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Brooke Pryor
PITTSBURGH — Even soccer marriages are all about compromise. Underneath offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the Steelers had the fourth-most speeding 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 totally 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 wish 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 realize, you attempt to play to the strengths of your crew.”
Although the Steelers leaned on the run recreation, 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 instances.
A few of that, in fact, is dictated by recreation circumstance, and the Jets continuously performed from behind in the course of the 2024 season. However throughout Rodgers’ tenure in Inexperienced Bay, his offenses have been additionally heavy on go performs. From 2008 to 2022, the Packers ran the fourth-fewest run performs within the league, in line with ESPN Analysis.
Nonetheless, Smith expressed confidence in adapting his offense to this yr’s roster.
“Our job, particularly as a coach, is to play to the strengths of your gamers,” Smith mentioned. “Now we have our basis issues that do not change, however whether or not you lean into sure schemes, yr after yr, you adapt once more to the personnel you’ve got bought. That is what we attempt to do, in the end, to win video games and set guys up for achievement.”
Smith not solely is working to adapt his scheme to Rodgers but additionally might be tasked with deciding simply how a lot freedom Rodgers has to alter the playcalls on the line of scrimmage.
The quarterback’s capability to do this in Smith’s offense final season was some extent of rivalry. Smith, although, disputed that narrative Wednesday.
“I do know that is a scorching button difficulty right here,” Smith mentioned. “… Each quarterback is totally different. Each offensive scheme is totally different. … our difficulty on the finish of the yr was we weren’t ok. And as a frontrunner, you are taking accountability, and that is on you, however there’s a number of points, and we’ve to be enjoying our greatest on the finish of the yr. … That is the place you must be accountable as a frontrunner. And so clearly, we’ll have a unique setup this yr. Roster-wise, clearly new gamers, DK, Aaron, among 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 totally different coaches in his earlier stops, Rodgers was vocal in wanting to keep up 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 once I see match,'” Rodgers mentioned, responding to the query. “I’ve referred to as some two minutes through the years. However the concept someway I have to, or have spent most of my profession enjoying exterior of an offensive system, is simply not appropriate.
“I will study 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 how one can name a recreation. I understand how to get us in the suitable spot based mostly on what’s referred to as. There’s two or three performs referred to as within the huddle typically. My job is to get us in the suitable play.”
