Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is enjoying and grateful for his first season with the franchise. After three rocky years spent as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, a fresh start is likely a welcome change as he finds new ways to assert his offensive philosophies.
While speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, Smith shared the differences in his Steelers job and the lessons learned in Atlanta:
“They're different roles and depending on your job description is behind the scenes–and you've gotta know yourself and the tons of lessons learned–that it's just been refreshing. You realize what you don't worry about when you're calling the game. You get to focus on the offense. Nothing but time to get creative and study a lot of film.”
Smith was criticized heavily for how he used and developed his best offensive weapons in Atlanta. For example, the Falcons only gave Bijan Robinson one carry in Week 7 and he did not appear on the injury report despite having an illness. Smith was later fined $25,000 for the incident.
After being hired in Pittsburgh, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was quick to carve out exactly what Smith's role would be to avoid any media drama.
”I’ve competed against him over the years, Atlanta, Tennessee. We had a lot of mutual connects from his time in Washington,” Tomlin said via Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot.
“I know what he puts into the job, professionally speaking, and he has quality tape. I’ve competed against him in stadium, so not a lot of unknowns regarding his capabilities,” the Steelers head coach continued.
Steelers' new-look offense led by the grateful Arthur Smith this preseason
Smith's bread-and-butter has been shaping his teams' running game, like when he was the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator in 2020, when Derrick Henry rushed for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns. As the Steelers offensive coordinator, Smith will maximize the production of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. The duo combined for over 1,800 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. After a frustrating season in Pittsburgh, the expectations are there for a rebound season.
The quarterback competition between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields has dominated off-season headlines. Smith has talked up Fields, and the Steelers wouldn't have acquired Wilson if Smith had not given his approval. Pittsburgh has not announced an official decision about who will be the Week 1 starter.
Tomlin was recently critical of Fields after the Steelers' first preseason game after some bad center-quarterback exchanges led to fumbles.
Pittsburgh's next preseason game is at home against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, August 17, at 7:00 p.m. EST.
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