Steelers lose beloved coach to Buccaneers after Mike Tomlin's departure

Billy Heyen

Steelers lose beloved coach to Buccaneers after Mike Tomlin's departure image

Mike Tomlin was just the beginning.

After the head coach's departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 seasons at the helm, his assistants are set to look elsewhere, too.

One of them, the 72-year old special teams guru Danny Smith, is on his way out of town, too.

Smith has been hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be their special teams coordinator, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

"Now 50 years into his coaching career, Smith is still going and still considered one of the best in the biz," Garafolo writes. "On to Tampa for the 72-year-old, gum-chewing Smith."

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If you've seen a good Steelers special teams play in the last decade-plus, there's a very good chance you've seen Smith fired up about it on the sideline.

Smith is originally from Pittsburgh, where he played three sports at Central Catholic High School, before playing D-II football at Edinboro.

He has coached in the NFL for the Eagles, Lions, Bills, Redskins and Steelers.

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And now he joins Todd Bowles' staff with the Buccaneers, sure to quickly become a fan favorite there, too.

The Steelers will miss him greatly, and they'll have to fill that position on a new head coach's staff with someone likely less experienced and also probably, by default, less enthusiastic.

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Staff Writer