Every coach in the NFL has their own personality. You have the stoics who never, or rarely, show any emotion, and then you have those who wear their feelings on their sleeves. Ones who almost seek out the cameras, and those who look as if they’d rather hide under a rock than be in front of a microphone.

Either way, each coach has their own style, and sometimes it takes time for them to truly find their style.

For new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, he seems to be more of the showman than the quiet type. For those who have attended training camp, and/or have tracked it here at SCN, you’ve likely seen reports of Smith getting fired up during practices when his offense is getting into a groove. At the end of last week, Smith talked about how he was “fired up” watching his unit move the football.

“I was fired up,” Smith said. “It wasn’t perfect, it never is. Some of it’s not real – the quarterback knows he’s not getting hit. But, as best as we can in this environment, you’re finding out about guys, and that’s just competitive spirit.”

While Smith recognizes success in camp doesn’t equate to success when games really count, he also isn’t about to look down upon any success as the offense is learning an entirely new system. For those like Justin Fields, he realizes the challenge he has as he prepares to learn his third offense in just his fourth season in the NFL after being drafted 11th overall out of Ohio State in the 2021 NFL Draft.

“When you’re changing language on guys, especially a young player, he’s gotten experienced snaps here,” Smith said. “He’s been in a couple systems now. This is his third system, offensively, going from his first year in Chicago, to last year. Everybody has different terminology. And, then things you harp on and things he wanted from a self-improvement (standpoint). So, we’re all working through that.”

Throughout the transition, Fields is getting those valuable repetitions, and is making the most of his new opportunities.

“He’s really operating the offense well, there’s a lot of things that he can play to his strengths, and that’s exciting. Sometimes, we’re asking him to be aggressive, even in these seven-on-seven drills, we have to try to practice. Nobody wants to see negative plays, but if we just sit there and check down for completion percentage in practice, we’ve got to see what we can really do and what he can see in the pocket, and all that stuff. But, again, him having more reps – to me – has accelerated that process.”

Fields’ play, along with the early success of the Steelers offense, has been a positive for the Steelers as they prepare for their first preseason game this Friday night in Houston. Nonetheless, while Smith might be a get-pumped-up type of coach, he very well is hopeful the team will continue to improve as they learn throughout training camp.

Will Fields be a fixture in the Steelers offense? With Russell Wilson still working his way back to full practice, Fields is getting the opportunity to put his best foot forward, and he hasn’t disappointed yet.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for their first preseason game Friday.