Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith recently sat down for an interview with Missi Matthews on Steelers.com. The video was posted Monday.
He offered two rather quizzical answers to questions people have been asking about the Steelers offense.
First of all, Matthews asked Smith if the Steelers might implement a special package for Justin Fields on offense.
That’s a topic that has generated a great deal of discussion this offseason both locally and nationally, since most are presuming Russell Wilson will be the starter and the Steelers might want to shoehorn Fields’ athleticism into games somehow.
“It’s too early,” Smith replied. “Those guys are playing quarterback, so they’re out here competing. We know where we’re at this part of the year. You know, we’re playing football in shorts. And so we’re trying to improve and get to know everybody and get ourselves getting the chemistry with everybody else on the offense. And it’ll be a fun time at Latrobe (to) watch those guys compete.”
Actually, I would think “football in shorts” would be the perfect time to start implementing something unique, like a specific package for Fields, if they are going to do it eventually. But maybe it’s something that is completely off the radar screen for the Steelers and they have no interest in trying Fields at anything but quarterback.
Although they’d prefer every opponent worry about it in game-prep.
Or, they have a Fields-specific package in their back pocket, and they are just trying to keep up the illusion that he is really fighting for a starting job and has a minuscule chance of surpassing Wilson as the QB1 by the time the regular season starts.
Any such acknowledgment that a subpackage with Fields as a designated runner or pass catcher exists would undermine that facade.
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Smith was also asked about the lack of a clear-cut No. 2 receiver to complement George Pickens.
“Look, every year, it changes,” Smith said. “I mean, it’s — you’re talking historical — if you’re just playing static, not moving, and you are spread out and you have a wide receiver 1, wide receiver 2, wide receiver 3, I mean, things change year-to-year. I mean, you see it every year in this league guys that maybe are fifth-round picks, and they end up being the Rookie of the Year. Guys get another opportunity. They step up. It’s constantly changing. Then, unfortunately, guys get injured. You have to have depth. So you’re working all those contingency plans, all up and down the offense. No, different than the offensive line.”
OK, I’m going to be honest: I have no idea what he was going for with any of that quote. That was word salad with extra dressing and no lettuce.
Who said anything about “playing static”? The question wasn’t about how guys were going to be moved around, the question was about if they are going to try to find another guy who can do multiple things well.
Move guys around however you want. Slot, outside, inside, three-wide, four-wide, motion, whatever. Different looks and sets can emerge with better personnel. And asking if the Steelers have good enough personnel at wide receiver at this point is a completely valid question.
And, regarding the depth issue, well, yes, exactly. For instance, what if George Pickens gets hurt early in the season? It’s one thing if Smith is subtly trying to say that Van Jefferson (or one of the many other retread options the Steelers have acquired) can step up to be a No. 2. But none of them are capable of being a No. 1. Honestly, I don’t even know if Pickens can truly be that just yet.
And if that “fifth-round pick” who becomes Rookie of the Year is a suggestion that Roman Wilson (third round, Michigan) can become this year’s Puka Nacua (fifth round, BYU), who had a standout season as a rookie with the Rams last season, well, OK. But Nacua was 6-foot-2, 205 pounds in an offense with Cooper Kupp as the primary target and Sean McVay as the designer.
Wilson is 5-foot-11 (maybe) and 185 pounds (perhaps), with Pickens as the only other outside option, and he’s in Smith’s run-first offense.
In other words, that’s a big ask of Roman Wilson, even if Smith is only hinting at the idea.
Then again, the last time Smith sat down with Matthews, he told us how much he was looking forward to working with Kenny Pickett and was talking up how excited he was to see where Pickett may go in Year 3 of his NFL career.
So maybe we should just take everything Smith says with a large grain of salt.
Listen: Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss the Steelers’ offense in this week’s Altered Genius Brewing/Barber School of Pittsburgh “Madden Monday” podcast
