The search for a new offensive coordinator is over. Yesterday, the Tennessee Titans announced that they have promoted former tight ends coach Arthur Smith to the position left vacant by Matt LaFleur’s hiring in Green Bay. It’s not the splash hire many were hoping for (like Mike Leach would’ve been), but in my humble opinion, it’s a pretty good one.
In case you haven’t read by now, Smith has been on the Titans coaching staff since 2011 – quite an accomplishment in and of itself. He’s seen four different coaching regimes during his tenure in Nashville, and managed to stay on board through all of them. How anyone survived the Ken Whisenhunt era is beyond me. Smith started with the Titans as a defensive assistant/quality control coach in 2011 before switching to an offensive assistant/quality control coach and holding that position from 2012-2013. Then, he was promoted to tight ends coach and eventually, here we are in 2019, with Smith having worked his way up the ladder to offensive coordinator.
Smith’s work with the tight ends over the last several seasons has been phenomenal, from a surface-level view of their play. Delanie Walker has been one of the greatest, and most underrated, tight ends in the NFL. But, guys like Jonnu Smith, Anthony Firkser, and Luke Stocker have all played well with Smith at the helm. He has a deep knowledge of the offense the Titans have implemented, and the promotion seems to be popular with the players.
But, the biggest benefit to this is simple continuity. It means that not a whole lot will change, and that means sparing Marcus Mariota from learning yet another new offensive scheme. This should be as steady an offseason as Mariota has had in his career. Heading into a make-or-break season, that’s important for the fifth-year Titans quarterback.
With LaFleur, you knew you were getting a coach on the rise. That meant the inevitability of losing him at some point. Did any of us see it coming after the 2018 campaign the Titans offense had? No – but eventually, it was bound to happen. I don’t think that’s the case with Smith unless this Titans offense takes a dramatic turn for the better.
The main criticism of Smith’s hiring is his lack of experience calling plays, but I’ll let our boys at Football…and Other F Words address that point:
Before you go: “BUT HE’S NEVER CALLED PLAYS BLARGH!”
Here’s a list of TE Coaches who made the jump straight to OC or HC:
Sean McVay
Andy Reid
Bruce Arians
Freddie Kitchens
Ken Whisenhunt
Kevin Stefanski
Pat Shurmur
Greg Roman
Mike Mularkey
Rob Chudzinski— Football …and other F words (@FWordsPod) January 21, 2019
Experience calling plays is a plus, but let’s not act like it’s a bona fide requirement for the job. Nor is it a key indicator of future success. Is Smith the next Sean McVay? Probably not, but just because he hasn’t called plays before, it doesn’t mean he won’t be.
This is a good move for the stability of the Titans offense and Mariota, bottom line.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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