The Pittsburgh Steelers have played four games under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, which means they have had four opening drives. They have three points to show for it, netting a field goal on the opening drive of their season opener. And even that was a 57-yarder. QB Justin Fields vowed no more slow starts after the season opener—but that was their fastest start so far.
All told, the Steelers are averaging under 18 yards on opening drives, for a little over three minutes. That includes two three-and-outs, and it should be three. Smith’s offense was saved from one on Sunday thanks to a questionable roughing the passer penalty, which prolonged the drive. So who is the blame for these sluggish starts (which go beyond the opening drives)? Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette points to head coach Mike Tomlin.
“At some point Tomlin has to take the handcuffs off Arthur Smith and let him break some tendencies”, Fittipaldo wrote in his latest chat session, commenting specifically on the Steelers’ slow starts on offense. “How many more weeks are we going to see defensive backs run blitz early in games and the Steelers run into eight- and nine-man fronts?
“It’s the perfect time to call some play-action passes early or simply to call passing plays to get defenses back on their heels a bit. Right now they’re full steam ahead because they have a bead on how the Steelers want to play”.
He later reiterated, “I think a lot of this is on Mike Tomlin being restrictive in what he’ll allow Smith to do too. Don’t lose sight of that”.
The Steelers hired Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator this offseason after two-and-a-half years of Matt Canada. Under Canada’s watch, they consistently operated one of the most ineffective offenses in the NFL. Most of that overlapped with the short-lived tenure of first-round QB Kenny Pickett, who is now a backup in Philadelphia.
Not only did the Steelers make a change at offensive coordinator, they also turned over the quarterback room. They signed Russell Wilson to start but now have Justin Fields in the driver’s seat. We should soon see that dynamic change from “due to injury” to just the better option.
While the Steelers are not getting off to good starts on offense, they have put up at least 20 points in consecutive weeks. Under Arthur Smith, they had a season-high 24 points on Sunday but fell short against the Colts. Tomlin said he’s not yet worried about the slow starts, but everyone else is.
The Steelers fell behind 17-0 rather quickly, and costly turnovers limited their impact. WR George Pickens inexplicably fumbled inside the red zone. Fields also fumbled while retreating in an attempt to avoid a sack. You can’t blame Smith for these sorts of things.
Despite all the issues, the Steelers still had a chance to win. They were driving late down three when Fields took a football to the helmet, due to whatever cause. Once again, that’s not something you can pin on Arthur Smith, at least not entirely.
Tomlin has been very clear throughout this offseason that their priority was protecting the football. He didn’t want to put the Steelers’ defense at a disadvantage, minimizing offensive risks. But while he had to do that with Canada and Pickett, perhaps he is learning he doesn’t have to with Smith and Fields. He implied in yesterday’s press conference that he is warming to the idea of loosening the reins.
