The old adage goes, the best days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it.
Offensive coordinators are the same way. For fans, the two best days of their tenure are the day you hire one and the day you fire him.
The hiring process is often met with optimism. Starting anew, theorizing about what the new coach can bring to the offense. They all say much of the same thing. We’re going to be tough, smart, we’re going to make plays and score points. And if that doesn’t work out, they’re hated until they’re replaced. That’s true of virtually every fan base. There are probably only three teams that have well-liked coordinators. And even that worm can turn in short order.
New Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith hardly even has that welcome. Reaction to his hiring has been, at best, mixed, and the concerns are understandable. Can he elevate the passing game? Can he replicate the success he had in Tennessee, or will he bring the same struggles that doomed him in Atlanta? “Exciting” isn’t the word to describe his hiring.
Even Matt Canada’s promotion was met with more optimism. There was excitement about his recent ties to the college game, the opportunity to shift this offense into something from the Shanahan tree. Clearly, that did not happen, and Canada became the most well-known coordinator in football solely because of how much he was hated. Deep-seated and sincere hate of the man. Too much of it, honestly, even with the obviously poor results that followed his tenure.
Every Steelers’ offensive coordinator has been disliked in their tenure. Randy Fichtner, Todd Haley, Bruce Arians, any coordinator in any football city will feel the heat if the ride isn’t smooth. And in the NFL, it never is. Even the good teams hit bumps along the way.
Smith’s hire comes at a critical time for the franchise. QB Kenny Pickett needs his career turned around. Fast. If he can’t prove he’s Pittsburgh’s present and future, the team will have no choice but to look at other options in 2025. The angst of playoff losses are only mounting, even to the point where owner Art Rooney II seems frustrated by it. It’s why the Steelers valued Smith’s experience as a coordinator. They didn’t want someone learning on the job. A new coordinator with a new system and scheme already has enough growing pains and the Steelers don’t have time to wait around.
None of this is Earth-shattering information. I just wanted to make the “buying a boat” analogy because it’s so apt for the football world. New faces, be it coaches or draft picks or even the start of a new season, all run the same circle. Excitement at first that slowly (or quickly) turns into anger and dissent. Even with Smith, met with a lukewarm reaction, will probably be warmed up to throughout the offseason and come training camp when the offense looks good going against its own defense. Where it goes once the games count, who’s to say? But it’s clear Smith has to be the captain of this ship so it doesn’t sink anymore.
