Saints special teams coach Darren Rizzi talks about Blake Grupe, Isaac Yiadom, and much more on Thursday.
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00:00 >> It seemed like over the first four weeks or so, I think it was like 11 kick
00:03 returns in the last five weeks, it's been like four or five.
00:06 Has that been a shift in strategy or
00:08 is that just been a matter of more balls getting kicked out of bounds?
00:12 >> I think it's a product of the success that Shaheed has had as a player,
00:16 both as a receiver and as a punt returner.
00:19 I think that if you look at kind of where the kickoffs have been landing
00:24 against us more recently, there's not as many balls in the field of play.
00:28 There's not as many balls maybe near the goal line, if you will.
00:31 So I think in the first few weeks, people are always trying to kind of see where
00:36 your design is, your scheme is, your returns are, all that kind of thing.
00:39 And so I think number one, we were a little bit more aggressive.
00:42 And number two,
00:43 I think teams were a little less aggressive with their kickoffs.
00:47 Now I think as people see that Shaheed's a dangerous player,
00:50 I think there's some teams that are just saying, hey,
00:51 we're gonna kick the ball eight, nine yards deep in the end zone.
00:54 Not really take our chances and let him get a return on it.
00:58 So I think it's a little bit of both.
01:00 >> So, but yeah, it has been, at least in large part,
01:02 because they're not kicking it too many of them.
01:04 >> Yeah, yeah, I mean, for the most part,
01:06 we've seen most of the touchback balls, if you will.
01:09 There's kind of a game plan when you take the field on kickoff return.
01:13 Hey, if this ball lands in a certain area, certain place, I'll take a shot.
01:16 Or we're not gonna do that kind of thing.
01:18 I think we've gotten more nots than huts, if you will.
01:21 [BLANK_AUDIO]
01:27 >> Here's the thing about Ike's play that I love.
01:31 Two weeks in a row, I watch Ike in pregame.
01:34 And these are kind of the little things that no one notices.
01:37 He goes out there in Indy two weeks ago, and he's out there with Lou pregame.
01:42 And he's kind of just his warm up clothes.
01:43 And Lou's warming up, and he's down there by the goal line fielding balls.
01:47 And what happens in the game?
01:48 He fields a ball inside the five.
01:50 This past week again, I'm out there doing my pregame warm up, so I'm on lookout.
01:53 Ike's down there by the goal line fielding, going in punts with Lou, and
01:57 letting him hit the ground and playing the ball.
01:58 And so it's one of those things that really doesn't happen by mistake.
02:02 There's a guy that's been working at it.
02:03 And ever since Ike's walked in the door here, he's a very,
02:06 very well rounded special teams player.
02:08 He's many things he can do, but he really works at his craft.
02:11 This is not happening by accident.
02:12 This is a guy that really watches film, studies his opponent,
02:16 studies the situation, got a high football IQ.
02:19 And I just love the fact that literally I looked out there last week and
02:21 saw him in that exact same spot on the field, fielding those balls.
02:25 And then what happens?
02:26 Exact play in the game, he makes a great play to punch it out of bounds.
02:28 So am I surprised?
02:30 No, cuz I know the time and effort he's put into it.
02:33 But it was a fantastic play, and it was a big deal,
02:36 because it really changes how teams play that.
02:38 When you're backed up against your own goal line, your play selection,
02:42 all those things, they ended up punting in that drive.
02:45 We got a return, we got a penalty, we had better field, and
02:47 we kinda controlled the field position at the end of that game.
02:50 And I think that was a big part of it.
02:51 Turnovers in the field position was a big part of why we won that game last week.
02:55 So really, really kudos to Ike for a really great play.
02:57 >> With Blake, is it just kinda like a young player,
03:00 you gotta wrap up the ups and downs a little bit?
03:03 And you guys are confident about that on the other side of it?
03:06 >> I think it's a little bit like we talked last week,
03:08 a little bit like we talked about with Lou, is really kinda perspective.
03:14 Yes, there's what you just said in terms of understanding that it's a young player
03:18 going through his rookie season.
03:20 I think just like I said last week with Lou,
03:24 I think there's some things that Blake's done very, very well.
03:26 There's two field goals in particular that I personally, the last one last week and
03:31 then the short one he had against Houston, are really kicks that we've gotta make.
03:36 The other ones are some longer kicks and some scenarios.
03:39 But listen, he's done some things very, very well.
03:44 Again, perspective, right?
03:45 So you look at the first year players in the league that are kickers,
03:48 ironically, just like Lou, there's three others as well.
03:51 And if you kinda compare where he's at with those other guys,
03:54 those other three guys were draft picks, he's not.
03:57 So kudos to him on that as well.
03:59 And he kinda stacks up with where those other guys are.
04:02 Anytime I've been involved with a rookie kicker in particular,
04:06 there's gonna be some peaks and valleys.
04:08 Like I said, I think the thing with him is you gotta get more consistent.
04:12 The operation's gotta be as consistent as possible with the snap kick hold, or
04:16 hold kick rather, the battery.
04:18 And so it's definitely a work in progress.
04:22 So it's a process with those guys.
04:24 I think Blake is a very capable NFL kicker.
04:28 We just gotta get more consistent like we talked about last week with Lou.
04:31 >> Was there something with the operation?
04:34 >> I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that every operation's been exact.
04:37 We've been able to overcome that at times, and other times we haven't.
04:41 But I think that Zach, Lou, Blake, they work constantly on that.
04:45 And I think they've done a nice job.
04:48 Has every operation been exactly the way we wanted it?
04:51 No, it hasn't.
04:52 And sometimes you can see with the rotation of the ball,
04:54 the way it comes out on some of those field goals, that's kind of the best tell.
04:57 So, but all three guys have been working at it.
05:00 And anytime you have a new battery like that, with a rookie holder,
05:04 with a veteran snapper and a rookie kicker, it's not like you just replace one.
05:08 It's really two parts of the three that have been new.
05:10 So I don't think enough credit gets put in that or
05:13 enough onus gets put on that, if you will.
05:16 But like I said, it's something that we've gotten a lot better at as time goes on
05:21 here, and I have confidence we'll work through it.
05:25 >> Was there something on the operation off on any of the misses this year?
05:28 >> Yeah, there was one.
05:29 Yeah, there was one that I think that it wasn't exactly.
05:32 Now again, if the kick is 45 yards instead of 47 yards, it goes in.
05:36 So you're not even talking about it, but we end up hitting it upright, and
05:40 so be it.
05:40 So it wasn't exactly the way we wanted it, but at the same time,
05:43 if you asked Blake, he would tell you, I gotta make that kick.
05:45 It was down, it was there, it was good.
05:48 It just wasn't really exact.
05:49 >> Darren, it's easy from the outside to lump in this latest kick with the one in
05:54 Green Bay as the two sort of pressure kicks, or game winning, game clinching.
06:00 What do you have to judge from, does it look like he handles those the same way?
06:04 Does it look like he handles the aftermath of those the same?
06:07 I mean, how does it go through?
06:08 >> I think when we evaluate the whole thing, it's gotta be the body of work.
06:12 The one thing, I'm not a big social media guy.
06:15 I'm not on any of that, I don't even know what they're called.
06:18 The thing we gotta be careful of is we live in this hero or
06:21 goat world where there's no in between.
06:23 So one week he's the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week,
06:26 he's getting all this praise, and he's the guy.
06:28 The next week we miss a short kick and it's like the sky's falling.
06:31 We gotta be careful.
06:32 I'm the one telling him, it's like I feel like I'm talking to my children.
06:36 Stay off social media.
06:37 No offense to you guys.
06:39 You gotta make, just stay the course.
06:41 And cuz it's like an all or nothing world we're living in.
06:45 So I gotta look at the, when we evaluate the players, every player,
06:48 you gotta look at the body of work.
06:51 His body of work since he's been here is a solid, solid body of work.
06:55 Are there, like I said, are there the end of the kick in Green Bay or
06:58 the short field goal in Houston?
07:00 The game kicks that we want back and gotta get better at?
07:02 Yes, but everything points to this player is a very good player.
07:06 And there's no question he's gotta get more consistent.
07:08 There's no question like everybody, there's things he's gotta work on.
07:11 There's no question there's been some pressure kicks.
07:13 But last week's game is a great example.
07:16 He hits a 55 yarder with probably 10 to 12 yards left on it.
07:20 Walks off the field with all kinds of confidence.
07:22 And he's feeling great about himself and everybody's feeling great about him.
07:26 And all of a sudden we hit the upright on a 47 yarder and
07:29 all of a sudden the sky's falling.