Pittsburgh Steelers special teams off to rocky start
By Matt Shetler
It’s really not fair to make too many judgments off of one preseason game, but looking around the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers looked the sloppiest of all of their division rivals.
No unit though got off to a sloppier start than the Steelers’ special teams.
Aug 10, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers punter Drew Butler (9) has his punt blocked by New York Giants defensive end Damontre Moore (79) during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
A year ago, aside from Shaun Suisham kicking field goals, every aspect of the Steelers’ special teams was brutal. You can make the case that the special teams units cost the Steelers a game or two in 2012, ultimately costing them the playoffs as well.
That prompted changes, most notably in new special teams coach Danny Smith, and a renewed focus to the special teams during training camp practices. But judging by one week, Smith has a long way to go to fix all of the problems.
On Saturday against the New York Giants alone, we saw Drew Butler have a punt blocked (which came after Marshall McFadden was flagged as an ineligible man downfield), returner David Gilreath made the poor decision to field a punt at his own 3-yard line and Justin Brown was penalized for an illegal block in the back. Gilreath also fumbled a punt, which means if you had to grade the performance of the Steelers special teams through one week, they would have received a failing grade.
No one should know better than the Steelers how bad special teams units can kill a team. They simply must be better in all aspects of special teams to compete in 2013. That being said, they aren’t off to a good start.
The good news is that it is still early in the preseason and there is plenty of time for Smith to fix the problems. We will see if they make any progress as the Steelers are next back in action Aug. 19 against the Washington Redskins.