As a head coach at any level of professional sports, a lot is put on your plate that you might not be used to. In football, especially in the NFL, that includes managing injuries, egos, game plans on both sides of the football, off-the-field incidents, roster decisions, and more.
Arthur Smith found that out the hard way in his three seasons in Atlanta, taking on quite a bit after being an up-and-coming offensive mind in Tennessee. Things didn’t go so well for Smith with the Falcons, leading to his firing after the 2023 season.
Now, he takes a step back in Pittsburgh under head coach Mike Tomlin, getting a chance to catch his breath, regroup and get back to doing what he’s very good at: calling plays.
Appearing on 102.5 The Game in Nashville Friday morning, Smith said that he’s happy to have taken a step back and regroup in Pittsburgh.
“Yeah, absolutely. And then of course the transition we made too. I mean, when I got there [Tennessee] as a coach you’re not concerned with the salary cap, but there was a decision as they transitioned out of that. They had a good run with a really talented team and we were working with the cap issue and making a transition on the roster and, you know, so many lessons learned and then obviously playing with different quarterbacks, and so you have to evolve,” Smith said detailing the transitions he’s had to undergo as a coach in different stops, according to audio via the show’s YouTube page. “And then as the head coach, there’s 32 of ’em, but the role may be different behind the scenes depending on how much roster interaction you have or whatever the job description is outside of coaching.
“And then you’re doing the play calling, if you’re still a play caller. So, got a ton of lessons learned, a completely different job, and it’s been cool to reset and be back in this role as OC and learn from coach Tomlin.”
During his time in Tennessee as the offensive coordinator, Smith could simply focus on how to attack opposing defenses, scheme up ways to get wide receivers A.J. Brown and Corey Davis into space, and create huge splash plays in the run game with running back Derrick Henry.
In that role, Smith was one of the best offensive minds in football as a coordinator, leading the Titans’ offense to franchise history from a points scored and yards per play perspective.
That success as a coordinator led to him getting head coaching buzz, which then led to him landing in Atlanta, where there was a lot of hope for the Smith era.
Instead, he went 7-10 every season and couldn’t quite figure out the quarterback situation or the defense, leading to Atlanta moving on after three seasons.
It was a difficult foray into the head coaching world for Smith, but sometimes the best coordinators in the sport should simply stay in that role. Some aren’t cut out to be head coaches.
Maybe Smith can be a head coach again with some success in Pittsburgh. Heck, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport said as much recently.
But for now, taking a step back and truly resetting is good for Smith. Doing so in Pittsburgh under an established, respected head coach like Mike Tomlin is huge, too.
Smith finds himself in an environment conducive the style of football he likes and appreciates, which is a downhill, physical, run-heavy attack built around play-action in the passing game. It’s a great spot for Smith to land on his feet, reset and rebuild some of his coaching stock as that offensive mind.
He can simply just focus on scheming things up offensively, rather than speaking with the media multiple times a week, dealing with roster decisions and managing egos on and off the field.
Check out the full interview with Smith on 102.5 The Game in Nashville Friday below.
