As part of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive overhaul, the team hired a new quarterbacks coach in Tom Arth, who spent the last two seasons as the passing-game specialist with the Los Angeles Chargers. Arth received praise from Arthur Smith yesterday and talked about the “special” quarterback competition between Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, and today Fields praised Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks coach. Fields said that Arth is the most detailed coach he’s ever been around.
“Tom is great. Just his attention to detail, the way he comes in each and every day, comes in, the same guy every day, and to be honest, I don’t know if I’ve had a coach as detailed as Tom,” Fields said via Chris Adamski of TribLive on Twitter.
Fields said the way Arth focuses on details is what “sets him apart.”
Justin Fields calls new Steelers QB coach Tom Arth the most detail-oriented coach he’s been around pic.twitter.com/pB2D0Rjyhz
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) June 12, 2024
Attention to detail is something the Steelers lacked with Matt Canada, and bringing in detailed guys who will tell you the how and the why of what players are doing was clearly a focus for the Steelers. That’s the case with Smith, who seems to be meshing well with the offense so far, and Arth seems to be well-liked in the quarterback room.
Smith praised Arth’s communication, and being prepared, detailed-oriented and a strong communicator are some good traits for succeeding as a coach at the professional level. The hiring of Arth, and the other new offensive assistants, including Smith and wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni, may have gotten lost in the shuffle a bit with the changes the Steelers made with their players, adding Wilson and Fields, trading Diontae Johnson and really looking to compete this season. But the new offensive additions are a signal that the Steelers are truly set on changing their ways and building a football team that can compete and win.
Ray Fittipaldo said that the vibe is different with the Steelers, as the focus even in June is about winning in the postseason. A lot of that can be chalked up to the wholesale changes the Steelers made on the field and with their coaching staff. So far, the new hires seem to be really well-liked among their peers and by the players. It’s important to remember that it is still June and there’s no real contact, so making predictions down the line is futile. But if the positive vibes and mindset change from the players and staff continues into the season, it could lead to Pittsburgh winning its first playoff game since 2016.
