We love talking special teams around here. Often, yes, it’s to add context and sometimes defend the bad rap the unit gets. But other times, the criticism is more than fair. Nowhere is that more true than when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ kick return game. It’s been baaaaaad.
In 2017, they finished 29th in kick return average, 19.1, even with a 97 yard touchdown by JuJu Smith-Schuster in the finale against Cleveland. So they traded for Ryan Switzer last summer, an accomplished return man at North Carolina and his rookie year in Dallas (averaged 25 per return in 2017) to try and fix the problem.
Instead, things stayed about the same. They averaged 19.3 yards per return and their ranking fell to 31st in the league, barely above the Chicago Bears. After the season, Switzer remarked it was the first time as a football player he didn’t finish a season with at least one return touchdown. Since Smith took over as the Steelers’ ST coach in 2013, the KR game has ranked no higher than 14th and most years, finishes somewhere in the 20s.
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https://steelersdepot.com/2019/06/fi...k-return-game/