Arthur Smith hasn’t gotten to see as much of Russell Wilson on the field as he would like, I’m sure. The 35-year-old quarterback has only participated in limited drills thus far, the result of a calf injury. But the two have gotten to know each other plenty in the classroom and elsewhere, and Wilson is impressed. He spoke glowingly of Smith on Movin’ the Chains Friday on SiriusXM with Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller.
“I think he teaches in such a great way. His ability to break down the film, the one-on-one time we spend together, makes a huge difference”, Wilson said of Smith. “Just his knowledge of the game. Obviously, he’s been a head coach. He’s been through the fire, too. Sometimes, you get molded in that way. I love his edge that he has, play-calling. He’s got a tenacity to him that I love, and that’s what you want in a play-caller. And I just love how he teaches. I think that’s the thing about being a great coach [is] you’ve got to be a great teacher”.
The play-calling comments are especially interesting, not that Russell Wilson would ever have a bad word for anybody. He played under Sean Payton last year, although the two spoke glowingly of each other at this same in Denver. One hopes that Wilson’s season with Arthur Smith goes better than that with Payton.
But really, I think those comments mean more to Steelers fans than they do to Wilson. That’s because Wilson isn’t arriving at Smith like some kind of panacea to cure the Matt Canada curse. The Steelers’ previous offensive coordinator, Canada, was often regarded as one of the worst play-callers in the NFL, not just for the plays he called but also for the limited designs and variations.
That seems to be a distant memory for the Steelers now with Smith at offensive coordinator, as Wilson tells it. He is clearly excited about the direction the offense is headed and the variety of things they can do with it, something Steelers fans have been waiting to hear for a long time now. And the quarterbacks appreciate that they feel their input matters.
One thing Russell Wilson appears to get at is Arthur Smith’s background. While he didn’t play in the NFL, he is a former offensive lineman, and he’s done almost everything coaching-wise. He has been a head coach, offensive coordinator, tight ends coach, offensive line coach—even a defensive coach. Between his playing experience and his varied background, he has a vividly informed view of the game.
The way he runs his offenses makes it very clear where his priorities lie. We saw Smith’s resume in Tennessee and Atlanta, and Wilson expects to see that same identity here. The only question is whether they can put all the pieces together in time to make it work. That includes an offensive line that could include two rookie starters as a central ingredient.
