There’s no relationship that matters more than quarterback and offensive coordinator. Two people who must be in alignment and agreement with a healthy working relationship. The Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled to find that in recent years. Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Canada weren’t a strong pairing while Arthur Smith and Russell Wilson were cordial but, by most accounts, had a strained relationship. For Mason Rudolph and Arthur Smith, so far, so good.
Speaking with the reporters following the team’s first OTA practice Tuesday, Rudolph is buying into Smith’s offensive ideals.
“He’s very detail-oriented,” Rudolph said via the Pittsburgh DSEN YouTube channel. “I think he’s a good teacher in the install rooms. He’s been very clear to guys. Obviously, you guys know he loves to pound the rock, play-action. But he’s also got a good collection of good drop-back pass concepts that I like. I think it fits my game and it’s been fun working with him.”
Smith enters his second season as Steelers’ offensive coordinator with the hope of making the offense fit his vision more than he did during his first year. Pittsburgh’s retooled its offensive depth chart at multiple positions. A new No. 1 receiver in DK Metcalf, an offensive line that’s shuffled spots, a new runner in Kaleb Johnson, and a swapped-out quarterback room.
Both men have had to earn their keep. Smith went from quality control coach to assistant, positional coach, coordinator, and head coach before landing in Pittsburgh after being fired by the Atlanta Falcons. Rudolph has often been buried on the depth chart before returning to the Steelers for a second stint, currently sitting atop the team’s depth chart.
For the time being, Rudolph is Smith’s No. 1 quarterback. And he seems to know exactly the offense Smith wants to run. One focused on the ground game. Last year, Pittsburgh finished fourth in rushing attempts, continuing a trend of Arthur Smith-led units finishing top five in carries. Rudolph is comfortable working under center and is athletic enough to execute Smith’s bootlegs and rollouts.
“Any offense is at its best when you run a ball, you’re play-actioning, moving the pocket, changing the launch point of the offensive line, and you’re taking shots to playmakers,” Rudolph said.
In a nutshell, those are the principles of Smith’s offense. Of course, they also apply to most successful offenses and Pittsburgh has struggled to turn aspiration into production. The Steelers haven’t finished in the top half of scoring offenses since 2020 and haven’t been top 10 since 2018. Rudolph remaining the starter and breaking those streaks is asking a lot and plenty of media pundits are skeptical over the notion. But Rudolph and Smith being united is the right place to start.
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