Steelers Owner Art Rooney II Confirms That Mike Tomlin Was 'Comfortable' With Arthur Smith

The Pittsburgh Steelers hired Arthur Smith as the organization's new offensive coordinator a little over a week ago. Smith spent the last three years as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and two years as Mike Vrabel’s offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans before that. Smith's best year as a coordinator was his first in 2019 when he helped resurrect Ryan Tannehill's career and led the Titans to a 10-point first half lead against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. Taylor Swift will be happy to know, the Chiefs eventually won 35-24.

On Tuesday, Bob Pompeani conducted an interview with Mr. Rooney for KDKA News. Pompeani asked him about hiring Smith as the new offensive coordinator and how he felt about his newest employee joining the organization. The Steelers owner took the opportunity to reveal why the decision was made.

“Arthur had great experience, obviously, as a coordinator in Tennessee for a few years there,” Rooney explained. “Then, as a head coach, that’s a great experience. He just seemed like a good fit, and Mike was very comfortable with him.”

One of the most popular Tomlinisms is not seeking comfort. However, when you pick someone you will spend countless hours working closely with, an exception can be made. There is no questioning that Smith has had success at the NFL level, but a significant amount of importance is spent touting his time with the Titans as that success. It was five years ago, and based on his time in Atlanta, the run-heavy scheme that attracted Tomlin to Smith has had, at best, mixed results. 

It has long been rumored that Rooney mandated the hiring of Todd Haley to replace Bruce Arians. It is worth questioning why the Haley hiring was allegedly forced on Tomlin, but the promotion of Randy Fichtner and Matt Canada was the head coach's decision. Did Mr. Rooney only get involved to rein in his franchise quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger? That is one problem the 2024 Steelers do not currently have.

"It’s Mike’s hire. I mean, look, head coaches hire their coordinators,” Rooney reaffirmed. “To the extent that Omar [Khan] and I could be helpful, we tried to be, but it is Mike’s hire.”

Steelers Insiders Indicate Hiring Of Arthur Smith Comes Complete With Double Edged Sword For Mike Tomlin

Many in Steeler Nation hoped that Omar Khan would be heavily involved in selecting the next coordinator. Mr. Rooney has made it perfectly clear that Tomlin's selection of Smith is 100% his responsibility. It is critical for the Steelers and Tomlin that he gets this hire correct. 

According to the rankings on NFL.com, Pittsburgh finished 28th in the NFL in total passing yards and 13th in total rushing yards. Pittsburgh's 31 offensive touchdowns were good enough for 27th place last season. A lot of the blame can be laid at the feet of Canada. What does not land on Canada is almost exclusively placed on Kenny Pickett. Smith did not do a good job developing Desmond Ridder for the Falcons, but will get a shot to redeem himself with the top pick of the 2022 quarterback class.

There are many questions surrounding the hiring of Smith, like Tomlin's suggestion that the 2024 quarterback was on the roster at his season-ending press conference. Assuming he did not mean Mitch Trubisky, Pickett is Smith's only choice. Things can change in the NFL, but if the only change to the current quarterback position is to re-sign Mason Rudolph and run it back, Smith may find he is in for a rough ride to rebuild his reputation.