team special teams wise.
Reporter: You guys have written copy on the practice squad, whether or not he's elevated for the game. What is his value in that punt return room, especially working with a guy like Makai and some of the other guys who haven't done as much?
Clay: It's like having an extra coach in that punt return room. Obviously we know Covey very well here. He catches the ball great. He understands, identifies different returns, what their personnel's life, bounce ideas off of him. Then, you know, when we're back there, there's nobody better than Braden to catch off him because Braden has every punt in the book right there. So he's able to see, you know, one, maybe one punt Makai has never seen. Braden could talk him through with that. Then having him, you know, I'm sorry, Covey could talk him through with that. Then also having the ability of, you know, something happens, you know, a known commodity that, you know, has done a really good job in the NFL in terms of returning punts for us to have him in his back pocket.
Reporter: You're going to have more knuckleball kicks. You're getting more prevalent. How much more did you prepare for that in off season? What do you expect from that this year?
Clay: I think there's only a certain now, a certain amount of kickers. Obviously it's probably more prevalent in the early fall time. Obviously, you know, LA had Josh Cardie, but a lot of those knuckleball kicks, they kind of mess with a little bit with your field goals and everybody cares about points when it comes to field goals. So there is teams that still do it and that's more of us being ready and having a game plan for that. But I think it kind of dies down a little bit more when it gets a little bit colder, baller than travel as well. Then you risk, you know, putting the ball at the 40 yard line. So it's a week by week basis. You know, the kicker, you know, has certain steps and doesn't have that right in there. You're able to game plan it. But when there is another team that can do it, we're game planning for that and we get all the extra work we could possibly get from either Jake, you know, servicing us or after practice hitting him a couple of knuckleballs ourselves with Tyler Brown or myself. I think it's just, you know, the more reps, the better acclimated you get to it.
Reporter: I think it's been a summer go overall compared to the last couple of years.
Clay: You know, I think Jake Summer has been, in my eyes, pretty darn good. I think we charted, he had three missed kicks. I think he had two in New England, one here, but outside of that, you know, obviously, you know, Olivia asked the question, the preseason in that Cincinnati game, he was able to hit, what, a 55, 56 yarder and, you know, that confidence that everybody else wants to see, but that never wavered with Jake. I see him every day when he kicks Wednesdays and Thursdays. On his off days, he's getting treatment, you know, going against a joint practice is always great for us. So, you know, it's hard to not be confident in the guy that's in year 10 in Philadelphia, being able to get out there. And I'm sure he's more eager than anybody else to go out there and put his best foot forward, going out there.
Reporter: No, you're good. A few times today, you've referenced leadership. In that room, there's not a designated special teams captain this year, as opposed to previous years. Who are those leaders in your room? And is there a reason why there's not that at one special teams captain?
Clay: Yeah, I think, you know, the captaincy, I think it's more for people outside of this building to, you know, yearn about. For us, you know, it starts with your veteran guys, not just Jake Elliott, who spent 10 years here. Johnny Munson, nine year veteran, has played some special teams. Will Shipley started as a rookie, and now he's in, what is this, year three or four for him right now, playing four core. Marcus Epps, you know, he plays, you know, he's a great individual to be around, a great leader to be around, eight year career, not just on defense, but on special teams. But again, then you got people like Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Guy had 18 tackles last year. You get young guys in here that say, you know, how do I help contribute? Look at Trot. Trot doesn't say boo, but what he contributes is his leadership, his play on the field. 18 tackles is pretty darn good. Smile, Monden, you know, and the cool thing about it is the veteran guys on the field go, field go block, they have a voice for us as well. You know, we know our field go block has been an added luxury with J.C., J.D., Rick Woollin now who's had a block kick in his career. I think it's all encompassing of this team. It's not just one guy you have to put everything on. It's the entire team to get us to that end goal we want.
