Tag: Arthur smith

Don’t judge Arthur Smith’s time with Desmond Ridder when it comes to Justin Fields

Steelers QB Justin Fields will be just fine working in coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense.

As the old saying goes, coaches coach and players play. It’s up to the players to execute what they’ve learned and Desmond Ridder didn’t.

During Ridder’s two seasons (19 games) with then-Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, his numbers were less than desirable. Ridder put up 3,544 yards with a 14:12 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans look at Ridder and wonder how Justin Fields will succeed under Smith. Only it’s not as cut and dry as that. Fields is a more superior athlete and all-around player than Ridder.

“Justin has a much stronger arm, and he’s definitively more accurate with his deep ball,” a former NFL executive and senior scout told Steelers Wire. “Justin’s a much more powerful and faster athlete, and Desmond is a very good athlete.”

When Fields gets the opportunity to take the, ahem, field, he’ll be running the system that Ridder did in Atlanta. “The mechanics of running any type of run design plays, Justin would be more successful because he has the tools to be more successful. Any of the deep, big ball plays, Justin’s going to be more accurate and it’s going to get there quicker and more on time because of the differences in the arm.”

So much of Smith’s offense is centered around plays with multiple formations and play action that produces wide-open targets. “Justin’s ability to hit that wide-open deep target is at a much higher level than Desmond’s,” he said.

Smith is well-versed in play-action, plays that Fields had success with in Chicago.

“His most successful plays were most often off of play action, deep sideline balls,” the source explained. “Some of it was dropback, and when he was on time and had those single high reads, he was really successful with it.”

“Coach Smith, when you look at last year, Desmond played best when he kept the ball between the hashes. Desmond’s better than Justin at throwing the ball inside the numbers in that open level between the linebackers and safeties. Whereas Justin’s much better from the hashes out and particularly from the numbers out to the sideline. There’s a distinct difference in Justin being better than Desmond that way.”

Smith will identify the differences between Fields and Ridder and coach to Fields’ strengths. “You will probably see more sideline deep balls than he threw or had the quarterback throw in Atlanta because of the differences in the quarterbacks,” he said. “That’s where he’ll adjust to Justin’s biggest issue in the middle of the field; confidence layering the ball over. That’s where you see him pull the ball back, pull it down quite a bit and have hesitation.”

Fields is more than coachable; he just needs to work on his confidence.

“It’ll come together for him, but he has to have the confidence that it won’t turn into a bad thing.”

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Steelers sign veteran TE MyCole Pruitt

Pruitt and Steelers OC Arthur Smith are very familiar with one another.

According to Pittsburgh Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac, the Steelers have signed tight end MyCole Pruitt. Pruitt is headed into his tenth NFL season and is 32 years old.

Pruitt’s signing makes perfect sense given his experience with new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Smith was Pruitt’s tight ends coach in 2018 and his offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020 when both were with the Tennessee Titans.

Then, when Smith took over the head coaching job with the Atlanta Falcons, Pruitt followed him, playing for the Falcons in 2022 and 2023.

The addition of Pruitt gives the Steelers a solid veteran who is very familiar with Smith’s offense. He’s definitely not a lock to make the team but his experience would give him a leg up on veteran Rodney Williams as the team’s No. 4 tight end on the depth chart.

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Steelers send OC to North Carolina pro day for top wide receiver

Tez Walker is one of the more interseting wide receiver prospects in the 2024 NFL draft.

According to ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was in attendance at the North Carolina Pro Day on Thursday. We assume he wasn’t there like most of the others who wanted a closer look at quarterback Drake Maye which means Pittsburgh sent their OC all the way there to check out star wide receiver Devontez “Tez” Walker.

Walker is a blazing speedster and an elite deep threat. He ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and the tape backs it up. Walker’s speed allows him to just eat up off coverage and his his acceleration takes advantage of any lapse in concentration.

Walker’s draft stock varies greatly depending on if you focus on his game-breaking speed or the rough spots in his footwork and route effort. We’ve seen Walker go as high as the second round in projections but we’d feel more comfortable if Pittsburgh could land him in the third where his value lines up a little better.

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Steelers add former Falcons WR/RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson

Cordarrelle Patterson is a great fit as the Steelers’ new kick returner.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have added their third offensive skill-position player of the offseason. First, the team added wide receiver Van Jefferson, then wide receiver Quez Watkins, and now they have signed running back/wide receiver/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson.

Patterson started his NFL career primarily as a wide receiver and return man with the Minnesota Vikings, and his all-around skill set has allowed him to establish himself as a true three-tool player.

Over the course of his 11-year career, Patterson has 298 receptions for 2,795 yards; 514 carries for 2,511 yards; and 273 kickoff returns for nine touchdowns and an average of 29.3 yards per return.

New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith knows Patterson well from his time as the Falcons head coach and understands how he can impact the offense.

Patterson’s real value will be as a kickoff returner. The new kickoff rules will seriously benefit teams with guys like Patterson who can make people miss in the open field. It is early, but we expect a big season from Patterson on special teams and possibly a return to the offensive lineup as a receiver.

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Russell Wilson makes the Steelers better. But, how much better?

The Steelers hope to be better with Russell Wilson in the mix. It was a low quarterback bar, but Wilson does have what it takes to do that.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were going to have to do something with their quarterback situation this offseason. In their last three seasons, with Ben Roethlisberger and Kenny Pickett as their primary quarterbacks, the Steelers have had winning records, and negative point differentials. That’s a tough “standard” to maintain, and there’s only so long you can expect your defense to hold water while your quarterback is completing 62% of his passes with a 7.1-yard average depth of target, as Pickett did last season.

Now, with the signing of Russell Wilson, Mike Tomlin’s team — and new coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense — at least has a rogue factor that could bring some level of improvement. Wilson famously washed out with the Denver Broncos after two seasons, but he did throw 26 touchdown passes to eight interceptions last season. All of Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks combined managed 13 touchdown passes to nine interceptions, so yes… Russell Wilson is a considerable upgrade.

Take from that what you will.

Wilson will be paid $36 million dollars by the Broncos to not play for them, so he was able to sign a league-minimum deal with the Steelers. That allows the team to focus on other quarterback options in the draft without too much commitment, and there’s no realistic way Wilson and Pickett come into training camp with Pickett beating Wilson for the starter’s role.

If we make that a given, what can Wilson do for the Steelers that no other quarterback has been able to do since Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t on his last legs?

Wilson can win with the deep ball in ways no other Steelers quarterback can — last season, he ranked ninth in the league (tied with Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears) with 23 completions of 20 or more air yards on 60 attempts, for 818 yards, six touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 112.5. That deep-ball passer rating was seventh-best in the league. Last season, Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitchell Trubisky combined for 18 deep completions on 55 attempts for 662 yards, four touchdowns, six interceptions, and a passer rating of 64.17. Alpha deep receiver George Pickens, who was clearly frustrated with his offense last season, should find things better with Wilson under center.

Arthur Smith is a coordinator who wants his quarterbacks using a ton of play-action — last season, when Smith was the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach, Desmond Ridder uses play-action on 31.9% of his dropbacks, and Ridder was far more efficient with it than without it. Wilson had play-action on just 22.1% of his dropbacks last season, but he completed 64.7% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and just one interception with play-action. There could be a lot of meat on the bone with Smith and Wilson when it comes to explosive plays out of play-action, which Wilson has been able to execute since his days in Seattle.

Really, if you look at what the Steelers need, what Arthur Smith wants his offense to look like, and what Russell Wilson is still capable of doing, the Steelers did excellent work in adding Wilson to their roster. Nobody’s saying that he’s a franchise quarterback anymore — there are complications on and off the field that seem to preclude that idea — but this is a team that needs to push forward with full intent at the most important position in sports, and the Steelers did that on the cheap.

Yes, it was a low bar, but Russell Wilson does raise it.

Steelers WR Calvin Austin III eager to ‘come back different’ in 2024

Calvin Austin III wants to be a guy for the Steelers in 2024.

Season number two was significant for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III. It wasn’t the second-year leap as it is for most players coming off their rookie season. Instead, it was about proving himself for the first time.

The speedy receiver out of Memphis sustained a foot injury in his first pro training camp, and he was sidelined for the season.

While he couldn’t play, Austin remained in Pittsburgh and soaked up everything he could mentally in team meetings and from the sideline.

“My rookie year I didn’t play but was in some meetings and stuff early in the season,” Austin told Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “I was able to get the routine down. That way, coming into the 2023 season, I was already understanding things and familiar with the environment, everything from the game prep to the crowd, even Sunday Night Football. To get to experience that was huge.”

While there were high hopes for Austin’s first year on the field, it left much to be desired. He was utilized sparingly in the passing game, with just 17 receptions on 30 targets for 180 yards and a touchdown. He pitched in 57 rushing yards on 11 attempts and another score.

“I didn’t reach some of the goals I set out for myself at the start of the year. But I learned a lot.”

Heading into year three, he’s hoping to make that leap that’s expected out of young players. Perhaps his first year was a product of the insufferable play-calling from now-unemployed offensive coordinator Matt Canada. It certainly would be wise of his successor, the newly-anointed Arthur Smith, to incorporate him more — take advantage of that blazing 4.32 40-time he displayed at the 2022 NFL scouting combine.

“It excites me this offseason,” said Austin. “I have a plan and know I want to come back different. I want to be counted on as a guy. That is where my mindset is. I know the things I need to do, the changes I need to make. Especially after playing a season. I have it all lined up and I think I will be able to reach those goals.”

The Steelers will unveil their new offensive identity in 2024. Though it’ll probably roll out slowly, as they tend to do, the process should be exciting to watch. And Calvin Austin is eager to play his role in it.

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Two centers with Arthur Smith ties set to hit free agency

After the Steelers released Mason Cole, we had a peak on Spotrac to see any centers once played for Arthur Smith that could be available at the start of free agency.

As often happens when a top assistant comes over from another team, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has brought some coaches along (Matt Baker, Mateo Kambui).

Though talk of signing Ryan Tannehill has died down a bit, it’s still a possibility, as well as some other former players coming over from the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennesee Titans.

After the Pittsburgh Steelers released Mason Cole this afternoon, we had a peek on Spotrac to see if there are any centers who have played for him and could be available at the start of free agency.

Aaron Brewer, 26, played at the guard position during Smith’s tenure in Tennessee but moved to center in 2023. Brewer has allowed 18 sacks and 92 pressures in 1,500 pass-blocking snaps. He performs better as a run blocker, with 207 plays with a positive grade, per Pro Football Focus.

Brewer’s market value, according to Spotrac, is $5.2 million. Signing him after cutting Cole would be a wash.

Matt Hennessy took 1,169 snaps at center before moving to guard in 2022. Hennessy allowed six sacks and 50 pressures in 849 pass-blocking snaps and had 106 plays with a positive run-block grade. Hennessy, 26, entered training camp last year as the starting left guard but, according to ESPN’s Michael Rothstein, suffered a knee injury on the third day during a run play in an 11-on-11 drill and was placed on injured reserve.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin highly values positional flexibility, and both of these players fit the bill, but neither Brewer nor Hennessy really stands out as the answer to their years-long issues at center.

What it boils down to is the Steelers need not to replace Cole but Maurkice Pouncey. My vote is to stop going back to the free agent well and snag one early in the draft who can be that guy for a decade-plus. Smith preaches winning in the trenches, and a top rookie will go a long way to helping achieve that.

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Rich Eisen: Steelers OC Arthur Smith is ‘exactly what the doctor ordered’

Rich Eisen thinks the Steelers got the perfect fit for their offense with the hire of Arthur Smith.

Last season the Pittsburgh Steelers had to take ownership of the fact that keeping offensive coordinator Matt Canada on the staff was a huge mistake. It didn’t take any time for the offense to show signs of life.

Now the Steelers have a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith and his scheme promises to better use the team’s skill players while continuing to improve the run game.

For the most part, pundits are positive about the hire including Rich Eisen. He was speaking to Steelers superfan Joe Manganiello and Eisen noted that Smith is “exactly what the doctor ordered” for the Steelers offense.

The bar wasn’t set very high for Smith after the offensive debacle created by Matt Canada and head coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin must shoulder some blame in this if for no other reason than failing to cut Canada loose sooner. Nevertheless, the pressure on Smith to get the passing game on track and put more points up is palpable already and it is still just February.

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Steelers RBs Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren open up about OC Arthur Smith

Arthur Smith is going to love having Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris on his offense.

Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers found success running the football in the second half of the season. The offensive line started to gel, Matt Canada was gone and the coaches finally figured out the best way to utilize the running back tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.

Now the Steelers are looking at a brand new offense with Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator but an offense that has its roots in old-school football. Smith likes to run the football and run play action off of it. Things Harris and Warren are excited about.

“I’m excited,” Warren said. “That’s really all I know about him is that I’ve heard he likes to run the ball. That’s kind of been the identity we’re trying to establish the past couple years, I guess, so I’m excited to see what he brings to the table.”

“I really don’t know about him and what he did in Atlanta,” Harris said. “I know a little bit of when he was in Tennessee with Derrick. Hopefully, he can bring that to the Steelers.”

If you focus on what Smith did in Tennessee, several things stand out. First, Smith ran the entire run game through Derrick Henry. The top two backs in Tennessee in 2020 carried the football 425 times with 378 of those carries going to Henry. Last season, the combo of Harris and Warren carried the football 404 times. So workload won’t be an issue.

The other big thing of note for Harris and Warren is Smith doesn’t use his running backs in the passing game. Henry and Jeremy McNichols only combined for 31 catches in 2020. Harris and Warren combined for 90 catches in 2023.

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Steelers QB coach Mike Sullivan gets new title

The Steelers gave Mike Sullivan a new title and something of a promotion.

According to the Pittsburgh Steelers official site, former quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan has himself a new title of Senior Offensive Assistant. The Steelers recently hired former Los Angeles Chargers passing game specialist Tom Arth to be its new quarterbacks coach.

When the move was first announced, Sullivan remained on the staff with the same role and his future was up in the air. Sullivan did interview in the offseason for positions with other teams but finds himself back with the Steelers in a role on the offensive side of the football similar to the one Brian Flores had on defense.

Sullivan was the Steelers quarterbacks coach for the past three seasons and in 2023 took over playcalling after Matt Canada was fired while running backs coach Teryl Austin became the interim offensive coordinator.

The team is making a lot of moves in hopes of improving the Steelers passing offense so it will be interesting to see how Sullivan works in Arthur Smith’s new system.

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