After 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, special teams coordinator Danny Smith will be moving on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced on Tuesday that they have hired Smith to serve as the special teams coordinator under head coach Todd Bowles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Danny is one of the most respected and highly regarded special teams coaches in our league,” said Head Coach Todd Bowles in a statement on the Buccaneers’ website. “He is an extraordinary teacher and has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to all areas of special teams. I am confident that he will get the most out of our players and take our special teams unit to the next level.” \u00a0<\/p>\n
Smith spent 13 years with the Steelers after being hired in the 2013 season. Prior to becoming the gum-chewing fan-favorite in Pittsburgh, he spent time as a special teams coordinator in Washington from 2004 to 2012 and Buffalo from 2001 to 2003.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He got his start in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles as the special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach from 1995 to 1998.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During his tenure as the Steelers’ special teams coordinator, he’s overseen multiple All-Pro players, including two in the past three seasons. He also oversaw the growth of Steelers’ kicker Chris Boswell, who, while under Smith’s guidance, emerged as one of the best placekickers in the league. In the past 11 seasons, Boswell has a career success rate of 82.5% from 50 yards and beyond, second-best in NFL history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 72-year-old Smith is a Pittsburgh native and graduated from Central Catholic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This upcoming season will be Smith’s 50th year coaching the game of football.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Steelers head coaching search continues after Tomlin steps down<\/p>\n
After the Steelers’ 30-6 loss in the Wild Card Round to the Houston Texans, Mike Tomlin informed his team the next day that he would be stepping away<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n After his announcement and meeting with Steelers’ President Art Rooney II, the team made it clear that the rest of the coaching staff was free to pursue other options, and Rooney told the press that he didn’t believe that anyone internally was a candidate to replace Tomlin<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I don’t think anyone on our current staff is a candidate,” Rooney said. “Maybe a candidate to stay on the staff, depending on what the new head coach wants to do.”<\/p>\n