The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense has been almost unwatchable during the past few years. Randy Fichtner’s time as offensive coordinator was unsuccessful, and then Matt Canada reinvented what a boring and predictable offense can look like. The Steelers’ defense has been carrying the bulk of the load recently, but that could finally change this year. Arthur Smith has proven to be an effective NFL offensive coordinator in the NFL, so there’s hope he can bring success to Pittsburgh. However, one analyst wonders if Smith’s offense can mesh with the players the Steelers have.
Robert Mays is an analyst for The Athletic, and also hosts its podcast, The Athletic Football Show. On a recent episode, he asked the question of what Smith’s offense will look like with the Steelers, pointing to how parts of his offensive philosophy may not work for some of the players.
“What do Arthur Smith’s Steelers look like?” Mays asked. “What do they even look like? You have this offense that they want to attack the middle of the field, it’s all under center play-action. There are two quarterbacks who don’t want to play that way. Last year, they ran more wide zone than any team in the league, but you can make an argument that the Steelers’ offense looked best when they were pulling Broderick Jones. Are those ideas a little bit too disparate to actually come out on the other side in a cohesive vision that’s well-suited to the players? I have no idea.”
Mays asks good questions, wondering if Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, two quarterbacks known for not targeting the middle of the field, can thrive in Smith’s offense, which relies on that area. Wilson’s spent his entire career throwing more along the sidelines than in the middle of the field, so it will be curious to see if it’s he or Smith who adjusts. Likewise, in Fields’ young career, he hasn’t been particularly keen to make use of the middle of the field either.
The Steelers’ run scheme under Matt Canada was abysmal, so the concerns about Smith installing his own identity should be less of a concern. Smith once coached an offense that saw Derrick Henry rush for over 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns, so if there’s anything that he can be trusted with, it’s creating a powerful rushing attack.
However, even though it might not seem like some of the pieces in the Steelers’ offense fit right now, players like Wilson and Fields have had nothing but praise for Smith. Also, Wilson chose to sign with the Steelers, and he probably wouldn’t have made that decision if he didn’t think he could succeed in Smith’s offense.
More than likely, the offense will be a mixture of what Smith likes and what Wilson feels comfortable doing, at least as long as Wilson is the starter. Smith’s offense also has qualities to it that benefit Wilson and Fields like having a strong run game to alleviate some of the pressure off their shoulders. The Steelers’ use of the middle of the field can’t get any worse than when Canada was offensive coordinator, so even if they still don’t utilize it a lot, at least they should have other aspects of the offense they can rely on.
