Arthur Smith is going into his second season with the Steelers as their offensive coordinator and second with Pat Freiermuth. The veteran tight end had arguably a career year last season under Smith and is hungry for more. Appearing on the Kaboly + Mack podcast recently, he talked about his and the team’s relationship with their offensive coordinator.
“I love [Arthur Smith]. Me and Art have a great relationship,” Freiermuth said. “He’s a guy’s guy. He’s a great guy to be around every single day in the office and work with and understand his knowledge of the game.”
The Steelers hired Smith last year after the Falcons fired him from their head coaching job. He previously had success with the Titans as their offensive coordinator, and HC Mike Tomlin hoped he could work similar magic with the Steelers. Initial results were lacking, but perhaps the bones for better results are there. Behind the scenes, Freiermuth sees comparisons between his head coach and his coordinator.
“The coolest thing is, he holds everyone accountable regardless of contract status or age or anything like that. He’s holding everyone to a standard, and he’s not afraid to call guys out in meetings,” Freiermuth said of Smith. “So it’s kind of similar with Coach [Mike Tomlin], so it’s like everything’s aligned. It’s been great.”
Many Steelers players have shared stories over the years about how Mike Tomlin called them out in meetings, whether it’s T.J. Watt or some practice squad running back, and Pat Freiermuth saw similar egalitarian criticism from Arthur Smith last season.
One wonders if he mentions that specifically because it contrasted with his previous experiences. Was Matt Canada reluctant to call out the A-list players on the roster? Did he talk to his players at all, for that matter? One thing we know is that, like Tomlin, Smith is a much more hands-on coach, himself a former lineman. It always helps to be a former player when you’re a coach because it grants you instant credibility.
“I really respect him a lot. I love playing in his offense,” Freiermuth said of Smith. “He moves me around a bunch. I’m excited for this year. We’ve already started talking about some things, moving forward and stuff. He’s just a good guy to talk football with and get to play for.”
It’s almost hard to remember at this point, but this offseason began for the Steelers with rampant speculation about whether the team would move on from Mike Tomlin or Arthur Smith. Pat Freiermuth fully backed his head coach and is now supporting his offensive coordinator.
At some point, however, a cook is responsible for making something decent with the ingredients on hand. Not everybody works in a Michelin-star restaurant, and what the Steelers have been serving certainly doesn’t taste like it. Can Tomlin, Smith, and Freiermuth produce a competent offense in their second go-around together?
