Former Steelers player blasts OC hire, considers Kenny Pickett exposed

After being let go by the Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Smith has found work with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His three-year run leading the Falcons from 2021 to 2023 was defined by poor quarterback play, questionable play-calling and going 7-10 annually throughout, all while having a persnickety attitude with the local media. Naturally, it did not take long for all of Dirty Bird Nation to turn on him in 2023.

As expected, Smith landed a job as an NFL offensive coordinator. He was said to have at least seven teams interested in hiring him. This was always going to happen because NFL head coaches have a ton of respect for him and the work he did on three different staffs in Nashville for an entire decade. It did not work out for him in Atlanta, but I kind of, sort of, wish him nothing but the best in Pittsburgh.

One by one, Yinzers have fallen out of the frying pan and into the frigid Allegheny over this hiring. They cannot believe that Mike Tomlin would do such a thing. Well, their beloved head coach loves control as much or more as Bill Belichick did during his two-decade run in New England. All good things must come to an end, as this might be the final season Tomlin has a chokehold on this team.

Former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex is not a fan of this Smith hiring. The fact that he too is a former offensive guard like Smith was during his playing days speaks volumes. Essex knows that Smith is going to want to run the ball a ton with Najee Harris and company, but he really thinks that by going with this coordinator hire, it highlights starting quarterback Kenny Pickett's obvious limitations.

A defensive-minded head coach hiring a conservative offensive mind is not the least bit shocking.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers player pans the hiring of Arthur Smith as OC

Look. I'll try to be nice and fair about this to keep one Steelers fan from going off the ledge at a time. Three years ago, I thought my Falcons made a great hire in getting Smith to be their next head coach. The Falcons' two previous head coaches were defensive-minded, but ones whose teams could not play a bit of defense. Mike Smith's teams could not cover and Dan Quinn's teams could not pass rush.

My thought was Arthur Smith would improve the offensive line, which he did, and that would allow for a more balanced offensive attack, which it did not. I overlooked the most obvious problem with this hire because I briefly saw him through rose-colored glasses. Smith was always going to be the offenisve play-caller. It rendered Dave Ragone worthless, and this became the team's bottleneck.

What I am getting at is Smith may not be head coach material, but he clearly knows what he is doing as an offensive coordinator and a position coach. He worked his way up through the ranks in Tennessee on three different staffs. That was a huge feather in his cap when he was hired. I also thought he had a good eye for hiring good coaches around him, as well as making good draft picks.

While you have to treat every job differently because every situation is not the same, there is one thing that makes me question the hire more than anything. It is not about improving Pickett's play because that's not happening. He was a very limited player coming out of Pitt, pretty much already at his ceiling. This hire has everything to do with not being able to land a good quarterback in free agency.

The best quarterback to play for Smith in Atlanta was Matt Ryan, who Smith wanted to get rid of right away. Ryan was rapidly declining athletically, but still found a way to move the sticks. That man is a hall of famer. You and I and everybody should know this. Look at all the crap he had to overcome during his 14 years in Atlanta. Once he left, it was Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and a bunch of rubbish.

So when you ask yourself why Ryan Tannehill is a Steeler next year, Smith is why. Hiring him prevents even an interesting free agent candidate like Baker Mayfield from coming back to the AFC North. I would say he has a better shot of going back to Carolina because of Dave Canales. Even that feels like an impossibility because of meddling David Tepper reasons. Pittsburgh is trending down again.

You can blame Smith all you want for a sub-.500 season next year, but point the finger at Tomlin, too.