A regular feature of recent broadcasts of Steelers games has been the team’s kick-blocking units celebrating with special teams coordinator Danny Smith after they’ve gotten their hands on a kick.
The Steelers have blocked kicks in three straight games — and they had another block erroneously wiped out during last Sunday’s win over the Jets — and no other team has had a run like that since the Patriots during the 2017 season. On Thursday, Smith joked that he was making the same calls in the weeks when the Steelers didn’t get blocks before adding “we believe in it, we developed it, the players have obviously bought in and they’re having success at it.”
“It’s developed into a culture,” Smith said, via the team’s website. “It’s a process, to be honest with you. It’s maybe finding something, maybe being strong at something or maybe finding a weakness. There’s a thought process that goes through it and then the development of a skill set. We’re on a roll right now. That breeds success, too, because of that confidence, so we’re headed in a good direction.”
The Steelers have won by comfortable margins the last two weeks, but their first five games were closer affairs and a big special teams play can help make the difference in those situations. Whether it is due to Smith’s schemes or the execution of the players, the Steelers can feel confident about their chances of making them.
