Steelers' Mike Tomlin Gets Honest About His Dynamic Relationship With Arthur Smith

The Pittsburgh Steelers had their highest scoring game since the 2018 season as they beat the Cincinnati Bengals 44-38 in Week 13. The offense was led by Russell Wilson who passed for over 400 yards and threw three touchdowns. Pittsburgh's offense has looked great so far this season, a huge improvement from the past few seasons. The Steelers currently sit on top of the AFC North at 9-3 and third seed in the AFC playoff picture. With a relatively healthy team and a few key players potentially returning from injury soon, this team could be super dangerous down the stretch and into the postseason. A lot of the Steelers' success has a lot to do with the hiring of Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith.

When Matt Canada was fired as the offensive coordinator midseason last year, Steeler Nation couldn't have been happier. Canada ran an unimaginative offense and averaged under 20.2 points per game for his almost three seasons as the OC. Change was needed for Pittsburgh's offense in multiple areas, but specifically the coordinator position. Smith got hired earlier this year in January after getting fired from the Atlanta Falcons as their head coach. Smith went 21-30 during his three seasons with the Falcons, causing some fans to be wary of this hire. However, through Week 14, Smith has done a great job with handling the offense and Head Coach Mike Tomlin detailed how much he appreciates Smith in his weekly press conference.

"Man, I have a lot of fun with Arthur. He’s wired like I’m wired," Tomlin said. "He’s a big time competitor. He’s excited about the next challenge. He cares less about what’s in our rearview only in terms of how it helps us get better. He’s loving being a component of this AFC North football, so I’m excited about continuing to go with him and what waits on us this week."

Smith has cracked the top-10 in points per game in the NFL, averaging 24.7 points. This has been the most average for points per game since the 2020 season where the Steelers averaged 26 points per game. The offense is more imaginative and has the ability to go up and down the field on its opponents. Smith didn't have his best game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, drawing criticism for his play-calling as the offense got off to a slow start. Players were quick to defend Smith and everyone had a great rebound game against the Bengals.

The offense also got upgraded with its quarterback room, adding Wilson and Justin Fields to the roster. Fields led the team toa 4-2 start while Wilson has been 5-1 since taking over the starting quarterback role. Smith and Tomlin have drawn speculation between differing opinions and decisions made by one another, but Tomlin clearly enjoys having Smith on his staff. A big hurdle Smith and Tomlin faced was whether it was the right call to start Wilson over Fields. Both bring their own specialty to the table, but Tomlin ultimately ended up making the decision on who would be the starter and it has paid off well.

Steelers Have Found Their Offensive Coordinator For The Future

Barring any major setbacks this season, Smith has continued to prove his worth in Pittsburgh as the offensive coordinator. The offense has been the best its been since Ben Roethlisberger retired. The organization had a little scare as Smith's name was circulating recently as a top candidate for the University of North Carolina's head coach job, but the rumor was quickly shut down by NFL Insider Ian Rapoport and Smith himself.

Smith is currently on a three-year contract with the Steelers, but if things continue to go well, he'll get an extension at some point in the future.

Do you want Smith as offensive coordinator for the future? Let us know in the comments below!

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