Steelers bring in Everest as special teams coordinator

[Steeler Nation]

Al Everest has been hired as the Pittsburgh Steelers' special teams coordinator after being let go by the San Francisco 49ers.

More... (http://www.nfl.com/goto?id=09000d5d815e186c)

[LeXX75]

Reed needs to learn to at least attempt tackles on kick returns. I think Sepulveda should have been doing kickoffs, he has a stronger leg and he was a linebacker in college at Baylor

So then you know Sepulveda can kickoff ? How do you know that? Have you ever seen him do that? Don't you think if he could do it better the coaches would have had him doing it? Or you think our coaches wanna see skippy kicking it to the 10 yard line ..and as far as tackles go ..if you gotta count on your kicker to make tackles you are in trouble..Reed or Sepulveda.

[StuartSteelerFan]

if you gotta count on your kicker to make tackles you are in trouble

I seem to recall some college video of Sepulveda where he punted the ball and also managed to tackle the returner within a few yards of catching the ball. Not saying he was "counted on" to make the tackle, but at least he didn't just stand around and wave at the guy as he ran by.

As for kicking off, any fool can do it, it's not a high-skill feat. It's like saying only a handful of people in the world can be long-snappers - if that were the case then we wouldn't have sent Harrison in there that one game to try and do it. Field goals or on-sides attempts are a different situation, of course. But kicking off, I suspect just about anyone on the team could at least attempt it if necessary. Leg strength and mechanics would factor into how deep you could kick it, and a punter has a leg up on the competition because he already has the leg strength and some of the kicking mechanics. I would think they've at least worked Sepulveda out kicking off and kicking field goals so that they have an in-game backup plan in the event that Reed gets hurt or something. What do they do if someone slides into Reed's plant leg during a field goal try on the first drive of a game, and Reed tears an ACL. Sure, after the game you work out some new guys and get a new kicker in there the next week... but what do you do the rest of that game? The way the rosters are structured, everyone has a backup... who is Reed's backup? Most likely it's Sepulveda, and that means they know what he can do there. So why keep it a big secret, especially if you don't plan on bringing him out to kick? Either he can kick off better and we want to keep it a secret (which is stupid because why not use your best resources all the time?), or he's not as good but will do in a pinch (which is not going to surprise anyone anyway, so keeping it secret gives no advantage).

I think all I (and many others) would like to see is for Tomlin to come out and honestly say, "We tried out Sepulveda at kicking off, and he's not any better at it than anyone else, including Reed." Shit, if Danny boy can consistently put it one yard deeper or give it a tenth of a second more hang time than Reed, let him kick off. For that matter, give anyone on the roster that wants a chance to try to kick off during the minicamps or training camp this summer... They might be surprised.

[Tibs]

I seem to recall some college video of Sepulveda where he punted the ball and also managed to tackle the returner within a few yards of catching the ball.Here ya go....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FhCgLeuO0I

[dagamier]

Here ya go....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FhCgLeuO0I

While this might be an old topic, i'm new to the board, and this very topic ticked me off quite a bit last year. While I was a punter in High School, I was still required to be able to tackle any ball carrier. Why do we not have the same expectation of a kicker? I mean after all, he's earning a paycheck just like everyone else, and if the object is to win, get to the playoffs (to get incentives), wouldn't it be in your best interest, and the team's to at least be able to throw your body at the guy and slow him down if nothing else? And then we go and franchise tag this guy? Hopefully he spends some of his off-season time learning how to at least get in front of someone. And what a hit by Sepulveda. Even if he could only kick the ball consistently to the 10 every time, i'd take him over Reed as I know he's at least going to try to tackle the guy if it comes to that.