Special Teams Coordinator Byron Storer (9.24.26)
So how did it feel to have your first AFC Special Teams Player of the Week?
“Oh, it felt great. That’s cool for Dre (Andre Smyzt). He’s very deserving of the award, in my opinion, and it’s a lot of hard work and dedication that he’s put in, so I’m really excited for him. And he also let me know the last time he got AFC Player of the Week was against the Packers, so he rubbed it in a little bit, too.”
I know he had a very tough start to his career with that opener last year, but since then he’s kind of quietly been one of the most consistent kickers in the league. Is he a guy that maybe other people could take for granted, that he just goes out there and does his job?
“Yeah, I think that it will come in time, he just keeps doing what he’s doing, taking it one kick at a time and keep making kicks, then all the accolades and the recognition will follow.”
Are your punt return guys frustrated with the lack of activity?
“I know, the whole game plan for them last week was to keep it out of KC’s hands. So, we’re going to keep chopping wood, and be preparing to get an opportunity, and when we do, hopefully we can maximize it.”
In the first couple of punt return reps, you had Sam Williams at gunner. What’s the thought process behind that?
“You look back at Sam Williams’ career at Dallas, and he played out there, I played against him out there, actually, so I’m well aware of his ability to play gunner outside. And that’s the thing with a man of his size, you’re like, I would love for him to play in the box and be a guard or a tackle or a wing. But there’s also that ability to go out there and be a gunner outside with four-five speed and just dominate a corner in front of you too. And his mindset is too, he’s like, ‘coach, I can play gunner.’ And I said, ‘you know what, that’s probably the quickest way for you to get on the field right now.’ So, we took advantage of the opportunity.”
Is that rare for someone his size?
“I think you see it every once in a while, I think there was a guy in Carolina actually that did it. Every once in a while, you see a big guy that can go out there and do it, and Sam’s one of those guys. So, I’m glad we got him.”
It looks like Denzel (Ward) came close on a couple of those field-goal attempts, maybe getting blocked. Did you guys see something, or is that just kind of Denzel being Denzel?
“Denzel is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL on field-goal block. Every time I feel like he’s going to get there. And it wasn’t anything particular that we saw, we just felt like, we work it every day in drills, I mean not every day, but on every Wednesday, we do our field-goal-block drill circuit, and he’s out there working it, and it’s rare to see a guy like him, he sells out every single time. I mean it’s impressive, the effort and attention to detail that he puts out there on every field-goal block. It’s pretty special.”
What kind of example does that set for younger guys when you have a five-time Pro Bowl cornerback doing stuff like that?
“I think it makes it, it’s all about team. It’s about team and whatever it takes to win the game. And he truly believes that he can block it every time. And I saw, again, going back to the Green Bay Packers game against Cleveland, we saw it firsthand. I’m fairly certain that he got a hand on that in that game. So, he’s a special guy. I’m really glad that I get a chance to come coach him.”
What is the primary skill to do that? Quickness, obviously, but what is beyond that?
“You have to be able to get off on the ball very, very quickly. And then you have to be able to, what we say, carve the edge, dip and drive and go, and try to get yourself in position to block it. It’s a combination of being able to get an incredible jump off the ball and then having the speed and quickness and ability to control your body to bend enough to cut that corner, to give yourself a chance to go block it. So, I think you got to be a pretty special athlete to do it.”
You mentioned that teams try to keep the ball away from KC on punts. What does that say about him and his skillset as a rookie, two games into his career, to have teams picking up on that?
“I think that anybody who watched KC’s return tape in college knows his ability with the ball in his hands. And so, I think that him being back there impacts the game in terms of the field-position battle. Even though he’s not getting the ball, teams are so aware, they’re either willing to kick it out of bounds, or they’re kicking it 43, 42 yards in the air with hang time and forcing fair catches. You’re sacrificing some field position to make sure that he doesn’t get an opportunity to catch the ball and return it.”
Without Bookie (Nathaniel Watson), what kind of a loss is that for you? I know he was a key guy for you the last two weeks. Who steps up in that role?
“You know, we got a combination of guys that are going to get more opportunities to go out there and play, guys that have been waiting in the wings ready to roll. So not one guy in particular is going to fill his role, because Nate did a lot of different things for us. And he’s a rare type of player too, in the fact that he’s one of our bigger linebacker body types. So, I don’t think we can necessarily one-for-one replace him, but there’s going to be a combination of guys that are going to go out there and help us fill that void.”
Is Jimmy Horn Jr. potentially someone who could step in there to help?
“It’s not out of the question, but I’m not really sure up to this, we have to see how the week shakes out in terms of actives, inactives, elevations and stuff like that. So, it’s still a bit early to know who’s going to be up, who’s going to be down for game day.”
Carsen Ryan has gotten to do some work with you guys. What have you seen from him? He says he takes pride in blocking and helping in whatever capacity. What have you seen from him and his skill set when you get to work with him?
“Carsen Ryan is a very intelligent, instinctual football player and very reliable in everything that he does. He gives you his absolute focus and attention to detail, effort, urgency, and he’s very serious about his job and whatever he’s doing. So, for me, he’s an extremely reliable football player. He’s got great size, and I feel like he’s athletic enough and strong enough to make an impact in coverage and in the return game. So, I’ve been very, very happy with Carsen Ryan, and he’s quietly progressing to become one of our core special teams players.”
With Emmanuel (McNeil-Warren), I think his role is still maybe evolving a little bit on defense, but for you, on special teams, what have you kind of noticed from him so far and the impact he’s had?
“Oh E-man, I’m really happy we get a chance to work with him. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to work with him, because I’m sure he’ll have more of a role as we get going here on defense, but he can really do anything. He’s got incredible athleticism and length, size, speed, so there’s not a lot he can’t do on special teams for me. And so, he has great versatility for us on special teams. I think he’s only going to get better and better and better at anything he does. So, I’m very, very happy that I have a chance to work with him right now, but I have a feeling he’s probably going to have a bigger role at some point on defense.”
What do you think about the Carolina Panthers on special teams?
“I think Tracy Smith does an incredible job with his special teams unit. They play extremely hard, and they’re very unique in that they give you very abnormal punt formations. Their kickoff is unorthodox, everything they do is a little bit different than everybody else in the league. And I think it takes a very intelligent coach to do that. So, I would categorize Tracy Smith as a very smart, intelligent coach that can get his guys to play extremely hard, even though it’s different than what you normally see from a week-to-week basis in the NFL.”
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