Mike McCarthy’s latest coordinator hire comes with concerns that the Steelers never saw during the Mike Tomlin era
Mike McCarthy’s pick to replace Danny Smith doesn’t look like a good one.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have now filled two of their three coordinator roles. The first was defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. The consensus belief is that he brings a well-rounded scheme and excellent culture to Pittsburgh.
While we still await who will be the offensive coordinator, we know that Mike McCarthy will be calling plays and installing his offense, so that is a relatively moot hiring. However, after interviewing one candidate who would have likely been a disaster, the Steelers may have just made an even worse decision at special teams coordinator.
Steelers hire Danny Crossman as special teams coordinator
The Steelers swapped one Mike for another at head coach, and now they have swapped one Danny for another when it comes to the special teams unit. Only, there’s just one problem. Unlike Danny Smith, who was not only a fan favorite but a coordinator who coached one of the better units in the league, Crossman on the other hand, was fired in Miami after heading up one of the worst units in the league.
Don’t take my word for it though. Here is long time Miami Dolphins creator Kyle Crabbs of A to Z Sports Miami.
“Dolphins fans won’t have much in the way of fond memories for new Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Crossman. Crossman held the post from 2019 to 2024 — spanning the enitre Brian Flores era in Miami and most of the Mike McDaniel era. Crossman’s special teams units in Miami ranked 24th in EPA across that six year sample size, largely boosted by the strong kicking of Jason Sanders as the team’s place kicker.”
“Sanders hit 12 of 14 from 50+ in 2024 and 8 of 9 from 50+ in 2020, the latter in which he was named first-team All-Pro. The overlap with McDaniel and Crossman (2022-2024) was particularly painful. The last memorable, impactful special teams play man fans remembered was a blocked punt, returned for a touchdown against the Bears in 2022, McDaniel’s first year as the coach. In total, Crossman’s special teams units ranked 30th in the NFL in EPA across his three years as the ST coordinator under McDaniel.”
It’s a questionable hire to say the least, but that has been the status quo ever since Mike Tomlin stepped down in Pittsburgh. The results on the field is what matters most and we will have to wait until September to see how that pans out.
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