Category: Arthur Smith

It’s time for Steelers OC Arthur Smith to prove he’s not Matt Canada reincarnated

Steelers fans have dubbed Arthur Smith “Matt Canada reincarnated,” drawing comparisons to the much-maligned former offensive coordinator.

Like the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith needs to forget the final four games of the regular season ever happened (and ignore that he might be the head coach of the Chicago Bears or New York Jets soon). It’s a new season now, and for his playoff blueprint, Smith must look at the first half of the season, in which Pittsburgh defeated three playoff teams.

After a decisive 6-2 start to the 2024 NFL season, optimism was high for the Steelers. However, a disappointing 4-5 finish has left fans frustrated, with much of their anger directed at Smith. Many Steelers faithful have dubbed him “Matt Canada reincarnated,” drawing comparisons to the much-maligned former OC.

Arthur Smith faces criticism from Steelers fans

The criticism centers on predictable play-calling, lack of creativity, and a seeming inability to adapt mid-game—issues eerily similar to those that plagued the Canada era. While the Steelers finished with a 10-7 record and clinched a playoff spot, fans expected more given the talent on offense.

The unit was poised for a breakout season with veteran Russell Wilson, a receiver corps featuring George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth, and Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren anchoring the ground game. Instead, inconsistency ruled.

Smith, known for his success in Tennessee, was expected to inject life into the Steelers’ offense. Yet, fans are questioning his ability to maximize this team’s potential. Social media is ablaze with debates over Smith’s future and whether head coach Mike Tomlin will make another change at offensive coordinator.

For now, the Steelers’ season hangs in the balance as they prepare for the playoffs. But one thing is clear: Pittsburgh fans demand an offense worthy of their storied franchise. If Smith can’t deliver, the “Matt Canada reincarnated” moniker might stick—and that’s a legacy no coach wants.

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Arthur Smith compares Steelers offense to an ‘old pickup truck’

Pittsburgh Steelers OC Arthur Smith calls offense an “old pickup truck”—gritty, relatable, slow to start, but capable of explosive drives.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith described the team’s offense in a way that fans might find both relatable and amusing, yet disappointing at the same time: As an “old pickup truck.” It’s a metaphor that captures the gritty, hard-working nature of the Steelers’ approach, along with its occasional challenges.

“We’re towards the top of the league in rushing,” Smith said in a Wednesday press conference. “Sometimes it’s not as efficient as you want, but I think the biggest thing, if you watched us closely, it’s really all the way around. We’ve got to do a better job—we’re like an old pickup truck.”

The analogy is accurate and not really one to be proud of. That slow start has been a recurring theme, something we’ve witnessed lose games. Smith admitted the team needs to start faster, but unless they figure out how, these last three games of the regular season — let alone the postseason — won’t be kind to them.

For Smith, the pickup truck analogy reflects the team’s ability to plod along and eventually find its rhythm. “We’ll run well. We’re pretty damn good, and the longer you get the thing in drive, sometimes it just takes a little while to crank the engine,” he said.

Smith humorously admitted, “We’ve got to get some jumper cables or whatever we got to do. I’m not a mechanic; maybe somebody around here is.” Still, despite the bumps, the offense has powered the Steelers to 10 wins, proving their durability and ability to grind through challenges, just like that old truck he referenced.

Like an old truck, the Steelers’ offense has heart, durability, and promise to get the job done when it matters.

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Steelers OC Arthur Smith ‘fired up’ about Bill Belichick named UNC head coach

Pittsburgh Steelers Arthur Smith was named a top candidate for the head coach job at North Carolina, but withdrew his name.

Last week, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was considered a top candidate for the head coach vacancy at North Carolina, where Smith played and served as a graduate assistant.

However, Smith quickly withdrew his name from consideration, and the university ultimately chose former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick for the role. 

Here’s what Smith had to say about Belichick in a press conference today:

He’s a teacher of the game, and he’s got a lot of wisdom, and that should carry over. I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to go learn the game of football from him. Like any great coach, he’s a teacher first and still really a student.

Smith signed a three-year contract with the Steelers in January.

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Will extra preparation be enough to solve Steelers’ red zone woes?

Can Mike Tomlin and the Steelers fix their red zone struggles in time to improve one of the NFL’s worst TD efficiencies?

Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers are understandably frustrated over the lack of scoring the past few weeks, but is it fixable?

The OC Arthur Smith led-Pittsburgh Steelers offense rank 13th in red zone attempts per game with 3.5 but have one of the worst red zone scoring percentages when accounting for TDs only: a bottom-three percentile team in the NFL at 44.74%. To highlight just how truly bad the Steelers are in the red zone, the Denver Broncos average fewer red zone scoring attempts per game but far surpass the Steelers’ red zone scoring percentage, ranking 11th at 57.50%.

Much of the blame has been placed on Russell Wilson, who has one of the worst red zone completion percentages in the NFL, completing just 34.6% of his passes. Justin Fields has the same number of red zone touchdowns, with four, one fewer interception than Wilson, and a solid 66.7% completion rate.

HC Mike Tomlin hinted that the Pittsburgh Steelers addressed some of these issues in a “bonus” practice of sorts last Tuesday, and fans hope it will be enough when the team takes on the Cincinnati Bengals on December 1st at 1:00 PM EST.

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Is OC Arthur Smith wasting Russell Wilson’s talent?

Arthur Smith’s playcalling is under fire as questions grow about whether he’s wasting Russell Wilson’s deep ball in Pittsburgh.

Are the fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers experiencing their own rendition of a Matt Canada-esque Groundhog Day with OC Arthur Smith? While Smith’s offense is schematically better than anything Canada did for the Steel City, his playcalling in recent weeks has left much to be desired.

From failed gadget plays with Justin Fields to obvious and predictable run calls, it appears Smith is wasting the talented arm of QB Russell Wilson.

It is understandable that Smith would attempt to run the ball in large quantities behind an offensive line that struggles with pass protection. However, Wilson has proven time and time again that when defenses are forced to respect his ‘moon ball,’ the Steelers win football games.

While the blame game has recently focused on Wilson’s red zone struggles, it is Smith’s ineptitude in calling proper scoring plays that is truly at fault.

Smith will need to reevaluate his playsheet moving forward, or the Steelers are in for a long six weeks to close out the 2024 season.

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Steelers OC: QB battle was decided by who had the best deep ball

Steelers’ OC Arthur Smith stated that while Justin Fields had a solid deep-ball, Russell Wilson’s amazing deep-ball forced the teams hand.

While the decision to start Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson over Justin Fields in last week’s contest was polarizing, to say the least, Head Coach Mike Tomlin appeared to make the right call. No specific rhyme or reason was given for the decision, other than Tomlin’s desire to ‘win championships.’ 

It confused former players, analysts, and fans, especially since Fields had led the Steelers to an impressive 4-2 record through six games. However, Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith shed some light on why the decision to start Wilson over Fields was simpler than people made it out to be. 


It seems Wilson’s talent in throwing his immaculate deep ball, as displayed throughout Week 7’s contest, was a huge reason he got his opportunity to showcase his signal calling in 2024. This ‘greed’ on the offensive side of the ball is much appreciated, as although Fields’ athleticism is impressive, the passing game overall has become an area of concern in recent years for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Arthur Smith on Justin Fields: ‘Almost took the game over’

Pittsburgh OC Arthur Smith spoke very highly of Justin Fields’ Week 4 performance, especially his second-half.

While some fans are debating who the true QB1 is in Pittsburgh, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith appears to be a massive fan of Justin Fields’ poise and playmaking ability.

Smith is definitely someone you want in your corner when you’re engaged in a quarterback competition—or possibly winning one like Fields is.  Well, almost everyone thinks he’s beating out Russell Wilson.

While fans wish for Fields to remain the starting quarterback, their pleas fall on deaf ears, as head coach Mike Tomlin feels the quarterback competition is yet to be decided.

However, Smith nor Fields were blind to his own statistical output in Week 4—throwing for over 300 yards, rushing for over 50, and adding three total touchdowns to cap off his elite performance.

Fields will need to end this QB controversy once and for all against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, and at least he’ll have his offensive coordinator supporting his every move.

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Steelers OC Arthur Smith dances around question of team’s need at wide receiver

The Steelers are clearly taking a wait-and-see approach to their wide receiver room — and it’s making fans uncomfortable.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are clearly taking a wait-and-see approach to their wide receiver room — and it’s making fans uncomfortable.

Beyond George Pickens, who is working on his identity in Pittsburgh’s new offense under Arthur Smith, are a handful of No. 3 receivers.

In a sideline interview on Monday, Missi Matthews of Steelers.com asked Smith whether the Steelers need a “quote-unquote No. 2 receiver.”

“Every year it changes,” Smith said. “If you’re talking historical, if you’re just playing static and not moving and you were spread out and you had wide receiver one, wide receiver two, wide receiver three… Things change year-to-year. You see it every year in this league — guys that may be fifth-round picks end up being the Rookie of the Year. Guys can get another opportunity, they step up. It’s constantly changing, and then, unfortunately, guys get injured.”

Smith continued dancing around Matthews’ question.

“You have to have depth, so you’re working all those contingency plans all up and down the offense… you got to have guys that have some position flexibility. So, there’s all these contingency plans as we’re building this offense, as we’re working in terms of the OTA and minicamp portion.”

Pittsburgh’s issue isn’t depth. It starts at the top. It’s been said repeatedly this offseason: Pickens will not respond well when all attention is on him because he lacks a bonafide playmaking wide receiver.

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Arthur Smith’s first interview as Steelers OC contradicts Mike Tomlin statement

Any hopes that there’d be a true QB competition this spring were dashed in Arthur Smith’s first interview as Steelers OC.

In his final press conference of the 2023 season, Mike Tomlin planted a seed in the heads of Pittsburgh Steelers fans that there’d be an actual quarterback competition this spring. But those hopes seemed to be dashed in Arthur Smith’s first interview as offensive coordinator.

When it came to the top position on the team, Pickett’s was the only name broached by Smith.

“It’s exciting to hear the way that this offense is built with a lot of young players and obviously, where Kenny Pickett is at going into his third year,” Smith said in an interview with Missi Matthews of Steelers.com.

“Playing with a young quarterback — being efficient, being able to get the ball out and making the smart decisions, getting the ball in the playmakers’ hands and taking care of the football. A lot of things that come up, the responsibility of playing quarterback in the National Football League, there’s pressure situations. They happen all game. Having command of those situations and ultimately putting the ball in the end zone, whether that’s through the air, handing it off or running it in, there’s a lot on him. There’s a natural evolution that happens with the quarterback.”

Helping Pickett feel comfortable enough to make plays from the pocket will be key this offseason, as his bailing at the first sign of pressure has been a glaring issue. But guiding Pickett can work only after one essential thing is established.

“There’s a relationship that’s got to be built between me and Kenny,” Smith said. “And that’s so paramount between the playcaller and the quarterback. The quarterback is obviously the one out there between the white lines, and there’s a trust that’s going to be built daily, and it goes both ways. I’ve got to earn Kenny’s trust and vice versa as we build this offense and all the things we want to work on, and we want him to work on and take command of this offense.”

Although Mitch Trubisky is under contract with Pittsburgh for 2024, his name went unspoken. There’d be no reason to mention late-season hero Mason Rudolph as he awaits his first true run at the free agency market next month.

Of course, the NFL season won’t officially end until Sunday night. It’s far too early to know who will be added to the quarterback room this offseason, let alone if Pickett will be challenged for the starting gig. And it’s difficult to speak knowledgeably about the unknown, especially as the new guy.

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4 Falcons free agents we could see on the Steelers in 2024

Arthur Smith could bring in several of his former players to help the Steelers.

With the hire of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the Pittsburgh Steelers have committed to real change in the offense system. This is all in an attempt to facilitate more scoring in a league where offenses have taken center stage.

Smith is going to need to work with the current Steelers to help them learn the system but could also bring in some of his former players to ease the transition and help this team. Here are four pending Atlanta free agents we could see on the Steelers in 2024.