Wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers baseball cap and with a microphone in front of him, Arthur Smith walked into the room and took a seat. Smith is reverting to his play-calling roots and hoping to start over as the offensive coordinator for the Steelers, following his release from Atlanta four months ago.
Regarding the Steelers’ style of play in the next season, Smith revealed very little. Though perhaps Smith didn’t need to, given the selections made by Pittsburgh general manager Omar Khan in the first two rounds of the NFL draft.
With the 20th overall pick on Thursday, Khan selected offensive tackle Troy Fautanu. Center Zach Frazier of West Virginia was added by him on Friday.
They will be joining a line that includes James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo, two seasoned guards, and tackle Broderick Jones, the Steelers’ first-round selection from the previous season.
The plan is obvious for a team that is intent on winning with Russell Wilson as their new quarterback and has significant needs at wide out and cornerback. It appears to be customized for Smith. With Derrick Henry’s powerful running and Ryan Tannehill’s astute plays, Smith turned Tennessee into a top-10 offense five years ago. Now, he must repeat that feat in Pittsburgh to snap the team’s seven-year playoff drought.
There are a lot of noticeable similarities. With Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris, the Steelers have one of the top running back tandems in the NFL. They think Wilson may still conjure up some of the “Let Russ Cook” enchantment from his Seattle glory days.
They also believe that Smith’s line will eventually be as good as the ones that were led ten years ago by David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey, two of the league’s most consistent players. Soft-spoken but direct, Smith answered questions about his beliefs with precision.
“We have a shared vision and a certain style of play and intent that fits this team, this place’s history, the Steelers, and the brand of football,” Smith stated.
In Atlanta, where he led the Falcons to three consecutive 7-10 seasons while managing an offense that never reached the top 14 in yards or points, Smith’s vision never fully came to pass.
Smith found his feet in Pittsburgh very quickly. Almost in spite of an offense that found it difficult to score touchdowns, the Steelers have advanced to the postseason three out of the last four seasons. Pittsburgh must become more dynamic if it is to compete with the best teams in the AFC, according to President Art Rooney II.
Now for Smith, who might not be prepared to talk about why he left Atlanta or how he ended up with the Steelers.
