Steelers' Danny Crossman Reveals Who's To Blame For Brutal Special Teams Mistakes

The Pittsburgh Steelers have an obvious problem on special teams, and coordinator Danny Crossman isn't interested in pointing fingers at anybody else. Pittsburgh secured an important 34-22 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but the performance wasn't without mistakes. One particular breakdown in kickoff coverage left Head Coach Mike McCarthy frustrated, and Crossman has now admitted that his own decision contributed to the problem.

Steelers fans watched Indianapolis returner Anthony Gould explode for a 54-yard kickoff return during the first quarter, immediately putting Pittsburgh's defense in a difficult situation. The return came after Jaylen Warren had delivered an 80-yard touchdown reception, giving the Steelers valuable momentum. Instead of forcing Indianapolis to begin deep in its own territory, Pittsburgh surrendered excellent field position and allowed the Colts to respond with a field goal.

Crossman addressed the breakdown while speaking with reporters, offering an unusually straightforward assessment of his responsibility. Rather than suggesting the players simply failed to execute, the veteran special teams coordinator acknowledged that Indianapolis had the right return designed for Pittsburgh's coverage call. His explanation revealed that the Steelers were anticipating something different from what the Colts actually attempted.

"Any bad play, I always start with me," Crossman said. "That was a call that was not a great call based on the return they happened to run. I was thinking something else, but good for them, they made a great play."

That's an important admission because special teams mistakes are often discussed almost exclusively in terms of player execution.

When a returner breaks free, the immediate reaction is usually to question missed tackles, poor positioning or players abandoning their responsibilities. However, Crossman made it clear that Pittsburgh's problems began before the ball was even returned. Indianapolis had a return designed to exploit the coverage Pittsburgh called.

That doesn't necessarily mean Crossman's decision was unreasonable before the play began. Coaches make decisions based on tendencies, formations and what they anticipate opponents will attempt. Sometimes the opposing coaching staff simply makes a better decision. However, Crossman wasn't using that reality to excuse the result.

He also acknowledged that Pittsburgh had additional problems involving tackling and coverage technique throughout the afternoon. Those issues made the situation more concerning because they suggest the Steelers cannot solve everything by simply changing a few calls.

"We need to do better with some avoidance, leverage and some presses," Crossman said. "When we have opportunities to make tackles, we got to do that. We missed a couple tackles in some other spots in the game... That's got to get eliminated."

Crossman then delivered another direct assessment of the original breakdown.

"For them, good call for them against us and a bad call by me," Crossman said.

Steelers' Danny Crossman Faces Urgent Challenge Fixing Special Teams

Crossman's willingness to accept responsibility is encouraging, but Pittsburgh needs more than accountability from its special teams coordinator.

McCarthy has repeatedly emphasized that the unit must improve, particularly when it comes to fundamentals. Those concerns haven't disappeared simply because the Steelers managed to defeat Indianapolis.

The Colts accumulated 165 kickoff return yards on five attempts, averaging 33 yards per return. Those numbers illustrate how Pittsburgh struggled to consistently control field position despite producing enough offense and defense to win comfortably. That's a problem the Steelers cannot afford to ignore.

Pittsburgh has talented players throughout its roster, but special teams requires a different level of coordination. Coverage units frequently feature players with limited opportunities to practice together compared to established offensive and defensive starters. That makes preparation and communication especially important.

Crossman must ensure his players understand their assignments while also putting them in positions where they can execute successfully. A poorly matched coverage call can create problems before the returner even touches the football.

The Steelers cannot expect their defense to consistently overcome favorable starting field position for opponents. Against stronger teams, one explosive return could erase an otherwise impressive performance.

Crossman deserves credit for acknowledging his mistake instead of publicly blaming his players. Still, the standard in Pittsburgh has to involve correcting those mistakes before they become recurring problems.

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