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Smith has been the ultimate survivor. He has made it through several transitions in coaching staffs and is consistently held up by the organization as a guy other teams would like to have.
How much influence Smith has on ST personnel is a question, my guess being that he has input and probably did have a bit more influence with Shanahan this first year as he was familiar with the returning talent.
Shanahan of course has the final call.
Well, I could see something like today brewing as I watched games this year where the ST failed to execute returns, coverage or conversions.
And it finally happened.
But 10 points lost due to the ineptitude of the special teams, with NONE of those points coming off of a straight return?
Must be a record
3 points off the muffed squib kick by Chris Wilson.
6 points off 2 missed field goals by Gano on a day when his counterpart made his attempts.
1 point off a botched snap and exchange between Sundberg and Smith.
That's more than half the points the Redskins were able to earn in 31 minutes of ball possession on offense.
Pathetic.
But on a team that starts off the year with 39 year old wide receivers and 37 year old defensive ends, you really wonder how a veteran coach decides on special teams that he is going to not resign Albright at 38 or keep Dearth at 32 and go with Nick Sundberg, a 23 year old with no NFL experience, as the long snapper and Graham Gano, a 24 year old former UFL refugee, as the starting placekicker.
Shanny had it the wrong way.
You WANT to have a roster of 23 and 24 year old wide receivers and defensive ends and 37-38 year old kick specialists.
The specialist positions, punter-long snapper-kicker, are ones where players need to be clutch coming cold off the bench. The pressure is there on every play, without the opportunity in many cases to make up for a poor mistake in execution.
The Redskins have made a lot of mistakes in personnel this season, including who NOT to keep in re the Haynesworth controversy, but on Special Teams it appears there was an AWFUL LOT of wishful thinking in re the performances of Sundberg, Gano and others.
Gano is now the lowest rated kicker in terms of FG percentage in the NFL.
Sundberg inconsistent snaps have cost the team in games against Houston and Indy already this season and then we have today.
The fumble by Chris Wilson on the squib kick is perhaps the most inexcusable blunder. Wilson is a veteran player who has spent several seasons on special teams.
The first rule for the up backs on teams is to ensure you make the catch and secure the ball on a squib or on-sides kick.
Any potential return yardage is strictly secondary as the squib usually puts teams at the 30-35 yard line even with no return at all.
Why Wilson didn't simply cradle the ball and get down is a question. No doubt he was intent on trying to make a big play like Brandon Banks would.
But some of this comes down to coaching too. It's akin to edge rushers anchoring their end of the line against bootlegs and misdirections.
When coaching is effective, players keep to their responsibilities.
Shanahan said today that Gano 'is young, and is consistent in practice for us'.
Well, that's great. But it hasn't translated into games.
If his two misses today were an aberration he wouldn't be at the bottom of the NFL rankings after 13 weeks.
How you can continue to support Sundberg with his inconsistent performance as the snapper is another question that will need to be answered.
You have to hold each individual on the team responsible for their performances.
It's time that Shanahan gets real about the potential for special teams to be an achilles heel for the team and address some of these personnel issues.
The only thing that has worked out on special teams in 2010 is Brandon Banks and even Banks has made questionable decisions recently in trying to return punts inside the 10 yard line and kicks at the goal line.
Sometimes a touch back to the 20 is the best outcome.
These are coaching issues.
How much influence Smith has on ST personnel is a question, my guess being that he has input and probably did have a bit more influence with Shanahan this first year as he was familiar with the returning talent.
Shanahan of course has the final call.
Well, I could see something like today brewing as I watched games this year where the ST failed to execute returns, coverage or conversions.
And it finally happened.
But 10 points lost due to the ineptitude of the special teams, with NONE of those points coming off of a straight return?
Must be a record
3 points off the muffed squib kick by Chris Wilson.
6 points off 2 missed field goals by Gano on a day when his counterpart made his attempts.
1 point off a botched snap and exchange between Sundberg and Smith.
That's more than half the points the Redskins were able to earn in 31 minutes of ball possession on offense.
Pathetic.
But on a team that starts off the year with 39 year old wide receivers and 37 year old defensive ends, you really wonder how a veteran coach decides on special teams that he is going to not resign Albright at 38 or keep Dearth at 32 and go with Nick Sundberg, a 23 year old with no NFL experience, as the long snapper and Graham Gano, a 24 year old former UFL refugee, as the starting placekicker.
Shanny had it the wrong way.
You WANT to have a roster of 23 and 24 year old wide receivers and defensive ends and 37-38 year old kick specialists.
The specialist positions, punter-long snapper-kicker, are ones where players need to be clutch coming cold off the bench. The pressure is there on every play, without the opportunity in many cases to make up for a poor mistake in execution.
The Redskins have made a lot of mistakes in personnel this season, including who NOT to keep in re the Haynesworth controversy, but on Special Teams it appears there was an AWFUL LOT of wishful thinking in re the performances of Sundberg, Gano and others.
Gano is now the lowest rated kicker in terms of FG percentage in the NFL.
Sundberg inconsistent snaps have cost the team in games against Houston and Indy already this season and then we have today.
The fumble by Chris Wilson on the squib kick is perhaps the most inexcusable blunder. Wilson is a veteran player who has spent several seasons on special teams.
The first rule for the up backs on teams is to ensure you make the catch and secure the ball on a squib or on-sides kick.
Any potential return yardage is strictly secondary as the squib usually puts teams at the 30-35 yard line even with no return at all.
Why Wilson didn't simply cradle the ball and get down is a question. No doubt he was intent on trying to make a big play like Brandon Banks would.
But some of this comes down to coaching too. It's akin to edge rushers anchoring their end of the line against bootlegs and misdirections.
When coaching is effective, players keep to their responsibilities.
Shanahan said today that Gano 'is young, and is consistent in practice for us'.
Well, that's great. But it hasn't translated into games.
If his two misses today were an aberration he wouldn't be at the bottom of the NFL rankings after 13 weeks.
How you can continue to support Sundberg with his inconsistent performance as the snapper is another question that will need to be answered.
You have to hold each individual on the team responsible for their performances.
It's time that Shanahan gets real about the potential for special teams to be an achilles heel for the team and address some of these personnel issues.
The only thing that has worked out on special teams in 2010 is Brandon Banks and even Banks has made questionable decisions recently in trying to return punts inside the 10 yard line and kicks at the goal line.
Sometimes a touch back to the 20 is the best outcome.
These are coaching issues.
