Will Arthur Smith get his revenge on the Atlanta Falcons (assuming he wants any)?
Nobody likes to have their employer fire them, but some firings are more understandable than others. That is especially true in the realm of production-driven businesses, such as the NFL. Arthur Smith coached the Atlanta Falcons for three years but drove them to a losing record each time.
While it seems like the parting was reasonably amicable, this is the first time Smith has ever lost a job. It didn’t take him long to land back on his feet but at a lower level. No longer a head coach, he is now the Steelers’ offensive coordinator. And they just so happen to open the season against the Falcons, purely coincidentally, of course.
For his part, Arthur Smith is downplaying all of that talk about the Atlanta Falcons and his departure. “I’m not really an emotional, petty person. I try to have discipline no matter who we’re playing”, he said.
It’s a bit easier to say when you come from wealth and losing your job doesn’t threaten your way of life. However, Smith is clearly a prideful person and dedicated to his work, so losing his job surely stung. He is also pragmatic and knows the records he put up, so I’m sure at least a part of him understands why he ended up where he is now.
A part of him is probably even grateful for it. Maybe Arthur Smith still wants to be a head coach, but did he want to coach the Falcons? He didn’t inherit the healthiest franchise, coming at the end of the Matt Ryan era. And as a coordinator, he now escapes all the nonsense that comes with being the head coach.
But whether he wants to stick it to the Falcons or not, Arthur Smith’s job is to beat them today. Will he succeed? Going by the preseason, you might now be overly optimistic about the quality of his offense. Then again, the Falcons are in a major transition period as well.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they exit early or miss the playoffs altogether. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? How will the team continue to address the depth chart?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
