Whether you like the Pittsburgh Steelers hiring Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator or not, one thing cannot be denied. Smith has a vision for the Steelers’ offense and he’s communicating it to his players.
Former coordinator Matt Canada did not share his vision or thinking with his players, but Smith is already winning over his players. James Daniels says that Smith has “complete trust” of the players, and that’s valuable for a new coach in town.
Smith wants the Steelers’ offense to be physical. But a big part of keeping an offense physical over the course of an NFL season is keeping the energy up.
Former Steelers S Ryan Clark was in Latrobe for training camp with The Pivot Podcast, and he spent a little time chatting with Smith. Clark relayed that “everybody say you changing the energy around here, bro, so I love it.” Smith then shared how the defense Clark was a part of and his defensive coordinator, Dick LeBeau, is an inspiration.
“Watched you guys, my favorite defense,” Smith said. “Used to talk to LeBeau about it. Trying to get that mentality back on the offense… He said when Ben [Roethlisberger] and A.B. and those guys, you guys would fight.”
I don’t think Smith meant he wants his offense fighting the Steelers’ defense during camp, though that has happened multiple times this summer. It sounds like Smith wants an offense that is fighting to dominate opposing defenses every snap.
Just because Smith has a run-forward approach does not mean he lacks aggression. When he was the offensive coordinator in Tennessee, Titans QB Ryan Tannehill had his two best years in the NFL. In 2020, Tannehill threw for 33 touchdowns while averaging 7.9 yards per attempt. In 2019, Tannehill was the AP Comeback Player of the Year and led the NFL in yards per attempt with 9.6 while completing 70.3 percent of his passes. Oh, and Tannehill threw a touchdown on 7.7 percent of his passes that year.
Smith has no problem attacking defenses through the air. He loves to use play-action to do so, which makes sense. But Smith wants to be physical and explosive.
And it sounds like the Steelers’ players are buying in. Not just to the mentality, which they seem to have. But also to Smith as a teacher. QB Russell Wilson spoke about Smith’s tenacity as a play-caller but also just how detailed a teacher Smith has been.
That’s a great combination for an offensive coordinator. Someone who is willing to break things down and teach his players while also encouraging them to fight each and every rep. That combination could help propel the Steelers forward in what looks to be a tough season schedule-wise.
