Special Teams Coach Bob Ligashesky Fired!

[SteelCityKid5]

Steelers fire special teams coordinator
Thursday, January 07, 2010
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin continued to make changes in his coaching staff today, firing special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky, the Post-Gazette has learned.
Ligashesky, a McKees Rocks native, becomes the second assistant in as many days to be dismissed, joining offensive line coach Larry Zierlein.


The special teams were a major source of concern after the Steelers allowed four kickoff returns for touchdowns in a five-game span. The Steelers finished the regular season ranked 24th in punt coverag, allowing an average of 9.8 yards per return; and 30th in kick coverage, allowing an average of 24.3 yards per return, in the NFL.
It is not known who will be hired to replace Ligashesky, 46, but former Steelers special teams coach Bobby April (1994-95) is available. He waived the final two years of his contract with the Buffalo Bills, who fired their entire coaching staff this week, so he could be free to negotiate with another team.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10007...#ixzz0bwb0Z0KH

[K Train]

this really is not that great of news anymore considering the cock tease of letting arians go

[BlitzburghRockCity]

Indeed Ktrain, while we can certainly be happy that our ST coverage units will hopefully improve with this change, it's still a bit of a letdown since Arians is still in control of the offense.

Our ST certainly could not have been anyworse, IMO, this should have been the first dismissal that should have occured. I don't wish unemployment on anybody in this day and age, but our coverage units were so bad that something had to be done.

[LatrobePA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K Train

this really is not that great of news anymore considering the cock tease of letting arians go

Hit the nail right on the head as usual!

[coldrolled]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LatrobePA

Hit the nail right on the head as usual!

This is a plus.. ST and OL coaches gone we were right there...

we are still right about arians....

Arians may be last on the list...

Corporations come up with all kinds of smoke screens.

weis was hired by KC. maybe they have noone they like right now.

[LatrobePA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by coldrolled

This is a plus.. ST and OL coaches gone we were right there...

we are still right about arians....

Arians may be last on the list...

Corporations come up with all kinds of smoke screens.

weis was hired by KC. maybe they have noone they like right now.

I personally think BA will piss enough people off and will be gone (soon)!!

[lloydfan4life]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LatrobePA

I personally think BA will piss enough people off and will be gone (soon)!!

All of Steeler Nation isn't enough already?

[coldrolled]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lloydfan4life

All of Steeler Nation isn't enough already?

Problem is the Steeler News media is not Steeler Nation, they seem to love Arians...

30% on 3rd down, and some crappy percentage in the redzone means nothing to the steelers douch'ette and the others in the media.

Bruce is great... 4000 yards for Ben..

[Big T]

come on....just one more

[BlitzburghRockCity]

What kills me is, how can a team have such bad special teams coverage units. I mean it's not rocket science here. You run down, stay in your lane, and make the tackle. If he breaks contain then you try to force him to the sidelines or atleast into a group of your players to make the tackle. If you stay in your lane you don't normally have any issues in the coverage game. Over the last 15 years we seem to have either really great ST or the worst in the league, there's no middle ground with us. Don't they always say that playing special teams in 90% Want and 10% scheme, or something like that? I'm quite sure there's a science to it, and you have to coach it the right way in practice each week too; but man it just doesn't seem like we should have so problems with this unit every couple years.

So how much of it is the scheme, and how much of it is the players just not executing on the field. It's obviously both, but hopefully a fresh face on the sidelines will cure what ails this underachieving group.