Steelers Seriously Had A Tough Time Dealing With Danny Smith's Mind Games: "I Took Some Licks"

The Pittsburgh Steelers of course went through a ton of changes after the 2025 season ended as former head coach Mike Tomlin decided to step down from his role and join the broadcasting world. This left his former coaching staff in limbo, as the organization allowed the assistant coaches to seek out other positions around the league while also being told there was a chance that they could be retained by whoever the new head coach was going to be. Pittsburgh hired Mike McCarthy, and he did retain some of the coaches that were on Tomlin's staff, but one that he didn't was former special teams coordinator Danny Smith, who was certainly a fan favorite.

It has been reported that the organization and McCarthy wanted to keep Smith around, but he did not want to wait. He wound up signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pretty early on in the process, and he took some former Steelers with him. Safety Miles Killebrew signed with Tampa Bay during free agency, as did running back Kenneth Gainwell, and they were each contributors on special teams for the Steelers during the 2025 season. Both Killebrew and Gainwell were probably going to walk in free agency regardless, so Smith might not have been a factor in that.

Smith was Pittsburgh's longest-tenured coach on Tomlin's staff aside from the head coach himself, so he has close relationships with all of the players, especially the specialists. Long snapper Christian Kuntz spoke about going up against his former coach and teammates in Week 6 on a recent episode of The Christian Kuntz Podcast.

"That's the same with us on punt, like last week we played Danny Smith," Kuntz said. "He was a coach here in Pittsburgh for 14 years, my coach for seven years. Miles Killebrew was on the team as well, my personal protector. So we worked together, hand in hand. So they knew our rhythm, my timing, how I like to snap, how I like to play, different looks. That means something when you get out there, everyone knows my kind of rhythm on the punt team. Last week was a tough one for me, I took some licks for sure."

Some of the smaller roles on special teams might not be thought of a ton by the fan base, but a lot can go wrong if the long snapper is not on his game. Smith is familiar with Kuntz, as is Killebrew, so those two know his rhythm which could have allowed them to find a way to jump the snap. Pittsburgh didn't allow any big plays, but the threat was certainly there.

The only special teams hiccup that Pittsburgh had in Week 6 against Smith and the Buccaneers was a missed field goal, but kicker Chris Boswell redeemed himself by hitting two extra points and four other field goals. Technically five other field goals as he had to make one from 58 yards twice due to the two-minute warning interrupting the play.

Steelers Are Reeling After Loss Of Danny Smith

By no means is Smith considered one of the best special teams coordinators in the league. His groups in Pittsburgh produced some blocks and other opportunistic plays, but the return game was never spectacular and the coverage game left some things to be desired. His numbers are fairly average, and fans in Pittsburgh would love to have that right about now. The franchise hired Danny Crossman to take Smith's role during the 2026 offseason, and the special teams group has been disastrous so far. The return game is near the bottom of the league, and the coverage unit has allowed some returns to get out to midfield. The group is extremely concerning through six weeks. Pittsburgh wanted Smith back, but the coach decided to head down south.

What did you think about the Pittsburgh Steelers going against Smith in Week 6? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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