Once again Danny Smith was a wanted man. Once again he opted to remain in Washington.
The Redskins special teams coach rejected an offer from Denver to take the same position on John Fox's staff. That means Smith will return for an eighth season in Washington.
"It's great," said Redskins linebacker, and special teams captain, Lorenzo Alexander. "It's something we need to stay consistent in. Since he's been there, special teams is probably the best thing we've done. We might have had to change up our entire scheme and when you've been doing something for [so long], and then you learn something different you nromally have a let down, like we had going from a 4-3 to a 3-4."
But Alexander said it's about more than keeping the same philosophy.
"It's his passion for the game and his love for the players," Alexander said. "Not many guys are out there like that in the league. He's a great coach. I've been around a couple different special teams coaches and the way he coaches guys and explains things and the information he gives you on other teams is top of the line. He always puts us in the best spot as far as matching up guys. No one is outmatched."
The Redskins ranked 29th covering punts and second in kickoffs this past season. The punt coverage woes stemmed in part from another year of poor punting; but the kick coverage was helped by Graham Gano's strong kickoffs. The Redskins ranked in the top 15 in both kick and punt returns.
"At some point it's the players' responsibility to make the plays or not," Alexander said, "or to put the kick through the uprights. Nothing this year was due to a lack of preparation. He's a guy you want to play for; you know he has your back and you know how much he wants to win."