Sitting at 9-3 on the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are rolling right along, looking like a true contender in the AFC. That’s not something many expected this season, considering all the questions around the team entering the season.
The defense remains one of the best in the league, special teams has come up with clutch plays time and time again, and the offense has quietly developed into a top-10 scoring offense in the NFL. That has many putting credit where it realistically should go for the Steelers’ success: at the feet of Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin has the Steelers playing great football, and he should be a shoo-in for the NFL’s Coach of the Year award.
But for former NFL QB Chase Daniel, who appeared on FS1’s “The Facility” Wednesday morning, credit for the Steelers’ success this season should go to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith for the work he’s done with two different starting quarterbacks and unlocking a new level for the Steelers’ offense.
“Mike Tomlin, to me, is the clear guy who has been successful. Right? Eighteenth year, he’s never had a losing season. Never, ever, ever. Russell Wilson, everything you’ve said spot on. And I had both. But then I started thinking as you guys were talking, Arthur Smith is the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Daniel said of Smith as his choice for who gets the most credit for the Steelers’ success this season. “He started 4-2 with Justin Fields as his starter. He kept this season afloat. And to be quite honest with you, he was a Justin Fields fan. I believe he wanted Justin Fields to remain the starter. Mike Tomlin came in and said, ‘Uh no, we’re not doing that.’
“He had built an entire offense from training camp through the first six games of the year for Justin Fields. When Russell Wilson first went in, they completely changed offenses mid-year.”
What Smith has done this season as the Steelers’ new offensive coordinator has been commendable. He’s helped turn the Steelers into a top 10 scoring offense in the NFL after the 44-point showing against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday on the road.
Smith’s scheme has helped take the run game to another level as one of the top rushing attacks in football, and he’s getting some of the best football in recent years out of Russell Wilson, which is eye-opening. Wilson is operating at a high level and has the offense playing with a great deal of confidence.
But the offense was operating relatively well even with Justin Fields under center, too, as he helped pilot the Steelers to a 4-2 record with Wilson hurt early in the year. To Smith’s credit, he adapted his scheme to Fields’ strengths and had Fields playing good football, avoiding turnovers, making some plays down the field in the passing game and playing efficient football in the red zone, too.
That’s the mark of a good coach: adapting to your players’ strengths and scheme up ways to hide some of the weaknesses. Smith deserves a ton of credit for that, especially considering the offensive coaching staff was preparing throughout training camp and the preseason for Wilson to be the starter and then lost him just two days before the season opener in Atlanta.
That forced a quick pivot from Smith and the rest of the offensive staff, but the Steelers handled it perfectly and raced out to a 3-0 start with Fields under center.
“You gotta give credit to the play caller. And we don’t do that enough on this show,” Daniel added in his praise of Smith. “And I do, maybe ’cause I understand what goes on behind the scenes. All the one-on-one meetings and Arthur Smith is running those meetings when Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are still there.
“And they never were fighting. He’s had to keep the peace through it all as well, too. So all the off-the-field stuff to me matters.”
There is no “peace” to keep for Smith, though, because Wilson and Fields have a great relationship. That’s shown time and time again throughout the season. There’s no animosity there between the two. They understand the task at hand, and they both have their hand in the pile trying to help the Steelers win games.
The Steelers are doing just that, and Smith as the play caller is a big part of that. But it seems a stretch to give him all the credit for the success.
