Ex-Steelers OL Willie Colon Criticizes Team’s Hiring of Arthur Smith as OC

The Super Bowl champion had some strong words for his former squad, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in regard to their hiring a new offensive coordinator.

The Pittsburgh Steelers need some answers on the offensive side of the ball—and have needed them for years now.

In 2023, the Steelers finished an unsightly 28th in the NFL in scoring offense—their lowest rank since 1998 in that category. Six years have passed since the traditionally defensive-minded team has cracked the top 10 in either scoring or total offense.

Searching for balance, Pittsburgh hired former Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith as its offensive coordinator for the 2024 season. The move was quickly met with condemnation from a mainstay of the Steelers’ early years under coach Mike Tomlin.

“I hate it,” former Pittsburgh guard Willie 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.”

Smith indeed went 7-10 in each of his three seasons leading the Falcons—albeit with a different leading passer at quarterback every year.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Willie Colon ripped the team’s hiring of Arthur Smith as its new offensive coordinator :: Philip G. Pavely / USA TODAY Sports

“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,” Colon said.

Colon played for the Steelers from 2006 through ’12, winning the Super Bowl with them in the 2008 season.

With the Tennessee Titans from 2019-20, Smith’s offense was prolific; the team’s 491 points in 2020 was the franchise’s most since 1961. Time will tell which version of Smith that Pittsburgh gets.