What will Arthur Smith bring to Ohio State? Discussing the Buckeyes' new OC with Alan Saunders
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Welcome back to the Bill and Doug show. Bill Landis joined by a special guest today. We're going to talk about Arthur Smith, Ohio State's new offensive coordinator, and to learn a little bit more about Arthur Smith and what he might bring to the table. We have with us Alan Saunders, who covers the Pittsburgh Steelers for SteelersNow.com. Arthur Smith, of course, the offensive coordinator for the Steelers these past two seasons. So, Alan, we appreciate you joining us here to share some expertise on the Buckeyes' new coordinator.
Absolutely. Thanks for having me.
So, How unexpected was this for you? I guess I'll start there.
What is the background of Ohio State's new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith?
What was your initial reaction, level of surprise, to see that Arthur Smith was, rather than go somewhere else in the NFL, was going to come to college and be the coordinator for Ohio State?
Yeah, I was pretty surprised. I mean, I knew it wasn't... likely to come back to pittsburgh uh but i you know he last year had the opportunity to take the head coach job at north carolina and turned it down in the middle of the season and i thought that to me was a sign that he wasn't that interested in going back to college and this offseason he was a candidate for two nfl head coaching jobs now i don't think he was in position to get either of them. But the fact that he was a candidate for an NFL head coaching job and then to go take a college coordinator position to me was fairly surprising. I don't know if he was concerned he wasn't going to get an NFL coordinator job. But yeah, I was pretty surprised by that.
Yeah, it did seem like he had opportunity. I know I think the Eagles and the Titans maybe were talking to him to perhaps be his coordinator. And that to me, so Ohio State's in a position now where it has Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator, and Arthur Smith, an offensive coordinator. And Matt Patricia's to me is like a very different scenario. He was sort of like in the wind, I think, trying to, you know, reestablish something in the eyes of the NFL. It seemed to me like Arthur Smith was, you know, still pretty well regarded in the league. What was your sense of how the league sort of at large viewed him as he was sitting there kind of opened opportunities?
my understanding was the league kind of looked at the talent level in pittsburgh and said hey this guy's kind of doing a lot with not very much um you know i don't think he was thought of as this guy that was necessarily on the cutting edge of what's happening around the nfl in terms of moving the game forward with offensive schematics or something like that but i think he's a pretty well regarded coach and I was really, I mean, I thought there was an outside chance the Titans were going to hire him as their head coach, given his long ties to that organization. So, I mean, yeah, it was pretty surprising to me.
How was Arthur Smith viewed in Pittsburgh? I guess maybe by the organization, but also by the fan base. And as far as you understand, had Mike Tomlin not decided to step down, would Arthur Smith still be the offensive coordinator for the Steelers, unless someone else came along and offered him a better opportunity?
I would assume that if Mike Tomlin had come back that Arthur Smith was coming back as well. The Steelers just very, very rarely change coaches mid-contract. It's not really what they do. He still had one year on his deal in Pittsburgh. I was operating on the assumption that if Mike Tomlin came back that Arthur Smith was coming back as well. I don't think that he did anything that would have caused the Steelers to make a change. I don't think the fan base was necessarily thrilled with everything they saw on the field. I also think every fan base hits their own offensive coordinator to some level.
How did Arthur Smith's hiring surprise the football community?
It is just part of being a football fan, I think. And I also think it's a lot easier, especially when you're in the scenario the Steelers are in, for people to say, well, these guys that I really like that are my favorites, this guy just isn't using them very well. It's a lot easier to say that than it is to admit that the Steelers had, like, bottom five offensive skill position talent in the NFL this year, and that's the biggest reason why they weren't above.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:07–0:41
2
What is the background of Ohio State's new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith?
0:41–3:49
3
How did Arthur Smith's hiring surprise the football community?
3:49–17:10
4
What was Arthur Smith's reputation in Pittsburgh during his tenure?
17:10–23:45
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk
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