First Call: Arthur Smith interviews for Steelers’ OC job; another potential candidate is off the board
Monday’s “First Call” gives us another candidate for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ vacant offensive coordinator position. A former target is no longer available. A wide receiver draft prospect is getting some attention from the Steelers.
The Duquesne women’s basketball team had an eventful win Sunday. And the Robert Morris hockey team earned a solid road victory over the weekend.
Asking about Arthur
Former Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith has been interviewed for the Steelers offensive coordinator job. The team made that announcement public on Sunday.
Smith was 7-10 all three years he was with the Falcons from 2021-23. Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator in Tennessee.
In 2019, with Smith at the helm, the Titans offense finished 10th in the NFL in points per game. With Derrick Henry carrying the load, Tennessee wound up with 138.9 rushing yards per game, third best in the NFL.
Only Baltimore had a better rushing attack in 2020, as the Titans put up 168.1 yards per contest. The club was fourth in points at 30.7. Henry had 3,567 yards rushing over those two seasons. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill had a passer rating of 110 over those two years and was 18-8.
So yinz can see where the Steelers would be going with this if Smith is the hire, right? Heavy personnel. Lean on Najee Harris with Jaylen Warren sprinkled in. Get Kenny Pickett booting and throwing on the move.
Good ol’ fashioned AFC North, Stiller football n’at!
It certainly would not be groundbreaking, but playing toward the roster construction they currently have.
Which, especially from the quarterback end of things, leads one to ask, do you really want to cater to a QB whose skills are limited to the point that you are hiring a coordinator whose best attribute is an ability to minimize the exposure of a marginal quarterback?
That’s as opposed to finding a coordinator whose best attribute is to get the most out of a quarterback. Such as, basically, anyone who has worked in San Francisco (like Klint Kubiak) over the past few years with Brock Purdy.
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