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Brooke Pryor
PITTSBURGH — Even soccer marriages are all about compromise. Below offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the Steelers had the fourth-most dashing makes an attempt in 2024. In the meantime, new Steelers quarterback — and newlywed — Aaron Rodgers tried the second-most passes in his earlier cease with the Jets in that very same span.
Smith, although, downplayed considerations about marrying the 2 seemingly completely different offensive philosophies now that the 2 coexist in Pittsburgh.
“You’d like to be extra balanced,” Smith mentioned, talking publicly for the primary time since Rodgers signed. “You are not apparent in the way you need to assault this protection, what you assume their strengths and weaknesses are. That is the sport that is performed each Sunday. … we did not deliver Aaron in right here — and signed DK [Metcalf] for all that cash — to go run the wishbone. So, you understand, you attempt to play to the strengths of your crew.”
Although the Steelers leaned on the run sport, they weren’t particularly environment friendly. The crew averaged simply 4.1 yards per carry, tied for twenty sixth within the league final season. The Jets offense averaged 4.3 yards per carry, however they ran the ball 170 fewer occasions.
A few of that, after all, is dictated by sport circumstance, and the Jets steadily performed from behind through the 2024 season. However throughout Rodgers’ tenure in Inexperienced Bay, his offenses have been additionally heavy on cross performs. From 2008 to 2022, the Packers ran the fourth-fewest run performs within the league, in accordance with ESPN Analysis.
Nonetheless, Smith expressed confidence in adapting his offense to this 12 months’s roster.
“Our job, particularly as a coach, is to play to the strengths of your gamers,” Smith mentioned. “We’ve our basis issues that do not change, however whether or not you lean into sure schemes, 12 months after 12 months, you adapt once more to the personnel you’ve got obtained. That is what we attempt to do, finally, to win video games and set guys up for achievement.”
Smith not solely is working to adapt his scheme to Rodgers but additionally will likely be tasked with deciding simply how a lot freedom Rodgers has to vary the playcalls on the line of scrimmage.
The quarterback’s skill to do this in Smith’s offense final season was a degree of competition. Smith, although, disputed that narrative Wednesday.
“I do know that is a sizzling button situation right here,” Smith mentioned. “… Each quarterback is completely different. Each offensive scheme is completely different. … our situation on the finish of the 12 months was we weren’t adequate. And as a frontrunner, you are taking accountability, and that is on you, however there’s a number of points, and now we have to be enjoying our greatest on the finish of the 12 months. … That is the place you need to be accountable as a frontrunner. And so clearly, we’ll have a unique setup this 12 months. Roster-wise, clearly new gamers, DK, Aaron, a number of the different guys we introduced in: [Kenneth] Gainwell, drafted Kaleb [Johnson]. Yearly is a unique journey, and it is thrilling to have Aaron right here and to get to work with him.”
As he labored with completely different coaches in his earlier stops, Rodgers was vocal in wanting to take care of the power to regulate the calls as wanted. On Tuesday, although, in his first information convention as a Steeler, the quarterback bristled at a query about with the ability to name audibles in Smith’s offense.
“I do not perceive that final time period, ‘take over after I see match,'” Rodgers mentioned, responding to the query. “I’ve known as some two minutes over time. However the concept one way or the other I have to, or have spent most of my profession enjoying exterior of an offensive system, is simply not right.
“I will be taught the offense, and Arthur and I are going to speak a bunch this summer time. If there’s issues that I like that I would wish to see within the offense, Arthur, I am certain, goes to place it in. He is aware of name a sport. I understand how to get us in the correct spot based mostly on what’s known as. There’s two or three performs known as within the huddle typically. My job is to get us in the correct play.”