Former Steelers OL Willie Colon 'not a fan' of team hiring Arthur Smith as OC

On Jan. 30, the Pittsburgh Steelers hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as their next offensive coordinator. It didn’t take long for former Steelers offensive lineman Willie Colon to criticize the organization’s hire.

“I hate it,” Colon said on The Carton Show Wednesday. “Yeah, I’m not a fan of it. You talking about his tenure in Atlanta, man, 7-10 every year.”

Arthur Smith was the head coach in Atlanta from 2021-23, before being fired at the end of the 2023 campaign. He finished 7-10 in all three seasons in Atlanta, including this past season when he was let go.

Prior to taking over in Atlanta, Smith spent two seasons as the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator. While there, Smith enjoyed noteworthy success. In both the 2019-20 seasons, Smith boosted running back Derrick Henry to lead the NFL in rushing yards.

However, Colon doesn’t believe Smith was fully responsible for the Titans’ success on offense during his two seasons as OC.

“He didn’t have a quarterback. But man, they’re really resting off his laurels, right? He was a great OC in Tennessee. But he also had [quarterback Ryan] Tannehill, [wide receiver] A.J. Brown and [running back] Derrick Henry.”

Although Smith never found massive success at Atlanta, he did continue to produce respectable offenses. The Falcons offense put up 400 plus yards in six games in 2023, tied for fourth-most in single-season franchise history. The team also ranked ninth in the NFL in rushing yards per game.

Smith is thrilled to have an opportunity to take his talents to Pittsburgh.

“It’s such a unique opportunity to be able to work for an organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Smith said. “With the history and the culture here, and the opportunity to work with Mike Tomlin, to me it’s a perfect cultural fit.”

More on the Steelers’ search for an OC

On Nov. 21, the Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada. In 44 games with Canada leading the offense, the Steelers never ranked better than 23rd in yards and 21st in points. In 2023, Pittsburgh currently ranked 28th in yards and points while under Canada.

Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan and running backs coach Eddie Faulkner shared play-calling duties once Canada was let go. However, the pair wasn’t a permanent solution. Now, Smith will have his shot to lead the Steelers to new heights.

Before hiring Smith, the Steelers also interviewed former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Other notable names on Pittsburgh’s interview list included Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.