The Eagleschanged direction on their final kickoff against Jacksonville to catch the Jaguars off guard, but Michael Clay said the coverage unit failed to execute when Philadelphia needed one more stop.
Speaking Tuesday, the special teams coordinator explained that the Eagles had kicked to the right for much of the game before going left with eight seconds remaining and a one-point lead. Clay believed the change would put his best available personnel in position to make the tackle.
Instead, the return set up Jacksonville's winning field goal.
“Heath Farwell's a really good special teams coordinator,” Clay said. “He's been doing it a long time, and he caught me right there.”
Clay identified several breakdowns: coverage players got too deep, failed
to get off blocks, and missed opportunities to tackle the returner. He also accepted responsibility for preparing a unit that the game reshuffled.
“I didn't get it coached up well enough prior to the kickoff,” Clay said.
The decision to allow a return also accounted for Cam Little's range. Clay said the Eagles considered how much time a return could consume against a kicker capable of attempting unusually long field goals.
Nick Sirianni made the decision, but Clay declined to place the loss solely on the head coach.
“I'm the special teams coordinator here, and we didn't get the job done,” Clay said.
The explanation adds detail to Philadelphia's late collapse: the Eagles tried to change the look, consume time, and trust their coverage. The execution failed at the moment that mattered most.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Michael Clay explains Eagles' failed kickoff strategy in London loss
