Training camp is finally here, the lull of the offseason finally fading away. The Pittsburgh Steelers made a litany of moves this offseason, changing much of their roster and coaching staff. With so much turnover, especially in the offense, it would be reasonable to assume the Steelers would need some time to mesh and jell, but it looks like that shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Speaking in a video from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as players arrived for camp, quarterback Russell Wilson talked about how he gets prepared for the season with a new team while praising offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s communication skills.
“It’s always about trying to understand the offense in a full capacity,” Wilson said. “Not just me, but everybody. We’re all included here and everybody having a full understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish. We definitely have that. I think coach Arthur Smith’s done a great job at making sure that everybody’s on the same page, from coaches to players and everything else.”
The Steelers’ offense has looked atrocious at times during the last few years, so any kind of positive news is more than welcome. The Steelers changed their entire quarterback room, most of their offensive coaching staff, and traded their top wide receiver. That would usually spell disaster for any offense, but if the Steelers got any worse, they’d probably be forced to play college football.
Smith has experience not only as an offensive coordinator, but also as a head coach, so his communication skills should be superb. While his stint as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons did not go well, his players don’t have anything bad to say about him. That shows that he wasn’t doing a poor job at connecting with them. It’s more likely that, in his first crack at a job like that, he struggled to put all the pieces together.
With the Steelers, he is back in a role he was more than successful in before. As offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, Smith helped running back Derrick Henry rush for over 2,000 yards. With the Steelers’ offensive line strengthened and a powerful one-two punch at running back, the pieces are in place for Smith to coach the Steelers’ offense to a more successful season. That all starts with communication though, and if Wilson is to be believed, Smith is having no issues there.
