danny smith

Seems like the perfect situation for the "YOU HAD ONE JOB" meme

His job is literally just special teams. And he doesn't even know the rules.

 

Or going back a bit, when Rex Grossman tried to call a timeout a second time before a play had run. His RB had to run up and tell him he couldn't do it, and had to snap the ball. I think that was in the play offs as well. For a non-Bears fan, it was pretty funny.

I agree with mac on this one, though. Given how poor a lot of our ST play has been, I'm surprised how he's had such a long tenure.

 

The only bright spot this year on STs has been Switzer. And his return ability is all his own and has nothing to do with Danny Smith. Punting, kicking, coverage have all been below average this year.

 

Look at the positives Berry pinned them at the 4 yard line and that resulted in a safety.

Boswell made all his attempts extra points and FG.

Steelers didn't give up huge return yardage on kickoffs (unlike the previous Bengals game)

No large Punting return yards allowed.

Switzer also had a good punt return. I think he takes on to the house before the season is over.

They looked foolish on the free kick from the safety. But, at least it didn't cause them to lose.

 

"Preferably" whoa...Pretty harsh way to send a message

 

My sarcasm is so refined...it's almost unnoticeable

 

I'm not a Danny Smith fan...But, I don't feel punting average or FG accuracy should factor into a ST Coach ability...Punt, kick coverage...punt kick return ...Yes

 

I'll let it slide.........This time

 

Gee thanks.... I don't know what I'd do without your approval....oops see there I go again

 

It's a huge mistake that handed a score to the other team. It's also an avoidable mistake, one that his special teams also made in a game last season.

They were lucky that a big kickoff return was nullified by a penalty. The kickoff coverage has been shaky in recent games.

I don't give Smith much credit for Boswell making his kicks.

 

Always gotta push it

 

I'm really impressed that so many guys here know the specific rules governing a fair catch signal on a safety kick.
Seriously.


There are about a dozen-and-a-half safeties league-wide each season. Looking at past seasons' stats, the Steelers typically see one per year. Add to that unfamiliarity the fact that Switzer, the regular punt return man, stands out there every kick knowing that a fair-catch signal means the ball will be dead as soon as it's downed, goes out of bounds, or comes to rest in the field of play. Now add that Switzer wasn't the guy to call for a fair catch. Now add that the fair catch wasn't signaled by the other return man (Brown), either, but by a blocker (Nix). In a perfect world, everyone knows every rule. Given those particular circumstances, I can understand Switzer not realizing the ball stayed live.

 

There is no excuse for that whatsoever!!! They cant hide behind not knowing the rules!! I know the rule and I was screaming at the TV live as it happened!! My wife thinks I should quit my job and be a ref or a coach!! All seriousness aside, this falls on all of them!!! The coach should preach this until the players can finish his sentence, the players should know the rules of the game they play!!! There is absolutely no excuse for this type of play. If I am the coach, I run that same scenario 100 straight times until it becomes second nature to go after the ball and fall on it!!

 

If you were paid millions of dollars to play a game...a game that you had played or coached for decades...and you were hired specifically for your expertise on one "special" area of the game....don't you think you should be expected to know the rules? Or is that too much to ask?

 

This

 

Switzer was hired specifically to field safety kicks? Where one of his blockers would signal for a fair catch?

 

Sorry Clive but it's really pretty simple.....Punt= not a live ball unless touched
Kick-off= live ball....Free kick= live ball. It's not a safety kick. It's a free kick and I've known since I was a kid that ,that's a live ball. Doesn't matter who called a fair catch. You are supposed to field a live ball....
I can understand a fan not knowing the rule but there are guys here that have been watching football and some having played football for quite a few years that are well aware of it. A professional athlete who's job it is to know the rules should.

 

It is called a safety kick. It’s right there in the rules.

 

I honestly thought it was common knowledge. I am still surprised a bit that it doesn't seem to be. It truly never occurred to me that a dedicated returner would not know the rule. If it had never happened before then I would give Smith a pass since I would understand him thinking everyone knew the rule. But since it apparently did happen before then he has no excuse. He has to know he needs to go over this with every STs player so everyone understands the rules.

 

My belief is Switzer thought that since Nix called the fair catch that he would be penalized if he fielded it instead. He should have still know that it was a live ball though. I've never played the game at any level except back yard neighborhood games 40 years ago and I knew it was a live ball. Players these days might now know the rule if they didn't learn it by playing Madden.. In all seriousness though, This falls directly on DS and MT should take some of the blame as well. He's the head coach and he should remind Danny to not let what happened last season to happen again. Just another case of poor coaching that we too often see from this staff.

 

OK - POP QUIZ for all the Sofa experts hanging out in this forum (no fair Googling the Rule Book):

1. If a Free/Safety kick that is punted rolls out of bounds, is that the yard line where the ball is placed like a punt or is a penalty assessed like a kickoff?

2. If after Nix waved for the fair catch (same signal now for letting a KO harmlessly roll into the end zone?) - what if that ball had gotten a long roll and did go into the end zone, would the ball have been dead since Nix waved his arms possibly triggering the new surrender rules or would it still be a live ball under the same live ball rule that was applied to yesterday's game?

This is only to be answered by the experts in the room and no fair checking the rule book.

You have 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 seconds...................

 

1. No Penalty
2. It's live and the other team can recover in the EZ for a TD or if it rolls thru the EZ it comes out to the 25.

 

Whether or not some fans online actually knew the rule is 100% irrelevant to the fact that people paid to play the game should know the rule.

 

Not sure if you're guessing Ward or you know these for sure off hand.
1. Why no penalty? Seems that other regular KO rules apply, like live ball so the OB penalty should apply as well.
2. Why wouldn't the new "surrender" rule apply in the end zone, again like the new KO rules?

I'm just asking because I really have no clue.

 

Honestly, I'm just guessing.
1. I believe there is no penalty cause it's not treated like a kick off.
2. Fairly certain on this. It's a live ball on anything over 10 yards. The Kicking team could probably boot it straight up in the air 40 yards high and have the kicking team try and catch it coming down so long as it travels beyond ten yards if there is no fair catch called and they do not interfere with the receiving player.

Just my thoughts. Might not help much but I knew for a fact that yesterdays scenario was definitely a live ball.