When the Atlanta Falcons take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, they’ll face off against a familiar face in Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Smith coached the Falcons for the last three seasons, and the Falcons’ defense is preparing to face off against its former offensive coordinator. OLB Lorenzo Carter said the Falcons have “seen what Smith likes to do” and they need to be ready to “play fast and free.”
“Just understanding what he likes to do,” Carter said via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’ve been here with him. We’ve seen what he likes to do. We’ve seen how he likes to attack defenses, so we just have to take that into account. Watch the (exhibition games) that they had. Be ready to go out there and play fast and free.”
LB Kaden Ellis added that he’s “really excited” to face Smith and he has “super-high respect for his mind.”
Obviously, it’s not as cut and dry as the Falcons knowing what Smith wants to run and being able to counteract it. It’s a new team with different personnel, and while some things may be similar schematically, it’s not as simple as just knowing what Smith wants to do and stopping it. Atlanta also has a new scheme, switching back to a 3-4 under new defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake after running a 4-3 last season, so there’s going to be adjustments on both sides, especially with it being the first game of the season.
On the flip side, while the Falcons’ defense has a level of familiarity with Smith, he also has some familiarity with how their defensive guys play. Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons are two new projected starters who didn’t play under Smith, but the Atlanta defense is largely the same as it was last season. Neither side really will have the upper hand when it comes to knowing what the other has to offer, but it’s going to be an interesting chess match between Pittsburgh’s offense and Atlanta’s defense.
Pittsburgh’s also going to be assimilating at least two new starters on their offensive line. C Zach Frazier is slated to start and make his NFL debut while either Mason McCormick or Spencer Anderson will start at left guard in place of the injured Isaac Seumalo. There’s also a chance that rookie OT Troy Fautanu could play, but a knee injury suffered in the preseason opener dims that chance a bit as Fautanu has missed the last few weeks of practice.
There are a number of storylines heading into this one, but Smith against his former team might be the most interesting one. Pittsburgh needs to get its season off on the right foot, and hopefully, Smith can do enough against a Falcons team he’s familiar with to lead the Steelers to victory.
