PITTSBURGH — Danny Smith has seen it all. The Pittsburgh-born Smith attended and coached at Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School when Dan Marino was there. But the 2024 Steelers’ special teams may be even more impressive. Smith, the Steelers’ special teams coordinator, arrived at the Steelers in 2013 and has coached one of the best special teams units in the league since.

The Steelers have blocked a league-leading 13.33% of opposing teams’ field goal attempts this season. If that unbelievable rate holds for the rest of the season it would be the highest percentage of field goal attempts blocked by far with data dating back to 2003. But this isn’t anything new for Smith and his unit — the Steelers also led the league in 2018 with 7.69% and were second in the league in 2022 at 5.88%.

It’s a symbiotic relationship between Smith and his unit. When Steelers’ reliable place kicker Chris Boswell knocks in a routine 50-plus-yard kick, Smith gets so pumped up he’s sore the next day. When Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick blocks an extra point and gets wrongfully flagged for leverage, Smith blows up at the officials for blowing the call. And when the Steelers use each other to form a wall and block a game-altering field goal, Smith is in the middle of his guys celebrating with them.

“They beat the h*** out of me. I’m sore and I didn’t even play,” Smith said after the Steelers primetime win over the New York Giants. “I’m probably gonna be the first coach on the sideline in shoulder pads and a helmet.”

Smith’s special teams make big plays so often they’ve become almost unsurprising. After wide receiver Calvin Austin III returned a 73-yard punt for a touchdown against the Giants, Smith is seen pacing and chewing the most possible gum he could fit in his mouth.

Boswell has only missed once this year — a 62-yard attempt as the first half expired against the Chargers. Boswell arrived in Pittsburgh in 2015 and has been almost flawless since. The veteran kicker has the fifth-highest field goal percentage of all time at 87.889%. Of course, Smith was on the sideline for every one of those seasons.

The Steelers brought in a new punter this season in veteran Cameron Johnston. Tragically, Johnston suffered a leg injury in the Steelers’ season-opener against the Falcons. Johnston’s two punts against the Falcons were impressive and gave fans hope that the position would be more solid this season, but the situation became uncertain. Replacing Johnston was Corliss Waitman. The mid-season acquisition has been a slam dunk for the Steelers with Waitman averaging 46.8 yards per punt.

The Steelers win in unconvential ways. Other teams routinely win in shootouts — offensive showcases that aim to light the scoreboard up. But the Steelers have invested in their defense and special teams. While it’s often boiled down to, ‘the Steeler way’, the Steelers and Smith are proving the method works. If The Steelers’ special teams can continue producing big plays week after week, the black and gold are poised for a special run.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

PITTSBURG — Sheila Larson was not particularly fond of walking near Frontage Road. The underutilized section of the area used to be a garbage dumping site and a magnet for homeless encampments.

Now that the Living Green Pittsburg trail project is complete, her perspective has changed.

A $2-million initiative to improve pedestrian accessibility to the Railroad Center BART station and revitalize Railroad Avenue, the project now allows the city to meet its environmental goal to increase its stormwater bioretention area while at the same time providing a safer space for residents.

For Larson, who often walks and cycles near the trail, she said she was happy to see how it has transformed.

Larson had previously made the city aware that she was concerned about the risk of fire from a nearby homeless encampment before the area was cleared for the project. Her teenage daughter and friends used to worry about walking their dogs along Frontage Road, but now that the trail is in place, they are no longer afraid.

“This (Living Green Pittsburg project) makes the area look cheery and positive,” said Larson at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Oct. 25 to unveil the new trail. “It feels safer walking here now.”

Her neighbor, Marilyn Berg Cooper, who has lived in the area for 51 years, said the new trail will be perfect for her walking routine after she recently underwent hip replacement surgery.

“I can’t wait for the trees to grow,” Cooper said. “They (the city) did a wonderful job.”

Cooper said there wasn’t previously a proper, accessible walking trail to the BART station.

“I feel like it’s mine. Of course, I’ll let others use it too,” she said jokingly.

Brenda Wener, a resident of the Rossmoor area off Frontage Road, said she was happy to see how an eyesore once filled with garbage and weeds has transformed into a trail.

“A lot of people will be able to use the path for cycling and walking, so it’s really nice,” she said.

In 2022, Pittsburg received two Caltrans Clean California grants, including $1,3354,000 for the Living Green Pittsburg project and $2,891,962 for the Reviving the Heart of Pittsburg Pride project for downtown park and landscape improvements, which was completed this year.

The grants were among 16 awarded by Gov. Gavin Newsom to underserved communities in the Bay Area. This was part of the $296 million in Clean California grants announced by Newsom in 2022, which were intended for communities throughout the state to remove litter and transform public spaces. In the Bay Area, other cities besides Pittsburg, such as Oakland, Richmond, Hayward, and San Pablo, also received monies.

To help make the Living Green Pittsburg project a reality, the city also utilized $812,250 in American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The trail, which is about 0.25 miles, will support an initiative to improve bicycle and pedestrian accessibility to BART, a project that broke ground in April.

According to information provided by city staff, the trail’s amenities include an outdoor exercise station, a bike repair and water filling station, and bioretention basins that treat stormwater runoff from approximately two acres.

Pittsburg Mayor Juan Antonio Banales said the project illustrates Pittsburg’s commitment to reaching every corner of the city, finding ways to utilize local funds and grant money to provide infrastructure and spaces that beautify neighborhoods and provide safe access.

“This project also demonstrates how unused spaces can be made useful and beautiful while helping us achieve our environmental goals, which, in this case, is improving water quality,” said Banales.

He said city staff has been doing a great job in writing proposals and winning grants.

“The staff does an extraordinary job in this. They have an ongoing list of grants they are applying for,” he said.

The city also launched its Pittsburg Living Green website, which provides residents with information on bike paths and walking trails available to them.

Originally Published: October 30, 2024 at 6:30 AM PDT