LATROBE, PA (93.7 The Fan) – Come on, look at the face again. Take a second, check out Arthur Smith's look. Listen to him talk, and now know this man is a trash talker.
Steelers new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith would, on the surface, look like the google image of mild-mannered. He is anything but.
Listen, we didn't believe it either and after hearing about it had to ask again to make sure we were talking about the same man.
The leak came from quarterback Justin Fields who said after a few plays over the last two years when his Bears played Atlanta, he would hear some trash talking from the Falcons sideline. He realized it was from then head coach Arthur Smith. He said it was nothing over the top or personal, but it obviously caught his attention.
"In 2022 we got him a few times, and last year, he broke off one on the 50 [yard line], and I don't even remember what I said," Smith said with a hint of a rye smile. "He just kind of laughed, and they got after us that day."
Fields didn't have an issue with it, to the contrary.
"It's good to have a coach that talks trash and has that competitive spirit," Fields said now one his Smith's quarterbacks with the Steelers.
The trash talking is one thing, but he brings discipline to this offense. There is an accountability and it comes with an attitude that Smith is trying to instill with the group. He doesn't care who you are, he'll let you know if you screw up.
"Out here on the field he's yelling at guys, getting after it," Fields said. "He's a very competitive person."
"He's fiery and I like that about him. He has a lot of knowledge. Just the person he is, he pushes you to be your best each and every day. He's a great leader."
"I think he's made everyone super-accountable, which starts with the players, but it's good to have from the coaches as well," said nine-year NFL veteran Isaac Seumalo. "I think he's been consistent in his message. He wants guys to take each day as it comes, be a pro and come in with an attitude of what can I do today to improve myself and help my teammates get this thing going towards week one."
"It's not a lot of lip service, not just saying something," said receiver Calvin Austin. "We say something in meetings and we are going out on the field and coach is looking for that. He's pushing for that. It's not just that we are saying it to sound good. We are actually going out there and you can feel that we are pushing on offense."
"We are pushing for everybody to be perfect and details."
There are a couple of players Smith has brought in who understand his system and mindset. He's working a fullback, not a converted center looking for a role like Kendrick Green last year, but a player to add to the physicality, who also can add options to their offense. Tight end MyCole Pruitt was used in various roles under Smith in Atlanta and Tennessee.
"The main thing he preaches is physicality," Pruitt said. "We are going to run that ball for sure. We have great backs here that can take advantage of the scheme which will lead to us getting shots in the pass game as well."
"Physicality, effort, finishing and wanting to be a tough-nosed team on offense."
Smith accomplishes that with actions and words.
"It helps me to have a coach that has the same competitive spirit," Fields said. "There may be some coaches who aren't as vocal that may have that same competitive spirit, but Art is vocal about it."
Smith said he's good with his players being vocal, as long as they back it up. He thinks in today's game the talk lines up with the attitude he wants and believes this team needs in the toughest division in football.
You can see and hear the change at training camp. There is a mentality shift that even manifested itself into one of the bigger fights we've seen. When linebacker Elandon Roberts shoulder bumped Fields down, his teammates came to his defense and they weren't playing.
"It's been a hard camp, it's been awesome," Smith said. "There's been good back and forth going in there and there's a fine line (between physicality and penalty). You're pushed to the edge, and it comes to the quarterback, those guys care. So, nobody wants anything to hurt the team, but those guys stood up for the quarterback."
"I love the way the line is competing and that mentality—we got good competition really everywhere."
The true measure of Smith's impact will be games won and points scored, but the Steelers wanted and needed change on offense, they got it from maybe the least likely trash talker in the game.
