Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has the offense clicking better than it has at any point since 2020. The Steelers were winning games with Justin Fields at quarterback, but it wasn’t until Russell Wilson took over as the starter that the offense reached another level of production. Over the last three games, the Steelers are averaging 30 points and 382 total yards. It’s a small sample size, but it’s still miles ahead of their 2023 averages (17.9 points and 319.5 yards).
Suffice to say, Arthur Smith is a lot better at his job than Matt Canada, and it helps to have competent quarterback play.
Former Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch joined Randy Baumann & the DVE Morning Show on Tuesday and praised the job that Arthur Smith has done in his first season leading the Steelers’ offense.
“And this is why there is a huge difference between a college offensive coordinator and NFL offensive coordinator. And that’s exactly what you have right here,” Batch said. “You know, it’s one thing to call plays just to be calling them. That’s what we had in the past. And, unfortunately, it didn’t work. But when you have Arthur Smith who’s a veteran play caller, he knows how to set formations up.
“Okay, you see something in the first half you’re able to make that adjustment to hit a big play as the game goes on. That’s why you do certain things and try show some formations and motions to try to get a better take on a defense. And Arthur Smith, it just seems like he is one step ahead of defenses right now. Full credit goes to him.”
Matt Canada was heavily criticized for his predictable play calling, with multiple instances of opposing defenders admitting they knew exactly what plays the Steelers were going to run during his tenure as the Steelers’ OC. Whether it was a notorious jet sweep for a negative gain or a sideline deep ball that had no chance of being converted on third and short, it’s safe to say Matt Canada wasn’t great at his job.
In contrast, Arthur Smith has been far from predictable while still sticking to his identity as a play caller. The Steelers are balancing the run game and pass game effectively. They’re utilizing play-action as well as anyone in the league. They incorporate multiple tight ends in the game plan, orchestrating targets to unexpected players. And the eye test reveals that they are scheming players open with lots of green grass around them in ways they rarely ever did under Matt Canada.
Part of that is better quarterback play. Russell Wilson is able to read a defense and make the right adjustments pre-snap, and he sells out on play-action plays as well as any NFL quarterback. But Smith also deserves credit because he took all the blame when he was the head coach in Atlanta (where his quarterback play didn’t help him at all).
The game-winning touchdown pass to Mike Williams Sunday doesn’t happen without Wilson and Smith recognizing a situational advantage. Most of the defensive attention was on George Pickens, and the high safety shading Mike Williams side came up aggressively to defend Jaylen Warren leaking out of the backfield. Wilson dialed up a perfect moon ball to Williams in one-on-one coverage, and it was a fantastic play call by Smith.
Times will be tougher, as the Steelers prepare to face some of the best offenses in the league over the next eight weeks. But great offense is needed to win playoff games.
