Before Arthur Smith ever set foot in Pittsburgh as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, there were already plenty of connections between the organization and himself. Thanks to his time as the offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans, Smith crossed paths with a number of former Steelers players and coaches.
Smith can rattle off their names, like Mike Vrabel, Ken Whisenhunt, Mike Mularkey, Russ Grimm, and others. They had all spent time in Pittsburgh and then with Smith in Tennessee. Each one of those men played a role in how Smith answered the call from Mike Tomlin about coming to Pittsburgh.