Steelers' star says praises new OC Arthur Smith's attention to detail, challenging of football knowledge

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth had a tremendous rookie season in 2021 with Ben Roethlisberger as his quarterback, hauling in seven touchdowns in his debut campaign.

However, the touchdowns have come fewer and further between over the last two seasons with subpar quarterback play and awful play designs from former offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

Now, though, the Steelers have brought in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith to run the offense.

Freiermuth spoke with Nick Farabaugh of PennLive and gave his thoughts on Smith ahead of training camp.

“I think the best thing about Coach Smith is just how, like you said, [his] attention to detail and how he’s installing the offense,” Freiermuth said.  It’s new for everyone. It’s pretty complex, so when he’s loading up these installs, he is making sure we understand the why of everything, not just what we do, but the whole concept of each play and scheme and everything. It’s been great for us. It’s been good for us to challenge our football knowledge, definitely challenging people to study more and be in the building more… I can’t say enough good things about his leadership. It’s been awesome.”

The Steelers will open their season against Smith’s former team in Atlanta.