Working with Tomlin led Smith to Pittsburgh

Arthur Smith was vacationing with his wife in Dubai in January when he got the call from Mike Tomlin to see if he was interested in the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator position.

Fresh off his dismissal as Atlanta Falcons head coach after three seasons, Smith had to decide whether he wanted to jump immediately back into the NFL ranks or take some time off and collect on any of the three years remaining on his contract.

Smith knew one thing for certain. No way was he telling his wife they were cutting short the vacation. So he boarded a flight in Dubai the next day and traveled 3,000 more miles away from Pittsburgh, arriving in the Maldives for the next stop on his junket.

“I didn’t want to get divorced,” Smith said.

The interview with the Steelers would wait until he returned stateside. The day after arriving at JFK International Airport in New York, Smith caught a flight to Pittsburgh and interviewed for the position he ultimately accepted.

“It’s funny how timing in life works,” Smith said. “Hell, yeah, I wanted this job and to work for Mike.”

On the first day of mandatory minicamp Tuesday, Smith recounted the circumstances that led to his return to the NFL after the briefest of absences. His interview with the Steelers came exactly three weeks after he was fired in Atlanta following a third consecutive 7-10 season.

“I had people call right away, and they had interest,” Smith said. “But I got far away. I promised my wife, and we got out of the country.”

Using the vacation to clear his head after the first professional setback in his NFL coaching career, Smith reached one conclusion.

“I knew I wanted to work,” Smith said. “I didn’t want to stay out.”

Tomlin’s call was the one that intrigued him the most because of the acquaintances Smith had made in coaching circles. During a decade in Tennessee when he advanced from quality control coach to offensive coordinator, Smith worked under or alongside Mike Vrabel, Mike Mularkey, Ken Whisenhunt, Russ Grimm and Dick LeBeau, among others. All played or coached with the Steelers.

“So many players and coaches swear by this place,” Smith said. “You like the history of this game and the way the Rooneys have done business here. … That was very appealing. With Mike, it’s rare to have a guy in one spot to have the success he’s had. It’s somebody you can learn from and who has a shared belief.

“It was a home run for me.” It will be one for the Steelers, too, if Smith can help elevate the offense into the upper echelon of the league. Smith orchestrated the NFL’s second-ranked offense in his second season as Titans offensive coordinator in 2020, which led to his head coaching position in Atlanta.

Now, Smith is being asked to rebuild the offensive pieces after three seasons of the Steelers finishing no better than No. 23 under former coordinator Matt Canada’s watch.

“He’s done a really good job of selling his system of football to the players,” Tomlin said. “He loves to coach. I imagine it’s refreshing for him to get focused on one component of the job again.”

Tight end Pat Freiermuth sees a similarity between Smith and the man who hired him.

“He’s a guy’s guy,” he said. “He’s a good guy to play for. He expects a lot from us. He’s a lot like Coach T in the way that you know what he wants, and if you don’t execute, you’re going to hear it. We all can appreciate that.”

Smith can appreciate the Steelers giving him a chance to rebuild his resume. At 42 years old, he didn’t want his career to stall by sitting out a season and collecting a paycheck. And, as he told reporters Tuesday, “I don’t think anybody is well-adjusted who does this job. … I want to compete. I’m thankful the opportunity was here.”

Tomlin gave Smith the chance to have input on personnel decisions. He was involved in bringing aboard Tom Arth as quarterbacks coach and Zach Azzanni as wide receivers coach. From Atlanta, he recruited former players MyCole Pruitt, Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller and Cordarrelle Patterson as free agents.

“It’s been the same,” Jefferson said. “He still has that personality of ‘Let’s get going.’ He just wants things to be perfect. He wants everybody working out. I think that’s the mentality he has brought to Pittsburgh.”

Not unlike most coaches, Smith has demanded accountability from his players. The message, so far, has resonated with the ones he oversees on the Steelers.

“Going into team meetings, offensive meetings, he’s not afraid to call people out for a lack of execution or doing a good job,” Freiermuth said. “It goes both ways. He’s great in that perspective.”