Read the full transcript from STC Chris Tabor's media availability on September 10, 2026.
Ryan Miller, I hear he's a good special teams core guy. Is that the gunner role, or how do you envision him?
Chris Tabor: He can play a lot of areas which makes it nice, especially when you're talking about the receiver room, because just like what you said, sometimes those guys get pigeonholed into kind of like obviously the speed positions because that's what they should be. But he can actually, he can do other core type blocking things along those areas besides just playing on the outside. So glad he's here. He's a guy that has a lot of experience playing in Tampa and then obviously we played him there at the Giants, so it's been a nice addition.
I noticed at practice you have scout team jerseys for a lot of the opponent numbers, where maybe in the past we've seen it's just a few, maybe one guy who's being singled out. So why is it important to you have so much preparation for the different special teams players?
Chris Tabor: I think you need to always know your opponent. Obviously Week 1, it's a little bit tougher because I think you're kind of guessing based on tape and what they've maybe done in the past, even though this is a new coordinator, maybe where they like to play guys. But it's also for me, from the standpoint it helps me memorize maybe where guys are at and I can get better recall in my mind of what the skill set is. So if it moves during the game, I can make adjustments more quickly. So it's a two-fold process for the player and then also for myself.
Do you pretty much know who is going to be on each coverage team on Sunday? Or do you still have to get with Coach Hafley on Friday or Saturday to finalize the last few spots?
Chris Tabor: I think you're always tweaking. But really, our process, you have a good idea. That's because really, you're working Wednesday, you work Thursday. I mean, tomorrow's fast Friday, so it's coming up fast, but there's always constant communication amongst the staff of what it's going to look like.
Chris, you know, you guys have had a lot of roster turnover recently. I'm wondering in general, how long does it take special teams to come together? I mean, is it like offensive line where you need cohesion and how challenging is this compared to previous seasons that you've had?
Chris Tabor: I've had this before and I think that's just kind of the nature. Your question, I understand what the question is, but I really don't give it much thought because that's kind of our world that it's always changing. So I guess you're used to it. I think the one thing that we want to be able to do is allow the guys to play fast and play free. And yeah, sure there's some guys that just got here, but those expectations don't change. So it's our job to get them ready to go and then let them play on Sunday and see how it shakes out.
And in general, I mean, do they come two games, three games?
Chris Tabor: How long does it usually kind of get it going? I think anything – offense, defense, kicking – I mean, just like you watched the game last night. I mean, it was a good game, but you also saw, what, 10 penalties and the turnovers and those types of things. I think that's a lot in the NFL. We'll see what tonight is, right? What those things present, those are kind of Game 1 stuff as you're kind of working through and getting in that rhythm. We're going to do our best to eliminate some of those things, hopefully, and then get in our rhythm. Hopefully it happens faster than later.
Obviously Malik Washington is the one constant in the return game, but what's the thinking behind having Jaylen Wright specifically on kick return and Kevin Coleman on punt return?
Chris Tabor: Different skill sets, right? Obviously fielding the kick is different than fielding the punt, and I think that kind of goes into that. A lot of punt guys can catch kicks, a lot of kick guys cannot catch punts. So there's that skill set.
There are several core special teams players from recent years, obviously no longer on the team, Cam Goode, Ethan Bonner, although he's still in the building. Guys that you think, Chris, are going to emerge as core special teams players on coverage teams, who are the leaders that come to mind of that group?
Chris Tabor: That's a loaded question. That's a tough question, and I'm going to give you a really bad answer. You're going to be disappointed, all right. I think you're kind of anticipating it, though. I don't know. I really don't. I'm hopeful. We got some young guys, right, and they're on the conveyor belt right now. We got to get them processed through and get them going. I'm optimistic for a lot of guys, but I haven't been in a game with them under the fire of what it's going to look like. So I think that's also kind of the fun part, too. You know what I mean? I mean, there's probably going to be some looks at me on Sunday afternoon of like, 'hey, boy, Tabes.' And I'm going to say, 'hey, let's go.' You know what I mean? So we're going to be working through those things too, but I don't have specific guys yet.
With the three defensive backs claimed off waivers, a week and a half ago, Dial, Taylor, Wood, any of those in particular with a lot of proven special teams experience that you think will be part of your coverage unit?
Chris Tabor: There's some guys, Wood's played before in the league. But the other guys, they all have some experience. So that part's good, which just it's a matter of how it fits, right? And when is a player ready to go, and you can say that for really any position or any guy.
A few years ago, Michael Thomas, Thomas Morstead and Keion Crossen were at a players union meeting. Michael Thomas told Crossen and Morstead, I know how both of you guys play as a gunner and a punter. You ought to try to get together. They came here. My question is, what can you tell me about the punter-gunner relationship and where is your punter-gunner relationship?
Chris Tabor: I think we're developing gunners on the outside right now. With regards to their relationship, I think that's an ongoing thing. Is it an important deal? Sure it is, because obviously by rule, the outside men are the first guys that can release right down the field right now and to have faith in those guys getting down there along with the punter putting where it's supposed to go along with the hang time. There's a lot of things that go together on that whole deal, but I'd say we're a work in progress on that.
Obviously to win football games, all three phases need to work cohesively. We hear it time and time again, complementary football, right? What would be the strength of special teams, if you have to describe it?
Chris Tabor: Oh, gosh. You know, I look at it like this way. I think it's easy to diagnose, like if there was a big return and they say, boy, they got a big play on special teams. I think no one ever talks about if you pin the ball down there on the 5-yard line and the gunner does a nice job of getting down there, punter, they work together to get it down there, then the defense gets a stop, gets a three-and-out and we get a short field and we score off of that. The big play in my eyes was the pooch punt that no one would ever talk about because you established the field position part. It's easy talking points like last night when, remember it was fourth-and-4 and there was a roughing of the punter, right? And then there was points right after that and you said, 'Okay, is that a big play right there?' In our world, I only look through my lens, so whatever we do, good, bad or indifferent, I'm always like, was that a big play? We got to handle it. We got to handle field position. We got a big task coming up. These guys will be well coached and they're good and fast and they've got some good veterans. So I'm excited to see where we're at.
How do you work the process with Riley Patterson and how far he feels comfortable kicking? I know obviously you kick before the game. Do you observe that and then do you ask Riley or how does that work?
Chris Tabor: No, after pregame we'll kind of visit a little bit, kind of see where it's at. As I watch and I see how the ball's flying that day, I start to get a number in my head. Then you ask the player and he might go a little higher than what your number is and then you find the happy medium and then you play it from there. But I think there's also a point of hey, what's the line? But then also like, what's the 80% line? You know what I mean? Like, hey, I feel like we're really getting the points. I mean, obviously, the farther you go back, you're rolling the dice a little bit, so you got to play that too.
As part of that, when do you go to Hafley and is that a pregame meeting or is that in the moment?
Chris Tabor: No, we talk about it all in pregame and we're all on the same page because obviously that then goes into the analytics of, hey, when do we want to go for it and those type of things. We talk about during the week, but it gets solidified at the game, after pregame and all those things. Just like we look at their kicker, what do you think his range is?
Obviously no elements when you play indoors, but what are some of the intricacies that you would ordinarily think of when it comes to kicking in an indoor stadium?
Chris Tabor: I'd say this, here's my experience with kickers and punters in indoors. They think that they're just gonna go hit bombs like they're at Top Golf, you know what I mean, and having a great day, okay? So they overswing and then have a bad day. I've seen guys then go into like cold weather, windy stadiums and they're a little bit more focused because as they release the balls, is it moving and they can't match it with the foot and those type of things, they're a little more keen and they play better there. So I always worry about we go indoors and we think we're at Top Golf. You know what I mean? I just need to play solid, have a solid round.
How do you, I guess, avoid guys from getting too comfortable in those environments? Is it just a conversation?
Chris Tabor: Yeah and try to control it, you know what I mean? Stay within the process, stay within the routine. Just because we're in here doesn't mean that all of a sudden I just added 10 more yards to your launch zone there, buddy. It is what it is.
How do you approach a coaching point when someone misshits a kick, whether it's Bradley or Riley? I've heard coaches talk about receiver drops a ball, I'm not gonna go yell at him because he knows that that's something he has to do. How do you approach when they misshit a ball?
Chris Tabor: I have to internalize it with myself first. I mean, sometimes I'm my worst enemy. But no, I'd say this, and I tell this story; I was coaching at another place, and we had a really good field goal kicker and he made everything. And one day in a game, he missed it. And the head coach over the head said, like he goes, 'he missed it.' And I immediately said, 'he didn't mean to.' And of course then that wasn't a great response at the time, but no, they're not – yes, I have to treat them like that, but is there something along the lines of, hey, are my steps off? How did he hit it? Did it get up in the air? Was there another problem? Was there another issue that actually took place? People see the miss or in the last preseason game the block, there was another issue that was involved with that. It wasn't his deal, so I didn't even address it with him.
Chris, at some point I'm probably going to do a story on the use of technology for you guys. A few of us in here are golfers. What are you looking for when you use that? Are you looking at spin rate, trajectory? What do you use the analytics or the technology for?
Chris Tabor: As I've always said, I think analytics, I think they're very important, but I think they have to be used wisely. And so what does that mean? I want to know what Riley's height coming off the ball is. I know kind of what his trajectory is. I can see it, but what is that? Spin rates and all those things, I'm looking more at the rotation of the football. I can tell if it's a fast one or not. But yes, the Trackman, the stuff that we have, it's very good. But I don't go way deep into it unless I see that there's maybe a problem and then maybe I'll use some of that to formulate, hey, what's going on here.
