PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Saying it was to help player safety, the NFL added a new rule. And the rule affects the area where rules often start and it seems blame is placed, special teams.
This season a NFL team can call for a fair catch in the field of play on a kickoff and have the ball come out to the 25-yard line, presuming the ball is caught inside the 25. They believe that will eliminate some of the collisions, more specifically concussions, in the game.
“If you footed the bill for concussions, would you make a change to show you’ve made a change?” said Steelers Special Teams Coach Danny Smith on Tuesday during mandatory mini-camp. “It don’t surprise me. We’ll see how it goes. It’s a one-year test. We’ll see how it goes.”
Smith wouldn’t do as far as to believe they are trying to take special teams, or at least kickoff returns, out of the game. He would say that there are times where it’s assumed someone got a concussion on a kickoff team, when really there is no evidence to support that.
“You can’t see the concussion on that kickoff,” Smith said as an example. “The question is did it occur in the series before that? Don’t attribute that to special teams. I’m not saying it’s a perfect world. I’m not vilifying those doctors that come up with information and stuff. It is on tape. There are some when you say, where’s the concussion and, (number) 24 (for instance) is concussed.”
“No he ain’t. Look at him, but in fact when he got tested on the side he was. But he had no contact on the kickoff, it was a touchback and it was no contact. It didn’t occur there, but it got placed there because that’s when it came out.”
Before the rule was instituted a group of eight NFL special teams coaches formed a committee, with Smith as a key voice, and had several meetings. They met with NFL officials, Commissioner Roger Goodell, with NFL films and had those meetings in person and on Zoom. In some of the virtual meetings, it included all of the special teams coaches. Smith said they said their piece about how it affects them and the game. The issue is they could say all they want, but they really never had a voice in the rule changes.
“I will be honest with you, that we don’t have a vote,” Smith said. “Some people in the committee think they have a vote. They don’t have a vote.”
It doesn’t matter if the special teams coaches like it or not, the group of eight special teams coaches on the committee banded together to say it won’t make the game safer. When asked if he believes this rule makes the game safer, Smith said.
“I’m being honest with you guys and I’m supposed to say no, but… I’m going to leave it at that”
Smith said the league made the one-year addition of this rule, but it won’t be the last place they go. It’s easy to pick on special teams. Smith didn’t say this, but the reality is there are no stars on special teams. Average fans don’t know many of those who populate those units. But it won’t stop there for the guys who foot the bill for concussions.
“That’s where we attack first and you know where we are going second,” Smith said. “We got all those devices on the O-line and D-line with the head things (extra padding on the helmets). That’s where they are going next and I’m for making the game safer. It’s just special teams is an easy place to attack for some reason.”
“They will move on. Sometimes you have to give up something to get something. We fought very hard, but we don’t have a vote. Say your piece and hope it’s heard and they go with it because if they go with it there ain’t (anything) we can do about it.”