Though the comment came in passing, former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi gave Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith a ringing endorsement. Weighing in on the 2024 Atlanta Falcons on Monday’s episode of his The GM Shuffle podcast, Lombardi refuted the idea Smith should be viewed as a scapegoat for why the Falcons’ offense struggled under his tenure.
“You can say Arthur Smith is not a good coach,” Lombardi told guest Chris Simms. “You’re full of shit if you say it. The guy is a really good offensive coach.”
Lombardi and Simms then discussed the concern over the Falcons’ lack of team speed heading into the new year under head coach Raheem Morris. Bringing the commentary back to Pittsburgh, Smith will look to be more productive with the Steelers than he was with the Falcons. In his three seasons as head coach, Atlanta only finished in the top half of scoring offenses once, ranking 15th in 2022. In 2023, the team bottomed out to 26th in points per game.
While Smith should absorb some of that blame, he also had a larger role than just running the offense. Being a head coach means being in charge of everything. Every position group, every coach, dealing with ownership, addressing the media, roster construction, salary cap, and every other aspect of the job. Even being an “offensive-minded” head coach as Smith was versus being an offensive coordinator requires two different hats. And some just aren’t equipped to be anything more than successful coordinators.
Pittsburgh is counting on that being the case. The Steelers wanted to hire a coordinator with a proven track record instead of someone who hadn’t thrived in the league before. Prior to being named the Falcons head coach, Arthur Smith was regarded as one of football’s top offensive coordinators with the Tennessee Titans. In his two years in that role across the 2019 and 2020 seasons, the Titans finished top ten in scoring offense. In 2020, they ranked fourth in the league, and their rushing attack, led by Derrick Henry, was among football’s most dynamic.
The Steelers have built their team in a similar fashion. It is a run-heavy approach with power-minded running backs, multiple tight ends, potentially a fullback, a standout vertical receiver, and a veteran quarterback looking to bounce back in his career. For Tennessee, that meant turning around Ryan Tannehill. For Pittsburgh, that means shaping Russell Wilson back into form.
Preferably, as it would obviously be, the Steelers don’t need an elite offense. Even an average one, so long as the defense plays well, would get Pittsburgh back into the playoffs. A good offense, one that is able to get off to faster starts and finish drives with touchdowns instead of field goals. If that comes together, the Steelers will be capable of winning a playoff game. Lombardi seems confident they will.
