The Pittsburgh Steelers hired a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith. However, Pittsburgh is still looking for more help on the offensive side of the coaching staff. The Steelers were set to meet with a few interesting candidates, but there is one in particular that may be the best fit.
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Quarterbacks Coach Charles London
Pittsburgh reportedly has interest in a familiar face for Smith. An experienced quarterbacks coach and passing-game coordinator in Charles London just finished another with the Tennessee Titans. London is a highly-regarded coach in the NFL, and is looking for a new place to start fresh. London started his career in the NFL in 2007, where he was the offensive assistant coach for the Chicago Bears for three seasons.
After that, he jumped to a few other places, from Philadelphia to Tennessee, Houston for another four years, and then back to Chicago for three seasons from 2018-2020. Then, in 2021, Smith and London teamed up in Atlanta. This would be Smith's first year as a head coach and London's first as the quarterbacks coach for Atlanta.
In their first year, the Falcons did not have much to show for on offense. The team was towards the bottom of the barrel when it came to yards and points per game. However, the 2021 Falcons team had nowhere near the type of talent the current Steelers have. The Falcons were led by a washed Matt Ryan, Cordarelle Patterson at running back, and Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus as their top two wideouts. In 2022, they did not add much more talent to the roster, but they did something very similar to what the Steelers would like to do now.
In their second season in Atlanta, Smith and London played a new brand of football. The Falcons gave Patterson a new partner-in-crime in the backfield by drafting running back Tyler Allgeier in the fifth round. The two backs quickly became one of the most fearful running back duos in the entire league. The Falcons finished the season third in the league in rushing yards per game, at 159.9 yards on average. They even got their points per game up from the previous year, almost a whole touchdown's worth. They only finished 2023 with a 7-10 record in a weak NFC South division, however, that can be said due to poor quarterback and defensive play.
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Steelers running back tandem of Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris post their third consecutive game of 150 yards rushing.
The Steelers have a very similar duo of their own in Pittsburgh, with star running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Coach Smith has already stated how he wants this Steelers offense to perform.
Any offense I've been apart of, it's gonna be a physical brand. You wanna win at the line of scrimmage, but it's also playing to strengths."
As stated previously, the Steelers have a surplus of talent, unlike what Smith and London had in Atlanta. As a matter of fact, London unfortunately has never been part of a team that had a lot of talent offensively. Pittsburgh has a young offense with two solid running backs as well as receiving weapons like George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, and Pat Freiermuth.
This may be the most talented group that the two coaches have had as a whole. Not to mention, Pittsburgh's defense is one that can win football games on their own. quarterback Kenny Pickett is still trying to find a way to become an impact in the offense, and with weapons like this, there should be no excuse by his third year. It will be a tough task for Mike Tomlin and Smith to get Pickett to where he needs to be, but a familiar face in London may make it easier on them. London has a lot of experience with young quarterbacks.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A5119-544x306.jpg "Steelers Kenny Pickett")
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Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (#8) stands on the practice field during 2023 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
He just finished a season with rookie quarterback Will Levis, who seemed to get better and better as the season went on. He and Smith were also able to coach quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder in Atlanta. In his time in Chicago, London was able to develop Mitch Trubisky, where the second year quarterback actually made a Pro Bowl. Obviously, a lot of these young quarterbacks didn't pan out. But there's more hope and optimism for Pickett.
What do you think? Would London be a good fit alongside Smith for the Steelers? Let us know in the comments.
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