Since the Pittsburgh Steelers season ended, multiple reports painted a rocky relationship between offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and quarterback Russell Wilson. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac offered detail over what those issues were. Per Dulac, the issues stem from Smith preventing Wilson from changing plays at the line of scrimmage, wanting him to stick to the script of running the football.
“According to several sources, Smith did not want Wilson changing plays at the line of scrimmage, like he did in Cincinnati, and deviating from the game plan. Wilson’s desire to attack with the pass and throw down the field clashed with Smith’s run-first mentality, causing philosophical friction between the two.