In the world of American football, even the strongest unions require commitment. The Steelers, under the direction of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, showed a strong preference for the running game in 2024, ranking among the teams with the most rushing attempts. At the same time, the new Steelers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, who recently got married, led the passing attempts in his previous stage. Smith downplayed concerns about how to reconcile these two seemingly distinct offensive philosophies, now that they converge in Pittsburgh.
Despite the inclination towards the ground game, the Steelers were not particularly efficient, averaging only 4.1 yards per carry, ranking 26th in the league last season. The Jets’ offense averaged 4.3 yards per carry, but they ran the ball 170 fewer times. Part of this is due to the game circumstances, as the Jets often played from behind in 2024. However, during Rodgers’ tenure in Green Bay, his offenses also relied on passing. From 2008 to 2022, the Packers ran the fewest rushing plays in the league. Smith expressed his confidence in adapting his offense to this year’s roster.One always seeks balance. You don’t want to be predictable in how you attack the defense, in what you think are their strengths and weaknesses. That’s the game that’s played every Sunday… We didn’t bring Aaron here, and we signed DK Metcalf with a big investment, to run the wishbone formation. So you try to play to your team’s strengths.
Arthur Smith
Smith is not only working to adapt his scheme to Rodgers, but he will also have the task of deciding how much freedom Rodgers will have to change the play calls at the line of scrimmage. The quarterback’s ability to do that in Smith’s offense last season was a point of contention. Smith, however, refuted that narrative.Our job, especially as coaches, is to leverage our players’ strengths. We have our fundamentals that don’t change, but whether you lean towards certain schemes, year after year, you adapt again to the personnel you have. That’s what we try to do, ultimately, to win games and prepare players for success.
Arthur Smith
Rodgers, having worked with different coaches in his previous stops, expressed his desire to maintain the ability to adjust calls as needed. On Tuesday, in his first press conference as a Steeler, the quarterback was annoyed by a question about whether he could make play changes in Smith’s offense. Rodgers responded:I know that’s a hot topic here… Every quarterback is different. Every offensive scheme is different… Our problem at the end of the year was that we weren’t good enough. And as a leader, you take responsibility, and that falls on you, but there are multiple issues, and we have to be playing our best at the end of the year… That’s where you have to be accountable as a leader. And, obviously, we’ll have a different setup this year. As for the roster, obviously new players, DK, Aaron, some of the other guys we brought in: Kenneth Gainwell, Kaleb Johnson. Every year is a different journey, and it’s exciting to have Aaron here and be able to work with him.
Arthur Smith
Rodgers continued:I don’t understand that last term, ‘take control when I see fit.’ I’ve made a few two-minute calls over the years. But the idea that I somehow need to, or have spent most of my career playing outside of an offensive system, is simply not correct.
Aaron Rodgers
I’m going to learn the offense, and Arthur and I are going to talk a lot this summer. If there are things I like and would like to see in the offense, Arthur, I’m sure, will put them in. He knows how to call a game. I know how to get us in the right place depending on what’s called. Sometimes two or three plays are called in the huddle. My job is to get us in the right play.
Aaron Rodgers
