Opportunity can knock, even when you’re on the other side of the world.
That was the case for Arthur Smith after being let go as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
Smith, who had been head coach in Atlanta for three seasons, had promised his wife Allison, a vacation after the season, and they were in Dubai on their way to Maldives when he received a call from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin asking if he would be interested in interviewing for his open offensive coordinator position.
“I was like, ‘Hell yeah, I’m interested,’ when Mike called me,” Smith recalled saying on Tuesday as the Steelers began their first day of required minicamp at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Smith was virtually halfway across the world when Mike called.
However, the interview would need to wait until the Smiths got back to the US. Following that meeting, Smith was promptly hired by Tomlin to revitalize the Steelers offense, which finished 2023 ranked 28th in scoring offense.
Given that the 42-year-old Smith started his career as an assistant coach with the Tennessee Titans, where he collaborated with numerous former Steelers, joining the Steelers organization was an obvious choice for him.
“I have such an appreciation of the history of this game and guys that have been big mentors to me have either coached here or played here, and I can go on and on,” Smith stated. “I worked for Vrabes, and Mike Vrabel was a player here who had a lot of influence. Mularkey Mike. Grimm Russ. LeBeau Dick. I coach boys in Tennessee, ranging from Nick Eason to Deshea Townsend. Numerous men, athletes, or coaches highly recommend his location. Mike discussed finding out how timing and life work when he phoned me.
“Yes, I was interested in this job, and I wanted him to know that.” And so to work for Mike, and the significance of this location, the background of this game, and the Rooneys’ financial dealings here. Over the years, I came to know Omar Khan a little bit after the league meetings and other things, and Mike in particular was really appealing. A guy who has stayed in one place and achieved the kind of success he has, who is also older and has been at it longer, is rare. He’s someone you can learn from because they genuinely have similar beliefs. For me, it was a complete success.
The Steelers are hopeful that it is also the case for them.
The Steelers finished 10-7 in 2023 despite their offensive problems, earning a trip to the playoffs before the Bills eliminated them.
They took initiative in the offseason, bringing in three veterans with skill sets that Smith can use to build his offense: former All-Pro Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen, who entirely retooled the quarterback position.
Smith’s scheme is easier to implement because the quarterback room is brand-new and everyone is learning at the same rate.”You get a job like this, and there’s a guy, he’s a guy that’s maybe been here 10 years, they may have a certain way they’ve done things and so you’re new,” Smith explained. But we’re all new here. Going back and viewing the film and the work that I and the other three guys did at earlier visits has been enjoyable. Since everyone is new, things are a little bit easier.”
The quarterback room wasn’t the only area of the Steelers offense that saw restructuring. Along with adding Isaac Seumalo and Nick Herbig to the lineup and drafting Broderick Jones, the squad also proceeded with rebuilding the offensive line by drafting offensive lineman Troy Fautanu, center Zach Frazier, and guard Mason McCormick.
This is consistent with Smith’s belief that physicality up front will improve one’s ability to run the football.
“When you look at both sides and why the scrimmage, you may have the greatest designed play against this coverage and schemed up perfectly and if you can’t move guys up front it’s going to be hard, hard living,” Smith stated. “And you consider the history they have here—both sides of the line of scrimmage have a fantastic history, particularly when it comes to Super Bowl victories. It’s merely a belief of mine. Additionally, I was an offensive lineman.
Over his five seasons as an NFL coordinator in Tennessee and head coach in Atlanta, Smith’s offenses have finished in the top five three times and in the top ten four times.
With 118 yards per game, the Steelers were 13th in the league in 2023 when they ran the ball, led by one of the NFL’s strongest 1-2 punches in Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris, who surpassed 1,000 yards for the third consecutive season. In 2023, Warren also gained nearly 800 yards through rushes.
Smith has been happy with what he has observed of that combo and sees a continuation of that relationship.
“Both Najee and Jaylen have had a lot of success in this league,” he stated. “When you break it down, you’re hoping for over 1,100 plays in a 17-game season. Additionally, if your offense is balanced, you should be able to distribute carries fairly. Derrick Henry, for example, wasn’t asked to carry the ball 550 times, so there are plenty of standard and non-traditional carries available. However, getting to work with both of those people is incredibly thrilling.”
It all comes down to designing an offensive scheme that maximizes the skill on the Steelers’ roster.
Following the spring OTAs, Smith believes he has a firm grasp on it, and the Steelers will be primed to go when training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe begins at the end of July.”Every year you go back and watch film, whether it’s your own stuff, stuff that I’ve done in my past and you know you’re getting an evaluation of the personnel and there’s always things to improve on,” Smith stated. “And a lot of things changed. It’s also a much-changed roster. However, we’re only making progress. I therefore specifically review what went wrong, what Atlanta, Tennessee, or other places taught me, what I need to work on moving forward, and we go on. However, I’m quite happy with the set of guys we have. Thus far, the spring has been pleasant.
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