Steelers Offense Ready To Grow Under New Coordinator
After interviewing three potential candidates for the Steelers opening at Offensive Coordinator, Mike Tomlin and company have found their guy. Arthur Smith comes to Pittsburgh looking to save this sinking ship in any way he can. The recently fired Falcons head coach now gets a chance to see what he can do with guys like Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, and Pat Freiermuth.
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Steelers Fans Will Never Be Happy
Steelers fans seem to be pretty split on the hiring with some people liking it and some people hating it, you can guess which group is the loudest. But the reality is, that Steelers fans weren’t going to be happy with any hires the team made, they never are. Any candidate they could have hired would have come with some kind of backhanded remarks from the fanbase about Tomlin and the front office. Maybe Smith will try to buy some fans beers to change their minds like he tried in Atlanta.
You wanted Klint Kubiak, the 49ers Pass Game Coordinator? Steelers fans would’ve pointed to his lackluster offense with the Vikings. Did you want Darrell Bevell? His offenses have stunk too. Pep Hamilton? Did you see the Texans offense last year? Nobody would have sufficed for this spoiled fanbase.
Anything Is Better Than Canada
While Arthur Smith might have had a tough time getting anything going in Atlanta, that might not fall entirely on him. To an extent, sure. But he was playing in a division with Tom Brady for a couple of years, and his quarterbacks were nothing to write home about. Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder aren’t exactly ideal, not that Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph are either, but it's a way better room than Atlanta has, somehow. Atlanta also didn’t have much to work with on the defensive side of things.
Smith still found a way to finish 7-10 all three years in Atlanta, which isn’t good but could be worse. If your argument against the hire is that Smith isn’t a good head coach, why would he be a good coordinator, by that argument the Steelers never should have hired Dick LeBeau, who is now considered one of the greatest defensive coordinators of all time. Some guys just aren’t cut out to be head coaches, they’re better equipt for coordinator life.
Smith spent a lot of time with the Tennesse Titans in his coaching career, being the Offensive Coordinator in 2019 and 2020 before getting poached for the Falcons job. Smith did a fine job in Tennessee. In 2019 his offense ranked 10th in points scored and 12th in total yards before leaping in 2020 up to fourth in points and second in total yards. Smith can handle an offense.
There are people that will tell you Smith’s time in Tennessee was only so good because of Derrick Henry, and yeah Henry played a big part in all that, he was playing some of his best football at the time. The Steelers don't have scrubs at running back, though. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are potentially the best one-two punch in the league at the moment and surely Smith is salivating to get to work with those guys.
The Smith-led Titans offense and the current Steelers seem to have some similarities too. Tennessee had Henry, a big, strong back, the Steelers have Harris. The Titans had AJ Brown, a budding big-body receiver, and the Steelers have George Pickens. To complement Brown the Titans had Corey Davis, the Steelers have Diontae Johnson. The Titans had Jonnu Smith, and the Steelers have Pat Freiermuth. It all feels similar
Arthur Smith also did a good job of tailoring an offense that revived Ryan Tannehill’s career. Tannehill seemed to be plateauing as an underwhelming quarterback before Smith got him, similar to Kenny Pickett. Tannehill saw a complete revival once Smith took over. In 2019, Tannehill threw for 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions, good enough to win the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. In 2020 Tannehill took another big step and threw for 3,819 yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Smith’s offense led the Titans to the AFC Championship game in 2020 where they fell short of the inevitable Patrick Mahomes in an 11-point loss.
This Isn’t As Bad Of A Hire As You Think
Although fans will be crying like they always will, it’s ridiculous to make that kind of decision before we see anything. While the Steelers haven’t officially announced the move yet, it’s rumored to be a three-year deal for Smith, who was reportedly set to meet with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after his meeting in Pittsburgh. Still, Mike Tomlin and company made sure he never even got on the plane.
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