Former All-Pro Blasts Steelers OC

PITTSBURGH -- In a season where both sides of the ball for the Pittsburgh Steelers were never able to fully connect, some of the conversation regarding their lack of success has surrounded offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Smith joined the team following his firing from the head coach position for the Atlanta Falcons.

One such critic of Smith's performance this season is former All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who did not hold back when speaking on the season as a whole. Marshall was born in Pittsburgh, but grew up in Georgia and Florida. In an episode of the I am Athlete podcast hosted by Marshall, Pacman Jones, LeSean McCoy, and Chad Johnson, Marshall was able to speak on what he believed went wrong with the Steelers.

"This is what I would say. I would’ve love to seen Russell Wilson go rogue. When he goes up-tempo, when he calls the game, that dude’s stats are crazy,” Marshall said. “And don’t have me look them up because I already got ’em. I’m loaded. That’s how l’d hold him accountable. We ain’t got time to play with these people. Legacy is on the line, careers are on the line. This dude got you in three tight end packages. I want to see Russ throw. They lose the last four games. Pickens went down. His guy who opened the whole offense, he went down."

Marshall's scathing report on the Smith offense describes issues that aren't necessarily new to the team. The Steelers had similar struggles under former coordinator Matt Canada, but would have liked to see some of the issues go away in the following season.

There is myriad decisions to be made in regards to both offensive personnel and coaches, but it seems that the Steelers will work through it all with Smith at the helm and change the people around him instead.

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