It sure seems like recently interviewed candidate Arthur Smith fits the perfect profile for what Mike Tomlin may want in an offensive coordinator.
Smith, who interviewed for Matt Canada’s old job on Sunday, was an offensive line coach, tight ends coach and eventual offensive coordinator (2019-20) with the Tennessee Titans. He ran a ground-and-pound offense in Tennessee that still managed to score 491 points in 2020 before he got the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job.
The Titan’s low-risk passing game with Ryan Tannehill resulted in just 15 total interceptions for Tennessee QBs over those two seasons. During his last two years in Atlanta, the Falcons finished third in rushing attempts at 522 in 2023 and first with 559 in 2022.
That certainly sounds like the kind of offensive approach Mike Tomlin has been trying to implement around Kenny Pickett, doesn’t it?
The way Mark Madden sees it, maybe that should actually be considered the first red flag.
“I think Arthur Smith is going to be the guy who gets it,” Madden said during this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast. “If Kenny Pickett turns out to be Ryan Tannehill, who Arthur Smith ran herd over in Tennessee under Mike Vrabel — another ground-and-pound coach — Tomlin would be happy with that. (But) I think Pickett stinks. I don’t think he’ll come anywhere close to Ryan Tannehill.”
Tannehill led the NFL in passer rating in 2019 (117) and was fifth in 2020 (106.5). Pickett was 27th at 81.4 last season.
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One issue is, though, if the Steelers are looking for a young, innovative, up-and-coming coordinator with an acute feel for the NFL passing game, they may not find such a person willing to take their job given the perceived limitations with Pickett as the likely starter again in 2024 and with Tomlin’s offensively conservative principles front-and-center in the team’s handbook.
Just look at Zac Robinson. The former Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator decided to go to Atlanta with fellow Rams coaching staff alum Raheem Morris. Morris is taking Smith’s old job running the Falcons. And despite no quarterback clarity there, three straight 7-10 seasons and a minimal history of organizational success, Robinson still took that job before ever accepting an interview request with the Steelers.
What does that say?
“The young, promising guys, they don’t want to work under a defensive-minded coach and with Kenny Pickett. They want to wait until a better job comes along. And for those guys, it certainly will,” Madden said.
Then there’s the unfortunate possibility that maybe the Steelers really aren’t as good of a running team for Smith to take over as they think they are. After all, the Steelers were 19th in the NFL at 4.1 in terms of yards per attempt.
“The Steelers have always been really good at lying to themselves and not seeing themselves as they really are,” Madden said to the point. “I will say Broderick Jones gave that run game a kick up the backside and made it a lot better once he got inserted into right tackle — although I think he’s got to be moved to left tackle.”
Also, during the podcast this week, Madden and I recap the NFC and AFC championship games. We take a first look at the Super Bowl, and we discuss the Penguins as well.
