The Steelers beat the Packers 23-19 in Week 10, but the team didn't come away completely unscathed. In fact, one Steelers member came away with... a torn rotator cuff. Ouch.
It was truly the most unfortunate of incidents.
Like everyone else on the Steelers' sidelines, specials teams coach Danny Smith was watching safety Damontae Kazee pick off Jordan Love and essentially end the game. When Kazee ran with the ball down the sidelines, he was roughly shoved out of bounds by Packers offensive lineman Zach Tom.
Kazee crashed straight into Smith in what can only be described as a gut-wrenching collision, one that NFL coaches know comes with the job.
As a result of the ugly hit, the 70-year-old Smith tore his right rotator cuff in three places and will need surgery.
ESPN's Brooke Pryor interviewed Smith on Thursday, and Smith spoke about his injury history as if he'd gone to war and come hobbling back: "I've been hit a lot, and been hit hard. I got a lot of metal in my body over that. I got to learn to get the hell out of the way... I got hit in college in a Clemson-Georgia Tech game. Got a tibial plateau fracture, got a plate and six screws in my knee. I had that hit at training camp with Antonio Brown when I broke my ribs and my L1 vertebrae in my back. This one hurt."
Steelers coach Danny Smith suffered the most in Steelers' Week 10 win over Packers
The NFL takes no prisoners.
Smith gave a shout-out to Steelers tight end Rodney Williams for picking him up after the tackle. Following the collision, Smith landed hard on his right shoulder, which immediately felt numb. Seeing that Smith couldn't move, Williams went over and scooped up the coach and brought him to safety.
Smith has been with the Steelers franchise for the last decade as the team's special teams coordinator. Prior to his stint in Pittsburgh, he spent time in Washington, Buffalo, Detroit, and Philly. Having grown up in Pittsburgh and having coached the Steelers for the last 10 years, he's had a front row seat to the toughest and grittiest brand of football. Raise a glass for Smith tonight -- he's a real trooper.
