Inside Conditions: ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’

OH NO…THE COWBOYS’ JALEN TOLBERT CATCHES THE GAME-WINNING TOUCHDOWN IN DALLAS’ 20-17 WIN OVER THE STEELERS, OCT. 6. (PHOTOS BY BRIAN COOK SR.) 

Is the Steelers’ offensive coordinator really making a difference?

The buzzards on the fence have been crowing about the Steelers offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, since he arrived in Pittsburgh on the “Midnight Train From (Atlanta) Georgia.” He was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for three straight unproductive years.  He exited with a three-year won-loss record of 21-30 after coaching 51 games. After he was let go by the Dirty Birds, the Steelers reeled him in like he was a Georgia catfish hooked by a nice fat piece of dough ball. The reason he was hired by Pittsburgh may have been that no one was overly attentive to his abysmal head coaching record while employed by Atlanta, but were more focused on his success while he was employed as the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.

In 2019, Smith had Derrick Henry, a future NFL Hall-of-Famer, lined up in the Titans backfield. Henry rushed for 1,540 yards with a 5.1 yard-per-rush average and scored 16 touchdowns. In 2020, Derrick Henry increased those numbers. He rushed 378 times for 2,027 yards along with 17 TDs and 19 receptions.

It’s no wonder that during Arthur Smith’s two-year tenure with the Titans, his offense posted such gaudy numbers. Anyone can call plays and instruct the QB to hand or throw the ball to Derrick Henry for their offense to be successful, that strategy, ole chaps, would be considered a no-brainer. It can be a logical deduction that the two years of the “offensive success” of Arthur Smith, while he was employed as the OC of the Falcons, was based on the blood, sweat, and tears of Derrick Henry. I recently pointed out that Arthur Smith may have recently been bitten by a mosquito carrying the deadly “macho virus.” Smith could afford to implement a predominantly run-first strategy when he served as the offensive coordinator of the Titans; hell, he had a Heisman Trophy winner to depend on. 

THE STEELERS’ GEORGE PICKENS…

Although Henry and current Steelers running back Najee Harris both hail from the University of Alabama, that is where the similarity ends. At age 30, Derrick Henry continues to outrun defensive backs. However, Najee Harris, at age 26, is beginning to run into DBs in the backfield as opposed to oftentimes running away from them. 

PAT FREIERMUTH EXTENDS FOR THE STEELERS TOUCHDOWN AGAINST THE COWBOYS, OCT. 6, 2024.

Arthur Smith’s stubbornness and indecisiveness may yet be the Steelers’ downfall in 2024. Great coaches adapt pregame. If a team has to pass the ball 50 times to win, they will do so. Waiting until the fourth quarter to make adjustments to the game plan may not turn out so well…you diggg.

Everyone is hemming and hawing about the Steelers lacking a number two wide receiver. However, former NFL Head Coach Rex Ryan pulled a Howard Cosell “tell it like it is” moment on ESPN radio recently.  Ryan said: “It’s great, that he (Arthur Smith) majors in the run game because Pittsburgh needed that. But this guy’s passing attack? I mean, oh my god! What high school did we borrow this passing attack from? It’s awful. I don’t care what kind of receivers you have.”

It doesn’t take a neurologist or physicist to figure out that the lack of success in the Steelers’ passing attack is not because of the wide receivers that the team has. It is because of the ineffective and schematic game plan of the offensive coordinator.

I recently quoted the late great NFL Hall-of-Famer Bill Nunn Jr. Mr. Nunn once said: “You can’t take a mule to the Kentucky Derby.” In the case of Arthur Smith, you can’t expect an Arabian Stallion to plow a hundred acres. The horse might complete the task but would probably be put out to pasture shortly thereafter.

After the 2022 season, why didn’t the Steelers aggressively pursue the KC Chiefs OC Eric Bienemy after he departed from Kansas City?

Bienemy was the offensive coordinator of a Super Bowl-winning team. He elicited positive production from both the passing and running games, yet the Steelers chose to bring in Arthur Smith. Why does it matter? Well, it matters because it appears that Arthur Smith may have become Matt Canada 2.0. If Matt Canada had QBs Justin Fields and Russell Wilson at his disposal as opposed to QB wannabes Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky, is it possible that Canada may have fared better than Arthur Smith? The offensive game plan of Arthur Smith is limited and unimaginative. He has many great athletes at his disposal. I would like to take this time to give Coach Smith a small piece of advice.

Monsieur Smith, ya better take a look at yourself in the mirror but “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

SNOOP DOGG!

 

 

 

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