Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith weighs in on new NFL kickoff rules

Pittsburgh Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith is the latest NFL coach to voice his displeasure with the league’s new kickoff rules.

Smith was a part of an eight-man committee that petitioned the NFL to not change its kickoff rules for the upcoming season, according to the Post-Gazette. However, the petition did not work.

Instead, the ball will be placed at the 25-yard line on kickoffs and touchbacks, beginning in 2023. Smith believes that special teams is still an important part of the National Football League, even with the change.

“People diminish that until you’re in a critical game in the AFC North, in the weather and the ball is in play,” Smith said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Early in the season, not so much. In indoor games, they might give you one [kick to return] … But in the division we play in, in the weather we play in, you’re going to have to return some balls. Your job is to get field position for the offense, so you better have [good special teams].”

While some believe that the NFL is trying to take special teams out of the game, Smith doesn’t believe that is the case. Still, he wishes the rules wouldn’t have changed.

“If you footed the bill for concussions, would you make a change to show that you’ve made a change? It doesn’t surprise me,” Smith said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We’ll see how it goes. I’m not for that, obviously. That’s our livelihood, but I don’t feel like that.”

He added that there are plenty of safety issues with football but for whatever reason, special teams seems to get a large portion of the blame.

“That’s what we attack first,” he said, according to the Post-Gazette. “I’m for making the game safer. It’s just that special teams is an easy place to attack for some reason. They’ll move on. … You say your piece and hope it’s heard.”

Allen Robinson addresses his health ahead of first season with Steelers

Elsewhere with the Steelers, Allen Robinson opened up about his health ahead of training camp next month. The 29-year-old is going into his 10th season in the league after ending Year 9 on Injured Reserve with the Rams.

“I’m doing well, getting back on the grass, you know I’m back doing some OTA stuff,” Robinson said on the Rich Eisen Show. “The first part of the injury is getting healthy and the next part is getting back to yourself.

“Now I have a whole seven-week block to do things that I need to do to get myself back to being myself as we head into training camp. But everything has been going smooth and everything has been progressing very well.”

In L.A., Robinson played in 10 games, catching 33 passes for just 339 yards and three touchdowns. Robinson went on injured reserve in November due to a foot injury. Far from his first injury, the former Rams star opened up about what it was like dealing with his foot issue so late in the year.

“With all injuries, especially things like feet, a stress fracture, for a player it’s frustrating,” Robinson said. “Getting hurt at the time of the year that I did, I was continuing to try to ascend with my role so, it was frustrating… I’ve been able to have some injuries and bounce back, I’m looking forward to doing the same.”

Now it’s on to the Steelers, where he is hoping to help an offense in need of playmakers. Robinson has 528 career regular-season catches for 6,748 yards and 43 touchdowns. In his nine seasons so far, he’s had three seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards.