Mike Tomlin Likes Growth Of Offense, But Knows It’s ‘Ebb And Flow’ In Development Stage

After dealing with a rather frustrating, ineffective offense for nearly three full seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin made a change midway through the 2023 season, firing Matt Canada.

Then, in early February, the team hired Arthur Smith to be the next offensive coordinator after he was fired by the Atlanta Falcons, where he was head coach. That move created quite a bit of excitement, not only for fans and analysts, but for players, too. 

So far in training camp, that excitement remains as the Steelers’ offense has shown signs of life and competency.

Tomlin, who spoke to the media Wednesday ahead of the preseason opener Friday against the Houston Texans, likes what he’s seen from the Steelers’ offense so far under Smith in training camp, but he very much understands that the offense’s developmental stage has ebbs and flows.

“You know, I like some things. I think we’ve done some nice things on a lot of fronts. Running the ball, play action pass, stretching the field vertically, and the play-action passing game. But it’s ebb and flow,” Tomlin said to reporters Wednesday, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “It is in development. There’s been some days that I’d like to see us take care of the ball better. We’ve turned the ball over some, but those things happen in an environment like this.

“And so, I’ve been generally pleased with the trajectory of it, acknowledging that there’s two steps forwards, one step back from time to time. But I think that that can be indicative of all of us or any of us individually in this process.”

Early on in training camp, there has been plenty to like with the way the Steelers’ offense has looked, even with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson on the shelf for the early portion of camp with a calf injury. This led to Justin Fields getting extended QB1 reps.

The offensive line has looked quite physical, playing with a real edge early in training camp and controlling the line of scrimmage. The wide receivers, especially George Pickens, have made plays down the field in the passing game, and Fields has shown off his wheels a time or two, adding some designed-run elements to the Steelers’ offense under Smith. 

We’ve even seen the use of Pony, the fullback, multiple tight end sets, quite a bit of play-action fakes and bootlegs, and even wide zone running concepts. On top of all that, the Steelers have stretched the field vertically and horizontally in the passing game under Smith early in camp, which is hopefully a sign of things to come this season. 

With Smith’s scheme in place, there’s just a better feel and flow offensively. It is just practice, though. Friday night’s matchup with the Texans could provide a better litmus test, but it’s not one that Tomlin is going to take too much away from.

“I really think just right now, it is focused on self and less about the strategic component of others, whether it’s the defense for the Houston Texans, which we face right now,” Tomlin said of the offense. “When you really laying a foundation, a platform in which to build from through the rest of this process, it’s man versus self and how we perform and what we do and the quality in which we do it.”

So, don’t expect Tomlin and the Steelers to be too high or even too low on the offense coming out of the preseason opener, regardless of how it goes. Right now, the Steelers are still very much in the development stage of building up the offense to get it ready for Week 1 in Atlanta.

For now, Tomlin has liked some things he’s seen, which he should. But he’s not going to overreact one way or another in this process.