Week 1 of the NFL season doesn’t always indicate how a team’s season is going to go, but it certainly helps to start out on the right foot with a win. For the Steelers, that means beating new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s former team, the Atlanta Falcons. This isn’t exactly a “revenge game” because it doesn’t seem like there’s much bad blood between the two parties, but there still has to be something present that’s motivating both Smith and the Falcons just a little bit more. It might not seem like the Steelers’ odds are great, as the players in Atlanta should know Smith’s scheme fairly well, but one former offensive lineman actually believes it’s the Steelers who have the advantage.
Ross Tucker played in the NFL from 2001 to 2007, bouncing around between a couple of different teams. Now, he served as an analyst for several different outlets and even has his own YouTube channel where he produces his show, the Even Money Podcast. On a recent episode, Tucker was talking about the Steelers’ game against the Falcons, explaining why they aren’t exactly at a disadvantage by having Smith as their offensive coordinator.
”I also think that there’s a little bit of an advantage for the Steelers with Arthur Smith knowing the personnel in Atlanta as well as he does, being their head coach the last few years. Obviously, Arthur Smith really, really understands the personnel there, which I think counteracts whatever the Falcons might know about his scheme.”
That’s an interesting perspective from Tucker considering it’s usually the former team that has the advantage over the coach. One massive example would be Super Bowl 37 where the Buccaneers played the Raiders, with Jon Gruden being the head coach of the Bucs the previous few seasons. In that game, the Bucs dismantled the Raiders because they knew Gruden’s scheme like the back of their hand. Clearly, Tucker believes that the same fate will not befall the Steelers.
That observation may also be a double-edged sword, as the Steelers recently signed quite a few players who spent time with Smith’s Falcons. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that the Falcons will have greater knowledge of those pieces of the Steelers’ personnel as well, which may tip the scales back in their favor. Nothing is for certain though, and perhaps some of these players will have added to or changed their game enough not to be predictable come Week 1.
Either way, there will be a lot of punch-counterpunch in the Steelers’ first game, which may not bode well, considering how awful the second half of their schedule is. If they want to make a run at the playoffs, they’re going to need to start out strong. Just as well, they’ll be in an actual revenge game in Week 2 against the Broncos when Sean Payton and Russell Wilson square off. If they lose both those games to start out 0-2, they might be forced to hit the panic button early. Starting out slow could spell disaster.
