Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth gets candid on Arthur Smith's new role: "It’s pretty complex"
Tight end Pat Freiermuth has emerged as one of the Pittsburgh Steelers' top offensive weapons since he was drafted in 2021. This season, he will have a new quarterback in Russell Wilson and a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith.
Freiermuth recently spoke with Nick Farabaugh of PennLive during his second annual youth football camp at Pine Richland High School. The 25-year-old was asked about Arthur Smith's new offense and what he has learned so far through minicamp and offseason workouts.
He went on to say that it is a very complex offense but Smith is ensuring that every player understands how it works.
“Yeah, I think the best thing about coach Smith is just how, like you said, attention to detail he is and how he’s installing the offense, it’s new for everyone. Man, 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."
Smith, who most recently was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, is challenging the members of the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense to exert their football IQ. Fans will now just have to wait a little while longer to see Arthur Smith's offensive attack in action.
Pat Freiermuth praised new QB Russell Wilson's work ethic
While speaking about the new-look Steelers offense, tight end Pat Freiermuth also praised quarterback Russell Wilson. He praised Wilson's work ethic and attention to detail and believes that it is the reason behind his success in the NFL.
“Told me everything about his leadership and his desire to win. I think that in my whole career, I’ve never really been around someone who has been so detailed in everything he does. Every practice, he’s doing his routine as he’s doing it for a game,” said Freiermuth.
The Steelers tight end continued by saying that the young roster will benefit from Russell Wilson and the success he has had.
“I think that’s something that’s really good for us because we’re a young offense, and I think seeing a guy like that who’s been in the league, won a Super Bowl, been to a bunch of Pro Bowls, been All-Pro, just seeing how he works and what it takes to get to that level, I think it’s been good for everyone, and I think I’m excited to see that for the year.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers offense had highs and lows in 2023. They also suffered from the inconsistency of quarterback Kenny Pickett, which led to Mason Rudolph taking over as starter. The new offense and Russell Wilson's leadership is expected to bring real change to the AFC North contender.