“We’re Going To Get This Special Teams Thing Turned Around”
March 13th, 2026
New Bucs special teams coach Danny Smith brings a smile to new Bucs RB Kenneth Gainwell’s face.
Thomas McGaughey’s special teams with the Bucs were pretty damn putrid.
The only thing that saved McGaughey from having a truly horrific special teams was that Chase McLaughlin is as money of a kicker as there is in the NFL.
The rest of the special teams last year? Trash, plain and simple.
Joe, sadly, was not overly shocked. When McGaughey came to the Bucs in 2024, he was canned by the Giants for having awful special teams over his five-year tenure there. Joe wasn’t sure what Bucs coach Todd Bowles saw in the guy.
Two years later, this past January, McGaughey was put out of Bucs fans’ misery.
To replace him, Bowles hired respected special teams coach Danny Smith, who had been with the Steelers for the previous 12 years.
And guess who returned kicks for Smith and the Steelers last year? New Bucs running back Kenneth Gainwell. The new Bucs ballcarrier said he enjoys playing for the intense Smith.
“Man, I love Danny,” Gainwell said with a huge grin as Gainwell spoke to the Tampa Bay pen and mic club yesterday. “Man, I love the way his attitude [is] towards the game.”
Gainwell noted Smith is ready to start coaching before he gets out of his car when he arrives to the building for work in the morning.
“Soon [as] he step[s] out of his car, he’s yelling about something good,” Gainwell said. “Danny is a great guy, man. I love playing football for him.”
Apparently, Gainwell, who averaged 24 yards a kick return for the Steelers (not good), knew the Bucs’ special teams were trash. He noted Smith will start kicking tails and getting special teams straight.
“We’re going to get this special teams thing turned around real good,” Gainwell said.
It seems the Bucs have put an emphasis in bringing some juice into the building. Alex Anzalone brings juice. A’Shawn Robinson is intense. And Smith is constantly fired up. Gainwell also has been a stud in covering kicks, but it’s doubtful the Bucs will have a $7 million-per-year running back doing that.
That’s one thing this Bucs team lacked a lot of last year on defense and on special teams: emotion and energy. It’s welcome to have more guys with heart in town.
March 13th, 2026 at 3:56 am
Newly-signed Safety Miles Killebrew is also a Special Teams ace from the Steelers. Danny Smith will get our S/Ts turned around poste-haste.
March 13th, 2026 at 4:17 am
Exactly
March 13th, 2026 at 4:19 am
you have 1 year….everybody ONE YEAR!!!!!
March 13th, 2026 at 5:17 am
Honestly you can only be better from what we all saw last season with Bucs ST.
March 13th, 2026 at 6:10 am
Show me.
March 13th, 2026 at 6:12 am
There’s so much to fix.
March 13th, 2026 at 6:13 am
3rd and 28. Special Teams. Bored players. And 4th and 14. But the keep Bowles.
And people wonder why Evans left.
I hope season ticket renewals are down 20%.
March 13th, 2026 at 6:28 am
Good hire on special teams cosch, Gainwell will be better than Rachaad and seems to be smart enough to stay in his lane and not bring up tge elephant in the room as Rachaad did going out the door: Bowles and the job he did as DC which was about as bad as McGaughey’s effort at not so special teams. Go Bucs, win in spite of 3rd and 28 Todd. I like Gainwell, good leader, give him a C on his jersey on Sunday along with Anzalone, not sure which returning Buc players deserve one: Vea and Wirfs????
March 13th, 2026 at 6:57 am
ModHairKen / Bowled Derangement Syndrome. (BDS)
March 13th, 2026 at 7:06 am
Bowles and Licht just keeping the seat warm for Mike T. Then we get a new GM too..
March 13th, 2026 at 7:23 am
👆👆👆👆👆BDS👆👆👆👆👆
March 13th, 2026 at 8:22 am
I’m glad the organization is trying to right the special teams. The problem I have is why was McGaughey hired in the first place. Also, he should have been fired early in the season. Letting the opposition start at the 50-yard line cost the Bucs several games. Never mind the blocked punts & field goals.
March 13th, 2026 at 8:34 am
The ufl is making 60 plus 4 points
March 13th, 2026 at 9:01 am
“BDS.” LOL!!!! actually there seems to be alot of that going around . If the Bucs start to resemble another team the Steelers ain’t a bad model. Maybe Coach Tomlin comes back home to resume his NFL career ( I’m dreaming now) but so far the talent level seems to be improving & thats a good thing. GO BUCCANEERS!!!! now if the Bucs can get lots better on the field & Bowzo retires on a high note. Yea, that’s the ticket!!
March 13th, 2026 at 9:09 am
Starting to feel a little better about the Bucs new additions. Still need another LB and Dlineman in free agency and possibly another CB.
March 13th, 2026 at 9:27 am
Of the three phases one could say S/T was the worst with the blocked kicks, missed tackles, and neutral zone infractions. Left a few W,s on the table. Danny Smith will allow focus to be directed in other areas. Has a good opportunity to be the most improved phase this season.
March 13th, 2026 at 9:50 am
Ira sometimes will tell Joe (after a Bucs loss), something along the lines of, “People on are Bowles’ case again.”
And Joe tells Ira, “Well, if Bowles wouldn’t give fans ammunition they wouldn’t be on his arse.”
March 13th, 2026 at 9:55 am
ModHairKen Says:
March 13th, 2026 at 6:13 am
3rd and 28. Special Teams. Bored players. And 4th and 14. But the keep Bowles.
And people wonder why Evans left.
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evans said he wanted a good QB lol…
never mentioned the 9ers defense lol…
Evans left because of what happened BEFORE 3rd&28…..ANOTHER 4TH QUARTER INT by Baker!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 13th, 2026 at 9:57 am
Baker Derangement Syndrome. (BDS)
lol…thats pretty accurate lol
GO BUCS!!!!
March 13th, 2026 at 10:06 am
Hallelujah! Special Teams was Special Needs last year directly cost us 2+ games.
March 13th, 2026 at 11:35 am
All we need is Mike Tomlin now to keep the party going!
March 13th, 2026 at 12:26 pm
And Joe tells Ira, “Well, if Bowles wouldn’t give fans ammunition they wouldn’t be on his arse.”
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So not true. Fans have made up their minds, if Bowles won the Super Bowl, they’d say good now fire him. Like Lord of the Flies the children in here have chosen a side.
March 13th, 2026 at 12:32 pm
@ 813: get your own shtick. lol.😁
March 13th, 2026 at 12:42 pm
“Fans have made up their minds, if Bowles won the Super Bowl, they’d say good now fire him. Like Lord of the Flies the children in here have chosen a side.”
Elite reference right here
“Maybe there is a beast, maybe its’ only us”
March 13th, 2026 at 1:11 pm
I think it was Bill Parcells who said “There are three phases of a football game: offense, defense, and special teams. WIn two of those and you will win the game.”
Our offense is good, defense not so much although improving. But special teams is going to be good now with the changes that have been made.
Special teams cost us at least 2 games last year. If we had won those the record would be 10-7 and in the playoffs.
March 13th, 2026 at 1:33 pm
He has one huge, and I mean enormous, hungry yet over-fed obstacle he’ll have to overcome.
March 13th, 2026 at 1:53 pm
“Our offense is good, defense not so much although improving. But special teams is going to be good now with the changes that have been made.”
Our offense has had consistency issues every year since the end of 2021
March 13th, 2026 at 2:45 pm
Who would have thought finding a good special teams coach was so hard, they are more elusive than a good head coach. The last good special teams coach we had was Rich Biscsascsvdvdb (can’t spell it)
March 13th, 2026 at 5:23 pm
Oh god. Not another Bowles apologist. Glazers pay you?
March 13th, 2026 at 5:51 pm
He had starting CB Carlton Davis covering kicks, why would he be cautious with a running back?
March 14th, 2026 at 1:12 am
Nowhere to go but up in that dept