Special teams searching for answers on return units

[stillers4me]

With injuries mounting, the Steelers could use better field position for their offense now more than ever. It’s one of the reasons they gave up on Dri Archer last week and brought in veteran returner Jacoby Jones to take his place.


Jones, 31, didn’t do much to bolster the kickoff or punt-return unit in his Steelers debut last week, but special teams coach Danny Smith believes he can help produce better results in the second half of the season.


“The guy still has talent,” Smith said. “He’s big, strong and fast. We’re going to find out what he has left in the tank. We believe he has a lot left in the tank or we wouldn’t have done what we did.”............

read more @ http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/11/13/Steelers-notebook-Special-teams-searching-for-answers-on-return-units/stories/201511130180

[salamander]

The answer really isn't that difficult. Just get rid of Danny Smith. That in itself would probably pay dividends.

[Shoes]

You should have left with Archer, Danny!

[hawaiiansteeler]

Jones, 31, didn’t do much to bolster the kickoff or punt-return unit in his Steelers debut last week, but special teams coach Danny Smith believes he can help produce better results in the second half of the season.

“The guy still has talent,” Smith said. “He’s big, strong and fast. We’re going to find out what he has left in the tank. We believe he has a lot left in the tank or we wouldn’t have done what we did.”...

well, you also thought Archer was the answer so...

[ALLD]

I would bring in Wiz to do STs.

[86WARD]

Danny Smith is terrible. He should have been shown the door two years ago...and definitely before LeBeau.

[tube517]

Chucky Okkobi Jones is suffering from people thinking he's a washed up backup center! Fire Danny Smith.

[Shoes]

Danny Smith is FOS and so is Jacoby Jones. 3 miss handled balls today! Get rid of jones and put Todman back there. Jones's 3 mishandled balls today had nothing to do with the blocking. He had the same issues in SD.

[SteelerFanInStl]

Danny Smith is FOS and so is Jacoby Jones. 3 miss handled balls today! Get rid of jones and put Todman back there. Jones's 3 mishandled balls today had nothing to do with the blocking. He had the same issues in SD.

I agree, he's terrible. He can't even catch the ball cleanly, let alone get a decent return. Let Todman return kicks and have AB return punts.

[86WARD]

Yeah...the Jones signing is looking no better than Archer at this point. I've said it a few times, Jones just looks totally uncomfortable back there. Let Wheaton return kicks.

[B&GFever]

I honestly could care less who the ST coach is , it all starts with fielding a punt cleanly , if you can not do that you have no value to the special teams unit and that is not on the coach its on the player ....

It is however on the team to roster guys who can help the team and get rid of guys who do not .... that being said Jacoby Jones don't let the door hit you in the ass because you have worn out your welcome on 2 teams this year for doing exactly what we have witnessed the past few weeks , muffing , dropping , mishandling punts .... we have guys doing little elsewhere that can just as easily do that same job and free up a roster spot in the process ....

Wheaton has done a decent job fielding punts , Todman has experience fielding punts .... can they do worse ? I think not

[steelerdude15]

As Zu and I have stated in another thread, put Marcus Wheaton in there for kickoff returns. We had our best kickoff returns last year when Marcus was back there.

[86WARD]

As Zu and I have stated in another thread, put Marcus Wheaton in there for kickoff returns. We had our best kickoff returns last year when Marcus was back there.

This. Won't happen for another couple months until Tomlin realizes this shit after everyone else...lol.

[tube517]

Dare I say it? That player in the "doghouse" has experience with kick returns.



Brandon Boykin.

Start another thread please.... :chuckle:

[steelerdude15]

Dare I say it? That player in the "doghouse" has experience with kick returns.



Brandon Boykin.

Start another thread please.... :chuckle:

And tube is sitting somewhere like:

http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/58261515.jpg

:chuckle:

[Shoes]

Jacoby Jones Botches Encore Showing With Steelers
BY MATTHEW MARCZI (http://www.steelersdepot.com/author/matthew-marczi/) NOVEMBER 16, 2015 AT 07:00 AM
Veteran return man Jacoby Jones, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ newest player, failed to return any of the three kickoffs that he saw during the game, and the one punt that he did ‘return’, of the four fielded, was in error.
As poor as the blocking schemes up front have been in the return game at times this season, which was a point that I emphasized in Jones’ debut with the Steelers a week ago, there is no denying that his roughing outing on this day was on him.
Jones fielded the opening kickoff in a way that strongly seemed to indicate that he misjudged the depth, being forced to reach above his head to bring in the ball about two thirds of the way into the end zone. While the rest of the return unit expected him to bring the ball out, he chose to take a knee.
His second attempt at a kickoff return came just six minutes later after the Browns were able to kick a field goal. The ball cut sharply to Jones’ right, and he chased it about 15 yards laterally, for some reason leaving his feet to attempt to field the ball.
He alligator-armed the attempt, which got into his chest and facemask and caused him to put the ball on the ground, forcing him to regather himself, then the ball, and cut his losses by settling for the touchback.
The Browns had to punt the ball for the first time on the first play of the second quarter. Andy Leebooting it 32 yards from the Steelers’ 42, Jones called for a fair catch at that spot, but spread his base too wide and let the ball bounce through his arms. He was fortunate to be able to recover it on his own rather than giving Cleveland the ball with first and goal to go.
Of the other three opportunities, Jones successfully fair caught two punts into the 15-yard line, a modest improvement and accomplishment considering how his day began, and he also let another punt bounce and be downed at Cleveland’s 47-yard line after Lee kicked from the back of his own end zone.
Jones’ third and final attempt to field a kickoff properly ended as poorly or worse as his first two attempts. On this occasion, the ball again pulled him sharply to his right, attempting to bring it out with a running start.
Instead, he allowed the ball to bounce off his chest. It rolled forward and hit the front pylon, which technically resulted in a touchback, but things could have been a lot worse, for example, if it had rolled out of bounds at the one-yard line.
To recap, in six touches, Jones put the ball on the ground three times, did not cleanly field another that forced him to take a touchback, and successfully fair caught the other two. The return unit had nothing to do with this. But the Steelers are not likely to dump him. He has the bye week to get himself sorted after finding himself in new surroundings in the middle of a season.
(http://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&taboola_utm_source=steelersdepot&taboola_utm_medium=bytaboola&taboola_utm_content=thumbnails-a:below-article:)







http://www.steelersdepot.com/2015/11/jacoby-jones-botches-encore-showing-with-steelers/

[polamalubeast]

Danny Smith is terrible like other ST coach than the steelers have had for a while.

When the last time the Steelers had a good ST coach?

[Mojouw]

Okay. I'll do it again. What is it that the coach is supposed to do here? All other aspects of special teams are going well. They block FGs, cover kicks well, and run trick plays for 2 pt conversions. He as also got 4 kickers integrated into the unit over the first 10 games.

The return unit stinks. Archer made bad decisions repeatedly. Jones is cooked. He is done and the Ravens and Chargers knew it. The Steelers got desperate and hoped he would rebound. Twice in his first game he ran a totally different direction than the blockers did. Then in his second game he couldn't even catch the damn ball.

What, exactly is Smith's fault?

Why is the return unit much better when AB is back there? It's almost like Smith has a good plan but lacks the players to execute it...odd.

[Shoes]

Okay. I'll do it again. What is it that the coach is supposed to do here? All other aspects of special teams are going well. They block FGs, cover kicks well, and run trick plays for 2 pt conversions. He as also got 4 kickers integrated into the unit over the first 10 games.

The return unit stinks. Archer made bad decisions repeatedly. Jones is cooked. He is done and the Ravens and Chargers knew it. The Steelers got desperate and hoped he would rebound. Twice in his first game he ran a totally different direction than the blockers did. Then in his second game he couldn't even catch the damn ball.

What, exactly is Smith's fault?

Why is the return unit much better when AB is back there? It's almost like Smith has a good plan but lacks the players to execute it...odd.

The coach (Smith or Tomlin) should put a player in that can return a kick off and punt return. Archer couldn't do it and Jones is washed up. Why not put in Todman/Wheaton and save a roster. If this isn't a coaching issue, I don't know what is. Why wouldn't the coaches give Todman/Wheaton a shot before bringing in a lame one trick pony?

[86WARD]

But Danny Smith has improved the coverage units soooooo much...maybe they should hire a second ST coach to handle the return portion of practice? It would be money better spent than Jones and much more money than Archer.

[Mojouw]

The coach (Smith or Tomlin) should put a player in that can return a kick off and punt return. Archer couldn't do it and Jones is washed up. Why not put in Todman/Wheaton and save a roster. If this isn't a coaching issue, I don't know what is. Why wouldn't the coaches give Todman/Wheaton a shot before bringing in a lame one trick pony?

Jones has averaged 2-3 more yards per return over his career and has 5 TDs to zero for the other two. Jones will get another week. If he gets two more weeks with no improvement - than that is coaches accepting mediocrity.

[Shoes]

Jones has averaged 2-3 more yards per return over his career and has 5 TDs to zero for the other two. Jones will get another week. If he gets two more weeks with no improvement - than that is coaches accepting mediocrity.

But why would you bring in a guy who has history of misshandling balls with a big dip in return yardage since departing ratville? It's not like this guy was home watching tv and without a job. He'll surely cost us a game if he continues. Archer was in place too long and that was a coaching decision.


It just doesn't make sense, you could save a few bucks, a roster spot and play the two guys (a RB & WR) already on the team roster. They want players that can play a position and ST and yet take on a guy that can't field a kick off or punt and does nothing else. It makes no sense at all.

[teegre]

One word: Wheaton

[86WARD]

But why would you bring in a guy who has history of misshandling balls with a big dip in return yardage since departing ratville? It's not like this guy was home watching tv and without a job. He'll surely cost us a game if he continues. Archer was in place too long and that was a coaching decision.


It just doesn't make sense, you could save a few bucks, a roster spot and play the two guys (a RB & WR) already on the team roster. They want players that can play a position and ST and yet take on a guy that can't field a kick off or punt and does nothing else. It makes no sense at all.

Why? I'd rather take a shot on a "has been" than a "never will be". But you are right, save the roster spot and use Wheaton or Todman.

[Mojouw]

I get it. I wouldn't have brought him in either. I think it was a case of taking a flyer on a recently released player who had tormented you in the past.

Personally I would've had an open casting call with anyone unemployed and with documented speed below 4.4. Plus a long look at Todman and Wheaton. But that's just me.

Wasn't trying to say I agreed with the move. I don't. I think it is a useless lateral move. But I do understand what the team was thinking.


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