Why Was Danny Smith Allowed To Keep A Job? The all things Danny Smith Thread(Merged & M.E.T.)

[Dracula]

We knew the answer to this question 5 yrs ago and the answer is still the same. No, he is terrible

[Buford]

Smith has a good special teams, the same way we had a ranked D and still were losing.

Stats LIE

Good Special Teams come up big and big moments too. That's something we haven't seen much of.

[DaveMason]

We had that FG block/return/FG Dallas game a few years back. That was special teams coming up big in big moments. There have been plenty of other game-winning field goals too. Danny Smith is the least of our problems. His unit isn't perfect, but it's not like they have a game-losing gaffe every week.

[HBnotBlades]

Wait, so Smith gets to take credit for the good aspects of the special teams, but doesn't have to take the blame for the bungling mistakes? Kudos for looking up the stats tending to show we've had decent special teams, and that definitely goes in his favor, but how aren't botched snaps, blocked field goals, muffed punts, etc., his fault? Isn't he the coach? Don't consistent mistakes reflect on the coach? And while we may not give up big chunks of yardage, we also don't really make big plays...our special teams is never a game changer.

I mean, our defense has been pretty good statistically for awhile now, yet we're all happy to see Blatche go, why does Smith get a free pass?

He doesn't get a free pass, and he certainly deserves some blame for the blocked kicks, his blocking units should never allow a block. To be fair to Smith, Keiland WIlliams was put in position to make the block and completely whiffed, even worse than Fred Davis last week, but that still should never happen. It wouldn't surprise me if we see someone else back there as the punt protector next week (sign Arch Deluxe?).

I don't see how botched snaps and muffed punts are his fault though. Do we blame Keenan McCardell when Moss drops a pass or Matt LaFleur when McNabb skips a ball in the dirt? In all those situations the player knows what he's supposed to do, he's put in a position to succeed, and then simply drops/overthrows/muffs the ball. The coaches have apparently made Carlos Rogers spend a lot of time with the jugs machine and have done everything they can to help him hold on to the ball, but we all know he's going to do his best to let the ball slip through his buttery hands come Sunday.

The point being, the things a coach is most responsible for is scheme and putting his players in a position to succeed, and less responsible for the accuracy of his kicker, the consistency of his holder, and the dependability of his punt returner. If a guy simply can't hold on to the ball, that's not a coaching issue, that's a talent level issue. The specialists practice those things all day long, I'm not sure what Danny Smith could do to make them better.

And how can you say our special teams doesn't make plays? We're talking about a game in which the kickoff coverage team cause a fumble that lead to our first TD and blocked a chip shot field goal that kept us close. It seems to me like they made some plays.

[rdskn4eva]

He doesn't get a free pass, and he certainly deserves some blame for the blocked kicks, his blocking units should never allow a block. To be fair to Smith, Keiland WIlliams was put in position to make the block and completely whiffed, even worse than Fred Davis last week, but that still should never happen. It wouldn't surprise me if we see someone else back there as the punt protector next week (sign Arch Deluxe?).

I don't see how botched snaps and muffed punts are his fault though. Do we blame Keenan McCardell when Moss drops a pass or Matt LaFleur when McNabb skips a ball in the dirt? In all those situations the player knows what he's supposed to do, he's put in a position to succeed, and then simply drops/overthrows/muffs the ball. The coaches have apparently made Carlos Rogers spend a lot of time with the jugs machine and have done everything they can to help him hold on to the ball, but we all know he's going to do his best to let the ball slip through his buttery hands come Sunday.

The point being, the things a coach is most responsible for is scheme and putting his players in a position to succeed, and less responsible for the accuracy of his kicker, the consistency of his holder, and the dependability of his punt returner. If a guy simply can't hold on to the ball, that's not a coaching issue, that's a talent level issue. The specialists practice those things all day long, I'm not sure what Danny Smith could do to make them better.

And how can you say our special teams doesn't make plays? We're talking about a game in which the kickoff coverage team cause a fumble that lead to our first TD and blocked a chip shot field goal that kept us close. It seems to me like they made some plays.

Very well said sir.

[Scamp1]

Danny Smith . I cuss him on the average 3 times a game. Ill say one thing about his supposed coaching ability and it explains why this guy should be in the HS ranks coaching.
Randal "Frolicking" El.

[Old Bay]

My problem with evaluating specialist coaches is when is it their responsibility and when is it the head coach's?

[SkinsCrushCowboys]

I did not like him staying with the new staff.. Our special teams play has been inconsistant under his coaching. This year alone; blocked kicks, missed kicks, poor punt, kickoff coverage, poor blocking on coverage, too many penalties. Call it what you will, but he is not getting it done. I know many folks love him and regard him as very good special teams coach (9Shanny apparently did). I just do not agree.

[Busch1724]

Have to agree with this. In the Dallas game, easily makeable FG blocked. It almost cost the skins the game. Last week a missed block led to a blocked FG which did cost us the game. Not to mention the missed FG in overtime! Opening kickoff out of bounds led to great field position for the Rams and ultimately an opening TD. Then the blocked punt which could have been devastating, but thankfully the defense pulled that one out. Basically special teams is as bad as I can remember and I have been saying this for weeks now. Don't know if they will replace him or not, but there has to be a change because what they are doing on teams right now is an embarrassment.

The thing is he doesn't miss blocks on a block kick, kick wide right, and so on. Our coverage teams have been among the leagues best during his tenure. Return wise, we certainly have lacked.

[hail2theskins3]

He doesn't get a free pass, and he certainly deserves some blame for the blocked kicks, his blocking units should never allow a block. To be fair to Smith, Keiland WIlliams was put in position to make the block and completely whiffed, even worse than Fred Davis last week, but that still should never happen. It wouldn't surprise me if we see someone else back there as the punt protector next week (sign Arch Deluxe?).

I don't see how botched snaps and muffed punts are his fault though. Do we blame Keenan McCardell when Moss drops a pass or Matt LaFleur when McNabb skips a ball in the dirt? In all those situations the player knows what he's supposed to do, he's put in a position to succeed, and then simply drops/overthrows/muffs the ball. The coaches have apparently made Carlos Rogers spend a lot of time with the jugs machine and have done everything they can to help him hold on to the ball, but we all know he's going to do his best to let the ball slip through his buttery hands come Sunday.

The point being, the things a coach is most responsible for is scheme and putting his players in a position to succeed, and less responsible for the accuracy of his kicker, the consistency of his holder, and the dependability of his punt returner. If a guy simply can't hold on to the ball, that's not a coaching issue, that's a talent level issue. The specialists practice those things all day long, I'm not sure what Danny Smith could do to make them better.

And how can you say our special teams doesn't make plays? We're talking about a game in which the kickoff coverage team cause a fumble that lead to our first TD and blocked a chip shot field goal that kept us close. It seems to me like they made some plays.

Well put.

/discussion

[wilburmarshall]

He should be replaced. Our special teams have been bad for a while, and we have blamed everyone but the coach for years. I think it is time for a change.

[HBnotBlades]

I'll stick by me previous stance that Danny Smith is a good special teams coach.

He's got a different group of guys every year, and yet, he always fields one of the top kick and punt coverage teams in the NFL. That doesn't happen by accident. That's a great coach.

[pjfootballer]

Yes, Danny Smith is a good special teams coach.

I don't think bad snaps, missed field goals, kickoffs out of bounds, fumbled returns, etc. are signs of a bad special teams coach... at all. That's a player making a mistake.

A good special teams coach is most evident in kick and punt coverage. That's where a disciplined well coached team doesn't miss assignments or leave lanes wide open.

Aside from our Punt coverage in 2008, we've been among the best in the league every year. That's why Danny Smith is a damn good special teams coach.

But those are 2 aspects of special teams out of 8 categories. He should be held accountable for all of them.

Here they are:

Punt coverage (good)
Kick coverage (good)
Punt returns (terrible)
Kick returns (decent)
FG kicking (Terrible over the years, but hopefully we found a keeper in Gano)
FG Blocking (average- first time in a while we blocked a FG)
Punting (terrible)
Kicking- meaning FGs, XPs and kickoffs (terrible)

And I've not liked the guy as our STs coach since he got here. Not just this year.

[HBnotBlades]

But those are 2 aspects of special teams out of 8 categories. He should be held accountable for all of them.

Here they are:

Punt coverage (good)
Kick coverage (good)
Punt returns (terrible)
Kick returns (decent)
FG kicking (Terrible over the years, but hopefully we found a keeper in Gano)
FG Blocking (average- first time in a while we blocked a FG)
Punting (terrible)
Kicking- meaning FGs, XPs and kickoffs (terrible)

And I've not liked the guy as our STs coach since he got here. Not just this year.

Kicking, punting and returns are highly dependent on the personnel. If we had Devin Hester back there on punt return duty we'd look pretty good, but unfortunately up until this year we've had ARE. You can bet that Danny Smith wanted to use Santana Moss in place of ARE every chance he got because our return team looked great with Moss back there, but that's a head coach decision not a special teams coach decision. Unless the head coach/GM decide to dedicate a roster spot to a punt returner, Danny Smith is stuck using whoever can do the job, while not being very important to the offensive or defensive game plan. The fact that our punt return unit has looked great when we've had Moss or even Banks in preseason tells me it's not a coaching issue, it's a talent issue.

Same goes for punting and kicking, if you have a crappy kicker/punter then your kicking/punting is going to be bad. The GM can bring in guys to compete for those positions, but there's not a lot of coaching to be done at the NFL level. Kickers and Punters simply need to be able to perform or they get cut. Same goes for the long snapper.

Our kick returns look great this year with Devin Thomas, but we were still near the top of the league in return average in '07 and '08 with Rock "Steady Eddie" Cartwright.

I know we don't block kicks very often, but there were only 6 blocked punts during the entire 2009 NFL season. Link It doesn't happen as often as people seem to believe. I can't find blocked field goad stats, but I assume it happens more frequently than punts.

Bottom line, our special teams have been pretty damn good over the years when you consider that the best specialist (Kicker, Punter, Long Snapper, Punt Returner) Danny Smith has had to work with is Ethan Albright.

[Redskinloyal_17]

The guy is a bum our special teams suck so bad i can't remember a team who got a punt blocked twice in a 2 year period. In fact college teams don't even get blocked punts, so i say go to the college style of blocking when we are punting. With three guys in front of the punter about 5 yards so they can pick up the missed blocks that we always seem to have. We have had nothing but bad plays this year yeah we had good ones but, more bad ones. For example, 2 missed field goals within 30 yds, 1 blocked punt, 1 kickoff out of bounds and a game winning field goal missed. So yes our special teams sucks hard.