Arthur Smith is lockstep with Mike Tomlin in being aggressive. It’s why the Pittsburgh Steelers went for it on 4th and 1 in their territory in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. Smith just wishes he had made a better call for the moment.
Reflecting on the decision, Smith said he should’ve done something else. Like using QB Justin Fields to help move the chains.
“I did,” Smith said via a team-provided transcript when asked if he considered using Fields. “We’re getting in there and we were a little bit rushed. They spotted it. I think there was only 27 seconds. So didn’t want to do a wholesale change. Obviously, hindsight is 20/20. Wish I had something different in there.”
What the Steelers did was the same thing they used against the Washington Commanders a week earlier. Shifting RT Broderick Jones to the left side, inserting Spencer Anderson at right tackle, and pulling RG Mason McCormick to the left with FB Connor Heyward leading. Baltimore was ready for it and blew the play up, RB Najee Harris halted at the line of scrimmage.
But to Smith’s point, the biggest issue was the play clock. Pittsburgh broke the huddle and got to the line late. The broadcast showed just eight seconds left as Russell Wilson approached the line of scrimmage. The offense had to shift, get set, and the play was rushed. And rushed plays are often failed plays.
Smith says a lack of time discouraged him from trotting Fields out there. Still, it’s fair to wonder why he was used so little in situations that suit him. Pittsburgh had a failed 3rd-and-1 quarterback sneak the play before and several red-zone chances to utilize him. Fields isn’t a cure-all for the Steelers’ 30th-ranked red-zone offense but he can be an asset to jump-start a struggling run game down there.
There’s always a healthy debate about using plays that are working. Do you stick with them until the defense finally gets the upper hand or do you anticipate the diminished returns and do something else? There aren’t easy answers and it’s one of the biggest dilemmas coaches like Smith face. Clearly, he wishes he had gone another way, proving that hindsight remains the greatest play caller in NFL history.
