The Riders Coaches Show: Special Teams Coordinator Kent Maugeri
Every Monday afternoon on the SportsCage, join Barney Shynkaruk and members from the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ coaching staff with a breakdown of game match-ups and the very latest from inside the Riders’ locker room.
On June 23, special teams coordinator Kent Maugeri was our guest on the Riders Coaches Show.
Barney Shynkaruk:
Thanks for taking the time to appear on The Riders Coaches Show this week, as you're the most popular coach in Rider football this weekend.
First question. Is it exactly like you drew it up before Mario trotted on the field to return that kick?
Kent Maugeri:
Before the guys went out there, like, all right, well, expect them to kick it across the field, and we'll have an answer for that. But if they do kick it, this is the return, and we've to play clean, as we did last year. It was similar; we had a chance late in the game, but a holding penalty backed us up, and that ultimately cost us.
So, you know, it was a safe return for the most part that we do. It was something that we hadn't done all game and thought it could be there if they did kick it to them, and the guys, you know, they did what they do. So, it was great.
Kris Mazurak:
What, what, what odds or what percentage were you maybe thinking they might squib it? Was that a thought process? I didn't know they'd squib it.
Maugeri:
Squibbing is a lot harder than you think because if it takes a, there's a hot squib and our fullback catches it and gets down, you know, we could get the ball at the 40 and not much clock runs. So, you know, there are things that we work on, sky kicks, kicks across the field and squibs as well that people can do to try to keep the ball out of his hands. But it's a brutal kick.
Mazurak:
How beneficial is it for them to have only 11 guys on the field?
Maugeri:
If there was a guy there; they're missing somebody in the field. So, you know, we didn't run a field return, but, you know, I don't know, it's tough, you know, I've been in that scenario before where, you know, they're blowing it in quick and, you know, you don't ever know. I don't know if they got somebody injured or what, but hell, I was glad.
I wish they had gone out there with eight; we'll take that.
Mazurak:
So, as a coach, because as a fan, you're watching because TSN did the counter, and they're like, they only had 11. So, as a coach, when it comes to, do you try and huddle before a kickoff? And I know it's hard because there are players who come on and off.
Do you try to get all of your 12 players front and center before they go out? Like, is anybody doing a head count? Are you just relying that everybody knows what their job is?
How does that work?
Maugeri:
No, so my assistant and I count and then we'll huddle on the sideline and break out, you know, obviously on a kickoff, kickoff return. It's different for putting on return, but then we have a guy who also counts on the field, and then we have somebody upstairs who counts to confirm that we have 12.
So, yeah, we as many as you can, but you never know, you know,
Mazurak:
Can you can you share when's the last time that you had an absolute dumpster fire that we didn't have enough guys? Someone was maybe injured and you're screaming at somebody. When was the last time that happened for you?
Maugeri:
The worst day of the year for a special-teams coach is the preseason game two, you know what I mean? So starters aren't playing, you know, but they've played maybe a quarter and then you try to go by half, and then somebody gets hurt or whatever and then you're shuffling the pieces. You're like, oh, so that to me is like that's the problem where you put, you know, you'll have 11 guys out there or something like that, but you try to do your best and you have answers for it.
You know, you have protocols in place, but it happens.
Shynkaruk:
So Mario Alford is reaching rarefied air when I comes to his stats on punt return kickoff return the yardage and all of that. Well, how excited are you when you have a weapon like that as part of the Arsenal that you get to coach every day?
Maugeri:
Oh, it's fun. And it's not just me; the players see it, and they want to protect him because they know that anytime he touches it, we could go the distance. So our guys we work hard and film preparation on the field drill work and no one that you have a weapon like that that can change the game, you know, it gets everybody excited to to do their best one question that I've had. I've always just, you know, thinking back to high school and you had to play like kick coverage or something like that.
Shynkaruk:
It seemed like it was basic. It was like to do this in the CFL from week to week. Are there a lot of differences from teams and what you have to prepare for when it comes to special teams, and are there some weeks that it's got to be, you know, dialled in, or are they all pretty much the same?
Maugeri:
Oh, no, it's just like offensive defence. It is. So it depends on the scheme you're seeing whether it's a, you know, you're going to face a team that does a bunch of double teams and traps or if it's a man scheme or if it's middle or field, you know schemes and then you always look up matchups and all right, who are they trying to the double team or what's the matchup where I can get an advantage whether it's through movement or just crossing down field.
So, it is different. What makes a good special-teams player? I would say they're relentless effort, and you know, we have a saying like junkyard dog mentality.
We want guys that are going to run and go hit.
Mazurak:
Many rookies coming into camp may not make the veteran roster, such as the Riders'. So they're going to have to come through teams. So, do you and Corey have a deal, like, 'Listen, no, no, no, no, don't give him that iPad'?
I don't care how many offensive players or defenders he has, he needs to know these special teams. I get them first and then you can have them in three to six games because that's how the pipeline kind of works and you don't have a lot of time when you get guys showing up never in the CFL all of a sudden within two weeks, you got to have them game-ready probably bit of a challenge at times, right?
Maugeri:
It's one of my favourite things, though, because during practice, you know, he gives us plenty of time, especially in training camp. So we're doing drill work that's specific to special teams. And then once we do our drill work, we'll do some team stuff, and then I'm watching for a particular skill set.
What type of skill set is in their position-specific drill work that can carry over to mine? So and then once the lights come on, that's when they separate themselves. It's my job to really to make sure if there's a battle say at running back, you know, I want to make sure I have equal reps on special teams for those two guys that are competing at running back because typically it'll be, you know, the best teamer will survive.
Shynkaruk:
Who's a player maybe in the last couple of years, let's go a couple years that started on special teams that you knew you were like this guy has the work ethic and IQ and he's going to be moving up quick.
Maugeri:
Man, I would say Milligan for sure. Like, he got here late in the year was expanded PR and I'm like, holy cow. This is one of the best teamers, if not players on the field, that we put him out there.
It was like there's only a matter of time before he's pretty special in it. It happened quickly.
Mazurak:
That's what Charleston Hughes said. He saw almost instantly when he showed up just how good Mulligan, as he calls him, would be because it was a call in a game that he said in the huddle that Milligan called out what the play was going to be because he'd already watched enough film, and we've talked about him. I said, well, since he's so good and such a big part of what the writers do, would you take him off special teams? At Charleston, they said now, when you have that dog in you, you never let that dog go away.
You let him play as much as you want because when a guy's in the game, he's better for the team than a guy that has to try and go out there and manufacture it just a few plays at a time.
Maugeri:
Oh, yeah, and I got to protect him like it's my job, like he says, coach put me out there. I want to be, you know, slot or gunner on punt and make every play like I have to say. All right, no, get over this sideline. You're good. We've got somebody else who can do it, and when that's when your best players are doing that, that means you've got the right culture. You got the right guy because look right now like Thurm, he plays a bunch of special teams for us, and he doesn't want to come off the field ever, and when your best players, your leaders are those type of guys, then you're doing something, right?
Shynkaruk:
What's something that the casual fan doesn't know about place kicking?
Maugeri:
It's not just the kicker. There are a lot of different factors, the snap, the hold, the hash, the wind, the weather. There's it's, you know, his steps.
So people don't realize that. Are you on the right hash? Well, then your step back is going to be a little bit different.
Shynkaruk:
What is the trickiest facility stadium in the CFL from your perspective to kick in?
Maugeri:
I think it's hard kicking towards pill country, but I also believe that Toronto is tough going towards the lake because you're on grass, the O-line has been beating that field up all game. So you're playing foot feels like it's slipping a little bit, and the wind is tricky.
Mazurak:
So, when it comes to kickers, I'm not sure if you've always been this way or if you've adjusted your approach. When a kicker is going through ups and downs, everybody goes through it in a football season. Do we talk about it?
Do we let it go? Do we let a person work it out? How's your role when it's great if somebody goes five for five, there's nothing to say, it's high fives.
Two for five different story.
Maugeri:
What happens? Yeah to me. It's all the same.
We're going to watch every kick, whether he makes them all or misses them all. And then we will evaluate. All right, we know that was good.
What was bad was that even some of the makes an if it's a mishit, so you got to talk about it. So and to me, it's just like a hitter, you know, if you're in a hitting slump, you don't just stop hitting you hit and you hit and you hit and you got to get out of it and it's a lot of it's mental but some of it we just tweak a couple things and look at him last week. I know he didn't; he wasn't thrilled about the results. However, even before the game, his kicks were great, and the other ones were good.
He struck it. Well, except for the last one, and he's going to you know, he's going to continue to work just like we've been doing.
Shynkaruk:
So, what you mentioned, you know, the guys that are going to run down and have the dog in them and all that, I mentioned this last week. I had a chance to skate with Brett in the winter. He's a gamer, like he's a complete.
He might not look at it on the field, right? But man, that guy's a competitive coach.
Maugeri:
Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's awesome. And he wants to be out there all the time.
Like, hey, man, 60 yards back up like coach put me in. All right, that's but that's what you want as a kicker. You do, and he owns it like he had a rough go, and he owns it, and that's what you want. You don't make excuses.
You just go out there. I have to be better for the team, and he's going to be fine.
Shynkaruk:
Speaking of the 60s. There's some talent across the league right now and Sergio Castillo. What do you think his range could be?
Could he possibly kick a 70? Like, I mean, he's no Atlanta 60s to me. He is one of the best right now in the CFL, and he's consistent.
This is your specialty. So, what makes him so good?
Maugeri:
Oh, he's a machine. He really is. You just never know if he's got wind at his back.
You know what the distance could be, that man. He strikes such a good ball, you know, he's got great lift, great rotation, and he's nothing, you know, he's got ice in his veins. It seems so, but there's a lot like the punters and the kickers up here this year.
I think it's all it's outstanding. You know, they took us away—Ottawa's punter.
I mean, if you are Hamilton's punter and he's hanging four seven four eight hang time outside the numbers, and I don't care who you got back there at returner like that, that took you away for a couple of them. These individuals are truly exceptional. It's fun to be a special-teams coach right now, and special-teams coach Kent is joining us on the coaches show.
Shynkaruk:
We've got a couple of minutes left here. I want to ask you if you played that QB as a kid. You played a little bit of DB in college and then became the longest tenured coach.
I think with the Riders, from what I gather, maybe I could be off a bit. But did you always have that coaching brain? Like when you look back at yourself in the younger days, was that always you?
Are you good at Tecmo Ball and stuff like that?
Maugeri:
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I can beat anybody in John Madden '92.
So, if you'd like, I'm in Tecmo Bowl. My dad worked in construction, but he also coached Pop Warner football, a type of youth football popular in the South. I remember being a little kid, in third, fourth, and fifth grade. I'm drawn to football plays instead of doing math, you know what I mean, at school, and I just always loved the X's, and I was part of it.
I always loved the team aspect of it. I have always known that I wanted to be involved in football.
Shynkaruk:
So who's a player on the Riders right now that you can see some way down the line is going to be a coach has that coaching brand?
Maugeri:
Oh, man. There are a couple good ones. I would say, special teams-wise, Jayden Dalke is as smart as anybody I've worked with, but we've got a couple of others.
Some of them are too smart. They want they make money instead of coaching. Dalke's like a coach on the field for us.
Mazurak:
One more, you’ve got BC coming up this week, and they're not off to the start they want, but there are some weapons. There are some guys you probably you want to keep the ball away from. How much prep time goes into each team each week to get ready for the next opponent?
Maugeri:
It takes what it takes. It takes a long time. It really does, and we watch every clip of their season, and then you know, I go back to the special teams coordinator, what he's done in the past, some success that he's had, and then you know, what's hurt him.
So, it's deep dives and then it's matchups. I'm looking at personnel and right what says their left guard on punt. What is he?
Is he a striker? Is he a catcher? What's his footwork like, and then who are we going to match up with him just to give ourselves the best chance of winning?
So it takes a lot of time. That's why I got all this gray.
I look tired because I am tired. Okay.
Shynkaruk:
Now I've a few months to figure this out. Western Pizza makes a delicious burger. So we got it. We got to call Spiro from Western Pizza. I'm going to bring the Genesis back from the cabin. We'll get Madden 92. We'll set up. We'll have a burger, and we'll play some Madden at Western Pizza. I am in, are you? Let me know.
Thanks so much, Coach. Best of luck this week.
Maugeri:
Appreciate you guys. Thank you for having me.
