Steelers Analysis
Locked On Steelers: How Has Arthur Smith Unlocked the Middle of the Field?
Locked On Steelers Podcast: What does Arthur Smith unlocking the middle of the field do for the Steelers offense?
It’s been a tradition for several years now among fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers: watch a mediocre offensive performance by the team, find the Next Gen Stats chart that shows where the team’s pass attempts landed, and then scream, teeth-gnash and cry about why the team refuses to throw the ball to the middle of the field, but Arthur Smith might be changing all that.
That should always have been expected to change under new offensive coordinator Smith, who was well known for his middle of the field usage at previous stops. But that had not been a specialty of Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, and in Week 1, his replacement, Justin Fields, didn’t either. Smith said that was because of the talent the Atlanta Falcons had at safety. The Steelers didn’t throw much at all in Denver in Week 2, but they finally developed some middle of the field passing against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3.
Alan Saunders joined Chris Carter on the Locked On Podcast to discuss the new Steelers offense, and how they can build on Sunday’s performance. Alan and Chris also broke down their Week 3 grades and talked about how Nick Herbig might play in place of injured outside linebacker Alex Highsmith.