Steelers' Arthur Smith Finds Himself In An Ironic Position After He Admitted To His Biggest Coaching Mistake

Pittsburgh Steelers fans were cautiously optimistic when they hired Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator in 2024. He wasn't necessarily the big name they hoped would bring a more innovative offensive style to the Steel City, but he was at least an outside hire. Besides, after spending almost three seasons watching Matt Canada call the world's most ineffective offense, nearly anyone seemed to be an improvement.  

Smith had done a solid job as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. During his time there, quarterback Ryan Tannehill revitalized his career, saying Smith pushed him like no other coach had. He was even the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Tannehill wasn't the only player to benefit; running back Derrick Henry had the best season of his incredible career under Smith. They made the playoffs in 2019, Smith's first season as offensive coordinator, and went to the Conference Championship, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the best the Titans had done in the postseason since making the Super Bowl in 1999. 

Smith became a hot commodity, and the Atlanta Falcons hired him as their head coach. Unfortunately, he did not have the same results. The team's performance was inconsistent, and they didn't have a winning record in his three seasons in Atlanta. Smith had been hired because of his offensive coaching abilities, and he admitted he might have bitten off too much. That's what Smith told Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show. Kaboly shared the story with his podcast co-host Chris Mack on the Kaboly and Mack Show.

"In Atlanta, those three years, he even admitted to me, when I talked to him that he made a mistake," recalled Kaboly. "He should have never have been calling plays and being a head coach. He said that was a mistake from him from day one. He should have never did it, he should have had the offensive coordinator call the plays right there."

While Smith had an offensive coordinator in Atlanta, he was responsible for calling the offensive plays. He announced that would be the plan early on, and he stuck with that plan for his three seasons. He was overloaded and often criticized for his conservative calls and their failure to win games. 

The ironic thing is that Smith came to a team where the head coach, in this case Mike Tomlin, is often criticized for meddling in the offensive and defensive play-calling. During the 2024 season, numerous stories broke that the offense was struggling because of Tomlin's interference. 

Steelers Fans Should Reserve Judgement 

During the first several weeks of 2024, it seemed as if things were much better under Smith than with Canada. The offense moved the ball and scored, especially with Russell Wilson as the quarterback. The defensive players sang his praises because they were not constantly on the field after a string of three-and-outs. 

Smith came under fire however, when the offense seemed to collapse during the last five games of the season. Yes, they were playing their most formidable opponents, but they looked like a different team. This had fans screaming for Smith to be fired after only one season. The Steelers don't operate that way; there was almost zero chance Smith would be let go like that. 

Legendary Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger even said it was too soon to cast judgment upon Smith. Roethlisberger pointed out that it doesn't matter how great a coach is, they will fail if they don't have the personnel to execute the plays they call. This is fair, considering the Steelers were short on some key pieces. They'd suffered multiple offensive line injuries and failed to obtain a second strong wide receiver. Team President Art Rooney II told the media he is excited to see what Smith can do in 2025 once they've improved the roster.

Do you think the criticism of Smith is fair, and how does his time in Atlanta factor into that? Tell us what you think below. 

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