Since the announcement of Arthur Smith’s employment as the Steelers’ new offensive coordinator came during practice during Senior
Bowl week, I haven’t really been able to share my opinions.
First impressions are that Smith is superior to everything they had. Despite his past success as an OC, his difficulties in Atlanta cannot
be disregarded. I’ll wait to make a decision until I see how it appears on the field.
In reference to what transpires on the field, the offensive will undoubtedly appear different in terms of personnel and the Steelers’
operational scheme.
To begin with, anticipate more inventive use of skill position players by the Steelers. especially on early downs, running backs. In
2023, the Falcons started with 21 players (two running backs and one tight end) on 19% of first downs; the Steelers never did.
Additionally, Atlanta led the NFL in first down personnel with 22 players, so it’s not uncommon to see packages that feature Jaylen
Warren, Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington (or possibly Le’Veon Bell, he hinted with a sly wink and smile) all on the field
simultaneously to start drives and new down sequences.
Remaining with the tight ends, 2024 will see a significant increase in their prominence. With a target distribution percentage of 34%
for tight ends, the Falcons topped the NFL. The Steelers, by contrast, finished 22nd at 19 percent. There will be increased attention
paid to Washington, Freiermuth, and occasionally even Connor Heyward. We can only hope that this indicates further use of
Washington as a top slot choice or more in-depth investigations in the future.
The Steelers struggled with alignment, especially on early downs, as they frequently lined up in shotgun configuration. Their attacking
inclinations coupled with this made it extremely simple for opposition defenses to gauge what would happen next. As to GINI, which
indicates the level of concentration in a team’s style
There will be increased play action in addition to new looks. Play action was used by the Falcons more than by nearly every other club
in the league. Together, Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder scored 152 dropbacks off play action. Dak Prescott was the only
quarterback with more dropbacks (158) during play action. In contrast, the Steelers combined for 79 dropbacks in 2023 when play
action was not used.
All those elements are advantageous and require adjustments for the Steelers offensive line. However, there are certain things to be
aware of and things that won’t be flawless. The run game will appear different, to start. Smith runs more of a zone-based offense, but
the Steelers have turned into a gap-run team (finished third in runs off guard).
The Falcons and Steelers were somewhat comparable to one another last season in terms of drives per game. They ended up ranking
27th and 28th, respectively, in terms of points per drive and with the same number of touchdowns per drive. Thus, despite the fact
that the offenses used by the Falcons and Steelers were extremely different, the outcomes were regrettably essentially the same.
That is undoubtedly influenced by the fact that Atlanta turned the ball over far more frequently than the Steelers. But Smith was far
from flawless, particularly when it came to the players he was writing plays for. have access to players like Drake London, Bijan
Robinson, and Kyle Pitts. Jonnu Smith seems to enjoy receiving passes from the Falcons. Not that I have anything against Jonnu
Smith, but Arthur Smith recently
All of this is predicated on the fact that the Steelers must improve at quarterback. 2023 was a melting pot of poor quarterback play for
the Steelers and Falcons. They have an upgrade at offensive coordinator and the necessary personnel at skill positions, but they still
need the proper guy behind center to make everything work together on the field. The offense ought to be far better than it has been if
and when they manage to obtain it.
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