The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced that they have hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as the team’s new offensive coordinator.
This has sparked controversy on social media over his performance leading the Falcons over the past three seasons. Questions have also been raised about the fate of Pittsburgh’s other offensive linemen.
In particular, fans are increasingly curious about what the two will do as interim offensive coordinators following the firing of head coach Matt Canada. Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan took over the play-calling duties and quarterbacks coach Eddie Faulkner became the official interim offensive coordinator. Sullivan is focused on his work in Pittsburgh. He recently interviewed for the open offensive coordinator position with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders recently hired Antonio Pierce as their new head coach. Considering Sullivan only has two seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator, that may seem like a stretch, but he has history with Pierce. He spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants, where Pierce was a linebacker.
According to Insider, the Steelers may not overhaul their offensive personnel.Jerry Dulak, a Steelers insider who writes for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, recently answered questions about Sullivan’s future in one of his popular “chat” columns, where fans ask questions and Dulak answers them.“I was told Mike Sullivan would return as QB coach if he didn’t get the OC job elsewhere. And it’s a smart move. “The QBs love Sullivan and he will be a great buffer as they transition to a new system,” Dulac wrote. Dulak believes Smith will have “input” rather than “control” over what happens with the offensive coaching staff.
As he has stated on several occasions, there are currently no other vacancies in the offensive team.
Things may change (people get hired or leave the team), but don’t expect a mass exodus. As Dulak pointed out, that could be a good thing for any offensive lineman, but especially for quarterback Kenny Pickett, who is entering his third year. Pickett tried to play a professional quarterback. His first two seasons were marred by injuries, drama and poor entertainment.
While there are many fans who don’t or will never believe in him as a starting point guard, there are also those who believe Canada has hindered his development.
It’s fair to say we haven’t seen Pickett play in a game since Canada’s Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Dulac was asked by another fan if Smith could elevate Pickett to that elite level. Specifically, this will help him read the field better, find open receivers, throw more accurately and be better in the pocket. can help The fan in question specifically asked about Kyle Shanahan’s amazing offense with the San Francisco 49ers or Andy Reid’s amazing offense with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dulak said offensive coordinators help offensive linemen reach their full potential. He is not a wizard who can turn a weakling into a master, but a good coordinator can develop talent and build schemes around players. If Pickett fails to improve, that’s not an indictment of Smith. “No, he’s not [Kenny Pickett] Patrick Mahomes. No, he doesn’t have the secondary components of [Christian] McCaffrey, Deebo [Samuel], [George] Kittle and [Brandon] Ayuk that Purdy does. “Science Fiction Crime.”
Overall, Dulak is very happy with the addition of Smith and maintaining the current offensive line.
Fans should see what offensive linemen are selected by other teams before calling their favorite coaches.
