Is Arthur Smith worse than Canada?

Why no reverses, or screen passes? This offense is even more vanilla and predictable with Smith than it was with Canada, and the scheme and play calling has been atrocious. I'm surprised nobody else is calling this bum out? Any thoughts?

 

LOL. No.

 

thank you.

we miss Warren badly.

Tomlin is the worst. He is the dark cloud over it ALL on offense.

AND this OLINE is very young with mediocre at best QB's and a knucklehead 1 WR,

Did we state 5 yrs ago that we would miss Ben? YES - we did! the Dark Ages are upon us....

 

NO!

 

This offense is alot better than Canada’s. The flow of the offense is better. The design of the routes are better. He calls plays with a purpose to set up other plays. Reverses and screens are two plays that are way overused in the nFL and often produce negative yardage. Also teams are stacking the box against us to stop the run so screens won’t be that effective against a stacked box.

 

Ok, but where's Smith's zone running scheme? I just haven't seen it. Maybe Tomlin has Smith handcuffed?

 

teams are stacking the box. they have NO FEARS of Fields beating us down field. NONE at all.

there is NO passing attack.

the strategy session w Tomlin and Smith goes like this:
(this is Tomlin) - "we will aim for 20 points this week, but 17 should work. We will put all the stress on our defense - after all, we have TJ Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick. That is enough to get me to .500 for the year. Just get us to the 30 yard line so that Chris can make his 50 yarder"

so - don't fool yourselves - Tomlin is the problem on both sides of the ball in this organization. Has been for many years.

 

Despite having better QB play the team is scoring the same (or less) than last year with Pickett...

 

Same record after 5 games as last year.

insert @HeinzMustard trademark here

 

See what others are telling you. Teams are stacking the box. I think Harris has been playing hurt since the Chargers game and they haven't had Warren all season. Patterson showed he could do some of the same things as Warren, but he is out now, too. The running game has been crippled in multiple ways that have nothing to do with Smith's strategies.

Canada had a healthy offensive line and a healthy Warren last season and couldn't do much with them.

 

Tomlin definitely has Smith handcuffed. A couple issues with the Zone blocking. We are trying it but we just aren’t very good at blocking it. In addition because we only gave a single threat at WR teams aren’t playing two high safety against us. So this means they are bringing the extra defender down in the box to play the run. That means a free defender often unblocked.

in addition the whole premise of the zone run game is the cut back on the backside. Two issues here. Najee lacks the vision for the cut back and the lateral quickness to plant and go. Not to mention that extra defender is often blowing up the cut back.

we need to go back to a power blocking s heme with pulling guards etc. I don’t think the zone blocking will work until we get a bonafide second wr in place and Jaylen Warren in the lineup.

 

That's why I'm suggesting they throw some screen passes to at least try to get the passing game going. I mean, nobody is getting open deep, or even medium range very often, and the running game is non-existent without Warren. Pickens was fairly effective the times they ran reverses to him, and I think Austin could be as well, but Smith never calls them.

 

You nailed the biggest problem. There is a safety blowing up running plays in the backfield far too often.

 

It can be tough to run screens if opponents don't respect your downfield passing game. Screens rely on clearing defenders out in coverage. It just isn't happening. Smith has only run a few screens, but that seems to be a silly reason to argue that he is worse than Canada.

 

Yeah, because Smith's play calling is way too predictable, even more so than Canada's IMO.

 

Wasn't there an article in the preseason about Smith saying no more screens? Maybe it was jet sweeps. But there was a play that fans were calling the Canada Special and Smith said we wouldn't run it any more.

 

Exactly, they're still having the same issues with Smith. Different OC, different QB, same results. They're moving the ball a little better downfield, but they still can't score many TD's in the red zone.

 

I'm not sure, but Smith isn't calling any reverses, screens, or sweeps. They diversity of play calling is way too limited, and predictable. No wonder why they're only scoring 1 more point a game this year.

 

We only averaged 16 ppg in games started by Pickett, so were doing a little bit better this year. We are about the same in total ppg from the last two years when you factor in all games started (including Mason and Mitch).

No, Smith isn't worse than Canada. It hasn't been a perfect start, but we always knew there was a good shot at the offense starting a little bit slower and getting better over time. Unfortunately injuries have played a huge role in some of our struggles as well, something Canada's offense didn't really have to weather over the previous 2 seasons.

 

H to the E to the double L no!


Comparing Arthur Smith to Matt Canada is no different than comparing a mountain to a molehill. Smiths Offense has both an identity and a rhythm to it. Structure though is the biggest difference between the two; a discombobulated mess via Canada in comparison.


Smiths Offense isn't the problem. Pittsburgh's mounting injuries to the Offensive Line, lack of a number 2 WR and most of all, Tomlins' continual meddling in the Offensive Game Plan are the issues; Tomlin himself being the biggest one. Remember that this is the same Arthur Smith who took a massive draft disappointment in Ryan Tannehill and made him into a Pro Bowler. Justin Fields' overall talent far exceeds anything Tannehill ever was coming out of Texas A&M.



Arthur Smith wants to coach to win. He has the track record as an OC. Tomlin however, wants to coach not to lose. Those two philosophies don't mesh well at all.



Long story short?! Stop babying Justin Fields and let him cut loose the entire game. Not this first 10 plays bull$#!t.

 

not sure what is going on. Austin could, but that is not conventional 'screen' Warren would be. More motion could help, yes. Have to use Austin more and his speed, definitely agree

injuries definitely setting us back hard on offense + Tomlin = disaster

 

I don't know that Canada will ever coach in the NFL again he was so bad.

I don't like 'gimmick plays' those are ok when everything is going well and you feel like you can overcome negative outcomes from attempting them.
I despise bubble screens.

Our offense needs to be able to execute the basic plays before it stretches out.
And fer christsake, if it is 3rd and 1... don't be afraid to play RPO or Play-action instead of just crashing Harris into the line.

I said it the other day, what I am seeing is not the typical Smith offense. I think Tomlin is fiddling around in it.

 

Nobody was as bad as Matt Canada. But there sure is some head scratching play calling.

 

You and I are on the same page here. Would really like to see this offense with a competent number 2 at wr and Jaylen Warren in the backfield. Broderick Jones isn’t helping out much either.

 

I think you mean wr sweeps a reverse would take too long to develop. Those are gimmicky plays. They are ok every once in a while to loosen up a defense if they are crowding the box but they are not and should not be a staple play in the offense. We don’t have great blocking wr’s so that is part of the issue with expecting sweeps to be successful on the perimeter. Jefferson is taking up space out there and not contributing. Austin is literally a gimmick player that would be used occasionally on third down. We are woefully under pedigreed at the WR position.