Steelers' Offensive Players "Believe A Pro Is Now In Charge" With Arthur Smith Leading The Way Over Matt Canada

The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense has been one of the worst in the NFL since the 2021 season. Somehow, the organization made the playoffs in two of the three years in which Matt Canada was in charge of being the play-caller to start each respective year. He was fired midway through the 2023 campaign after the offense struggled to find its footing once again under his leadership. The interim coaches in charge. Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan, did a great job in the latter half of the season to orchestrate a playoff push, but it was clear a more formidable option was going to be needed in 2024 and beyond.

The Steelers acted quickly in the offseason, bringing in former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator and, more recently, Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Arthur Smith. He didn't overwhelm anyone while in Atlanta and was fired after three seasons, but Pittsburgh brought him on board to replicate what he was able to do for the Titans in 2019 and 2020.

There is a different buzz around the Steelers in 2024. The main reason for this is the new quarterback setup, but Smith coming to the Steel City has fans excited that the offense can put up big numbers for the first time in years. Ray Fittipaldo held a fan chat before practice on Tuesday and without saying Canada's name, mentioned that he is fairly certain the players finally have some faith in the individual running the offense.

"The vibe I get from players is they believe a pro is now in charge and there is more confidence in his ability to move the ball and score points," Fittipaldo wrote.

The key word there is "pro". Canada was a quarterbacks coach for Pittsburgh in 2020 and immediately promoted the following season. His style was more college-like, which did not translate to professional football. Smith has proven he can be an effective play-caller in the NFL, and players seem to already be acknowledging that. Fittipaldo wrote that the confidence from the guys on offense is much better than what it was with Canada.

"In terms of game planning and play-calling there is much higher confidence among the players in Smith than his predecessor."

That's great news to hear, but will make fans question even more so why Canada was held onto for so long. He was terrible for his entire tenure, and him returning for 2023 could be the biggest reason why Kenny Pickett is no longer wearing black and gold.

These are questions fans will likely never get the answer to, but Steeler Nation could quickly forget about the debacle that was the Canada hire if Smith runs an effective offense in 2024 and going forward. The team might be short a stud wide receiver, but getting the rushing attack going paired with Smith's play-action that he likes to implement could lead to a successful unit.

There will be plenty of pressure on Smith to put in a brand new system that will look nothing similar to that of Canada's. Fittipaldo, after just one week of camp, has already noticed that Smith and Canada are nothing alike in terms of play-calling.

"Yes, Arthur Smith's offense is much different than Canada's. If Smith can establish the running game the passing game will flow off that. He's known for creating play-action and has a history of getting guys open in that manner," Fittipaldo wrote.

There is still over a month until the regular season kicks off and Steelers fans know that preseason success means absolutely nothing after August of 2023. It's a breath of fresh air to have someone new in charge, but no one will believe things will be different until the games matter and points are being scored.

Steelers Two-Headed Monster Ready To Dominate Opposing Defenses

Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren could both legitimately rush for over 1,000 yards in 2024. If Pittsburgh can tire out opponents and allow the defense to have long breaks in between possessions, the team could be much scarier than some pundits are expecting. The quarterback position is involved in headlines daily, but if the running game is near the top of the NFL, it won't matter much who is receiving the snaps.

Do you think that Smith's offense is going to be lightyears better than Canada's? Let us know in the comments below!

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