Each week Steelers' defensive coordinator Keith Butler, offensive coordinator Todd Haley and special teams coordinator Danny Smith share their insight in exclusive interviews that can be heard on SNR every Thursday beginning at 12 noon.
This version of Coordinators Corner will give you a sneak peak of what to expect each week, but this just touches the surface. Read what they have to say, but take my advice, listen every Thursday at 12 noon for the full interviews or check back there later in the day for the archived versions. It will be worth your time.
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In his range:** Chris Boswell accounted for 18 of the Steelers 24 points in the Steelers 24-20 win over the Bengals, and they weren't chip shots. He hit from 49 yards three times, once from 45 yards, and also from 40 and 30 yards. Special teams coordinator Danny Smith said he talks to Boswell before games about the range he feels comfortable in, taking the elements into play, and it's something that can change as the game goes on.
"Based on the conditions and you have two different directions," said Smith. "It can be different depending on which direction you are headed, based on wind conditions. Through the course of a three hour game, the weather changes, winds change. You have to make adjustments along the way. You have to have a game plan going into that. He and I discuss it. Where we are comfortable from, where a long shot is from. A situation in a game determines that as well."
Smith said that it's never Boswell's call whether or not to attempt a field goal, but something Smith and Coach Mike Tomlin discuss during a drive.
"Boz isn't involved, yet he is the one doing the action," said Smith. "They want to go hit it. The competitors want to go hit it. He is a great competitor. He believes in himself. They will say yes all of the time. Mike will say during the drive, where do we have to get? There is constant communication on that."Motivated: When the Steelers and Ravens met in November, a 21-14 Ravens win, the offense didn't have one of their better days. The ground game managed just 36 yards, while Ben Roethlisberger threw for 264 yards. In some cases teams can use what was successful, or what they were able to figure out about an opponent in the second meeting of a season. But offensive coordinator Todd Haley doesn't think that applies this time around based on the last performance.
"We didn't play close to our best game," said Haley. "It probably was on the other end of the spectrum for us for a lot of different reasons. That is good in some ways for us. I think we will be highly motivated to be better than we were last time. We understand the importance of the game. This is what you do all of the work in the offseason for and throughout the season. It's kind of coming down to crunch time for us. We are happy we are at Heinz Field and have our fans behind us. That will give us some advantages, but we have to go out and play our best football."Reason for excitement: Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens has a lot on the line, as a win would clinch the AFC North for the Steelers. It's not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but defensive coordinator Keith Butler is excited for the challenge.
"If you don't get excited about this game, you're not going to get excited about football in general," said Butler. "It's very easy to get excited about this game. This time of year is the most fun time of the year. It's the most competitive time of the year. The intensity level goes up. Everything gets jumped up a little bit and if you don't jump up with it, you're going to get left behind."
