What will Arthur Smith bring to Ohio State? Discussing the Buckeyes' new OC with Alan Saunders

Summary

The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk

Episode: What will Arthur Smith bring to Ohio State? Discussing the Buckeyes' new OC with Alan Saunders
Air Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Bill Landis
Guest: Alan Saunders (SteelersNow.com)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into Arthur Smith’s arrival as Ohio State’s new offensive coordinator. Bill Landis welcomes Alan Saunders, who covered Smith during his stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, to discuss Smith’s coaching style, schematic preferences, reputation, and what Buckeyes fans might expect from the new hire. The conversation also touches on former Ohio State players in the NFL and how Smith might mesh with head coach Ryan Day.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Surprise and NFL Landscape

• Smith's Decision Raises Eyebrows

  • Alan Saunders was surprised by Smith’s move from the NFL to college after being a candidate for NFL head coaching jobs (Eagles, Titans).
  • “To go take a college coordinator position to me was fairly surprising. I don't know if he was concerned he wasn't going to get an NFL coordinator job, but yeah, I was, I was pretty surprised by that.” — Alan Saunders [01:36]

• NFL Reputation

  • Smith was seen as making the most out of a limited Steelers offense; not a schematic revolutionary but respected.
  • “The league kind of looked at the talent level in Pittsburgh and said, this guy's kind of doing a lot with not very much…he's a pretty well regarded coach.” — Alan Saunders [02:54]

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2. Smith's Tenure in Pittsburgh

• Organization and Fan View

  • Would have stayed if the Steelers’ head coach hadn’t left; organization likely satisfied. Fan base had typical coordinator frustrations.
  • “Every fan base hits their own offensive coordinator to some level. It is just part of being a football fan, I think.” — Alan Saunders [03:54]

• Offensive Results with Limited Talent

  • Smith elevated the floor for a barebones offense but didn’t make major schematic leaps.
  • “Arthur Smith was a very good floor raiser for the Steelers and they, and they had a low floor.” — Alan Saunders [05:29]

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3. Fit at Ohio State & Scheme Considerations

• Better Talent, More Potential

  • Interest in seeing how Smith handles “top of the top…kind of skill talent”—top receivers, QB, experienced line.
  • “I think there's an opportunity there for some real collusion where you can take some of the best parts of both [Smith’s NFL style and Day’s college system] and put them together and make it work really well.” — Alan Saunders [07:24]

• Schematic Zig Against College Trends

  • Smith’s style is an outlier versus modern college defenses focused on defending spread attacks.
  • “When you have the players and then you're also the schematic outlier compared to like what the rest of college football is doing...that itself becomes a challenge.” — Alan Saunders [08:19]

• Tight End Usage and Personnel

  • Smith known for creative and heavy tight end and big personnel usage; parallels with what Ohio State has dabbled in.
  • “He's like the tight end whisperer in terms of like, number of them and usage of them both….The Steelers had Connor Hayward lineup as a, the quarterback, they had Johnny Smith at running back. They used six and seven offensive linemen at times.” — Alan Saunders [10:26]

• Run Game Philosophy

  • Heavy wide zone concepts, “McVay tree-coated,” easy for college linemen to pick up.
  • “I think the big question...do college kids want to play that offense and are you going to get buy in...to run the ball 30 times a game and throw a bunch of play action passes.” — Alan Saunders [10:26]

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4. Potential Drawbacks and Criticism

• Personnel Distribution Concerns

  • Smith likes spreading touches deep into the depth chart, sometimes frustrating fans.
  • “He is a believer in like nine, 10 playmakers deep, all getting an opportunity every game…you're like, why is that guy getting the ball?” — Alan Saunders [11:52]
  • Developed favorites (“his guys”), e.g., Jonnu Smith getting snaps over arguably better options.

• Will Stars Get Enough Touches?

  • Discussion about whether standouts like Jeremiah Smith/RB Bo Jackson will be featured or spread too thin.
  • “I don't think you would ever see Arthur Smith really like force touches to a guy the way that I think you see other offensive coordinators do. I just don't think that's how he's wired. Except maybe at running back.” — Alan Saunders [14:23]

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5. Personality and Player Relationships

• Relationship-Building Style
  • Not for everyone, but fiercely loyal following among some players; “eccentric,” history buff—references Napoleon in pressers.
  • “The people that like him really like him, but he's not for everyone...He likes history. I don't know how that's gonna play out with 18 year olds.” — Alan Saunders [17:00]

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6. Deep Dive: Smith’s Run Game Details

• Primarily Wide Zone, Occasional Mix-Ins
  • Mostly wide zone blocking; gap runs rarely a staple, more a “change up.”
  • “It's something that's in the playbook but it's never going to be something that's a staple. It's just literally a change up.” — Alan Saunders [19:39]
  • Improved at mixing up zone plays over time.

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7. Buckeyes in Pittsburgh

• Jack Sawyer’s Rookie Year

  • Surprised by the pick, impressed by production as fourth edge rusher; standout special teamer.
  • “He was really good on special teams...he just brought him up. And so I think that's a pretty big phrase.” — Alan Saunders [21:00]

• Will Howard’s Role and Potential

  • Drafted to be a backup, but new Steelers leadership might see more; physical tools, but NFL future uncertain.
  • “If you just look at the last four games [of his Ohio State tape], you're like, this guy's awesome. If you look a little bit earlier, you're like, oh, there's some problems here.” — Alan Saunders [23:00]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Smith’s NFL standing:
  “He's a pretty well regarded coach. And I was…thought there was an outside chance the Titans were going to hire him as their head coach given his long ties to that organization.” — Alan Saunders [02:54]

• Philosophy on talent vs. scheme:
  “Do I think he was ever going to be, you know, Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan or put the Steelers in the realm of those teams that are at the very top of the NFL in terms of what they're doing on offense. Schematically, probably not.” — Alan Saunders [05:29]

• Zigging where others zag:
  “When you have the players and then you're also the schematic outlier compared to like what the rest of college football is doing...that itself becomes a challenge.” — Alan Saunders [08:19]

• On spreading the ball:
  “He's a believer in like nine, 10 playmakers deep, all getting an opportunity every game…there's definitely this tendency to try to do a little bit too much in terms of distribution of the, the touches and I, I know that can be frustrating.” — Alan Saunders [11:52]

• On relationships with players:
  “From a personality standpoint, he's definitely not for everyone, but people that get him, really get him...” — Alan Saunders [17:00]

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Important Timestamps

• Smith’s surprise move to Ohio State: [01:36]
• NFL- and fanbase perception: [02:54] – [04:37]
• Smith’s schematic leanings and fit at Ohio State: [07:24] – [10:26]
• Personnel usage criticisms: [11:52]
• Wide vs. gap run game: [19:39]
• Buckeyes in Pittsburgh – Sawyer & Howard: [20:45] – [24:41]
• Saunders on Smith’s personality and influence: [17:00]

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Conclusion

This episode offers a nuanced, in-depth look at Arthur Smith’s journey from the NFL to college football, focusing on what he brings to the table for Ohio State’s offense. The analysis blends NFL perspective with Buckeye-centric expectations while grounding the discussion in real examples of Smith’s approach to scheme, personnel, and locker room dynamics. Listeners gain a clear understanding of both the potential upsides and possible frustrations of the Buckeyes’ new offensive coordinator.

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Transcript

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[Bill Landis]

Welcome back to the Bill and Doug Show. Bill Landis joined by a special guest. Today we're going to talk about Arthur Smith, Ohio State's new offensive coordinator. And to learn a little bit more about Arthur Smith and what he might bring to the table, we have with us Alan Saunders, who covers the Pittsburgh Steelers for SteelersNow.com Arthur Smith, of course, the offensive coordinator for the Steelers these past two seasons. So, Alan, we appreciate you joining us here to share some expertise on the Puckeyes new coordinator.

[Alan Saunders]

Absolutely. Thanks for having me.

[Bill Landis]

So how, how unexpected was this for you? I guess I'll start there. Like what, what was your initial reaction, level of surprise to see that Arthur Smith was, rather than go somewhere else in the NFL, was going to come to college and be the coordinator for Ohio State?

[Alan Saunders]

Yeah, I was pretty surprised. I mean, I knew it wasn't likely to come back to Pittsburgh, but I, you know, he last year had the opportunity to take the head coach job at North Carolina and turned it down in the middle of the season. And I thought that to me was a sign that he wasn't that interested in going back to college. And this off season he was a candidate for two NFL head coaching jobs. Now, I don't think he was in position to get either of them, but the fact he was a candidate for an NFL head coaching job and then to go take a college coordinator position to me was fairly surprising. I don't know if he was concerned he wasn't going to get an NFL coordinator job, but yeah, I was, I was pretty surprised by that.

[Bill Landis]

Yeah, it did seem like he had opportunity. I know, I know. I think like the Eagles and the, and the Titans maybe were kind of, we're talking to him to perhaps be this his coordinator. What? And that to me, like, so Ohio State's in a position now where it has Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator, and Arthur Smith at offensive coordinator, and Matt Patricia's, to me, is like a very different scenario. He was sort of like in the wind, I think, trying to, you know, reestablish something in the eyes of the NFL. It seemed to me like Arthur Smith was, you know, still pretty well regarded in the league. What was your sense of how the league sort of at large viewed him as he was sitting there kind of open to opportunities?

[Alan Saunders]

Yeah, my understanding was the league kind of looked at the talent level in Pittsburgh and said, this guy's kind of doing a lot with not very much. You know, I don't think he was thought of as this guy that was necessarily on the cutting edge of what's happening around the NFL in terms of moving the game forward with offensive schematics or something like that. But I think he's a pretty well regarded coach. And I. I was really. I mean, I was. I thought there was an outside chance the Titans were going to hire him as their head coach given his long ties to that organization. So, I mean, yeah, it was pretty surprising to me.

[Bill Landis]

How was Arthur Smith viewed in Pittsburgh by, I guess, like, maybe by the organization, but also by the fan base. And as far as you understand, had Mike Tomlin not decided to step down, would Arthur Smith still be the offensive coordinator for the Steelers? You know, unless someone else came along and offered him a better opportunity?

[Alan Saunders]

Yeah. So I would assume that if Mike Tomlin had come back, that Arthur Smith was coming back as well. The Steelers just very, very rarely change coaches made contract. It's not really what they do. And he still had one year on his deal in Pittsburgh. So, I mean, I was operating in the assumption that if Mike Tomlin came back, that Arthur Smith was coming back as well. I don't think that he did anything that would have caused the Steelers to make a change. I don't think the fan base was necessarily thrilled with everything they saw on the field. I also think every fan base hits their own offensive coordinator to some level. It is just part of being a football fan, I think.

[Bill Landis]

Yeah.

[Alan Saunders]

And I also think it's a lot easier, especially when you're in the scenario the Steelers are in, for people to say, well, these guys that I really like that are my favorites, this guy just isn't using them as well. They're very. Well, it's a lot easier to say that than it is to admit that the Steelers had like, bottom five offensive skill position talent in the NFL this year. And that's the biggest reason why they weren't above, they were still 15th in scoring. It's not, they were bad. That's the biggest reason they were not an above average offense.

[Bill Landis]

So I, I've been trying to, to figure out the right context for that because I, I kind of felt the same way. Like I looked at some of the numbers for the Steelers offense this year and it's like it doesn't, nothing blows you away, but it's also like, man, it's kind of impressive to even be kind of league average in some of these areas given, given what was at his disposal. So I get you've kind of touched on a few different times, but how would you assess the job that Arthur Smith did in Pittsburgh in those two years?

[Alan Saunders]

I feel like Arthur Smith was a very good floor raiser for the Steelers and they, and they had a low floor. Like, I mean like some, I think people say that about some people like derisively. You know, I think you could maybe say that about Mike McCarthy coming in to coach the Steelers. Right. And maybe what the Steelers as a team need is not to have their floor raised. But as a Steelers offense coming into this year, I mean he had four offensive linemen that were either in their first or second year starting at that position. He had Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson as wide receivers 2 and 3 and a 42 year old Aaron Rodgers, a quarterback like outside of the tight end position and even running back. I mean it ended up working out very well. But like Kenny Gainwell and Jalen Warren, I don't think anybody had those seasons penciled in for those guys before the year. So I got, it's a bad group of personnel that I think he did good stuff with. Do I think he was ever going to be, you know, Sean McVeigh or Kyle Shanahan or put the Steelers in the realm of those teams that are at the very top of the NFL in terms of what they're doing on offense. Schematically, probably not. You know, I don't think he was ever going to get them there, but I mean if you don't have the talent, I think it was, it was very evident that he was a big help in that regard.

[Bill Landis]

So what do you think? I'm not, I'm not expecting you to be an expert necessarily in what Ohio State has on its roster, but just sort of generally the idea of him going to a place, place that does have top of the top, like upper echelon line kind of skill, talent. What would your expectation be of Arthur Smith and sort of any scenario where he has, you know, the best receiver, a really good quarterback, exciting young running back, experienced offensive line, that kind of stuff.

[Alan Saunders]

Yeah, I'm really interested to see what the interplay is like between him and Ryan Day because as far as I can tell, he's really never worked with someone who is on the same side of the ball as him. That sort of approaches things from a different state, like very different offenses. Right. Ohio State has had than what he's run. I think there's an opportunity there for some real collusion where you can take some of the best parts of both and put them together and make it work really well. I mean, I think if you look at the Ohio State running game this year, last year they had overwhelming talent. This year was not overwhelming talent and it wasn't as good. And so I think if you're looking at trying to get back there, I think that's an opportunity. And I don't know how you can be bad at running a passing offense with Jeremiah Smith and Julian saying like, I think me and you could figure out how to get him the ball.

[Bill Landis]

Yeah.

[Alan Saunders]

So I think it feels like short term anyway, a good fit. And I also think it's a bit of a zig in terms of like what. Call it what most college defenses are preparing for. I was covering, I was covering Pitt in the ACC when Georgia Tech still ran the option. And we had like a coaches conference call every week where like all the head coaches would talk and just unanimously, every team hated playing Georgia Tech because they would get into a rhythm of like, hey, it's another RPO spread offense. And then there's this, you know, or whatever this defense is. And then you just get something that's so different than what you're used to preparing for that it. That. That itself becomes a challenge. And Georgia Tech was doing that because they, they couldn't get the guys right. They felt like that they needed that to be competitive. But when you have the players and then you're also the schematic outlier compared to like what the rest of college football is doing. As long as it's structurally sound, you're not like doing dumb stuff to be different. I think it can be really a powerful weapon.

[Bill Landis]

Yeah, I think that's sort of the idea here. Like it. I was uncertain exactly which direction Ryan Day would want to go. Like, clearly he was going to bring in somebody from the outside. But if you look at what a lot of Ohio State tried to do last year, they were playing 12 personnel a lot. They played 13 personnel as much as almost anybody in college football. And even a little bit, a little bit of 14 now, they probably went too far down that road and I think Ryan Day would say that. But clearly there's something he likes about playing with bigger personnel, versatile tight ends, you know, and I think they got a little off course with like the run pass balance of that, how much the use play action. And it just seems to me like from what I've learned about Arthur Smith and I've been watching him a lot this, this past week, it seemed like a bit of a, of a double down on the road that Ohio State was already trying to go down last year by bringing in Arthur Smith. So like the idea of, you know, playing bigger, having these versatile pieces, obviously running the ball more like you, you would think those are all things that are kind of right up Arthur Smith's alley, right?

[Alan Saunders]

Yeah, I mean he's like the tight end whisperer in terms of like, number of them and usage of them both. I mean the Steelers had Connor Hayward lineup as a, the, the quarterback, they had Johnny Smith at running back. They used six and seven offensive linemen at times. So I mean he'll, he'll bring all that to the table for sure. I mean the running principles are very like McVeigh tree coated like a lot of wide zone and that kind of thing which I think is generally pretty easy for college guys to block. It's not like, like what he's doing is going to be an impossible ask. And so I think the big question I guess would be and like do college kids want to play that offense and are you going to get buy in from the kind of players that Ohio State can get to say, all right, we're going to run the ball 30 times a game and, and throw a bunch of play action passes.

[Bill Landis]

Yeah. So I guess like from what you observed over two years and I'm not sure like what you kind of dove into even before Arthur Smith got to Pittsburgh. I think the strengths of the system are, are pretty obvious and what he, what he likes to do are pretty obvious. What would you point out to say or maybe like weaknesses or shortcomings or things perhaps you thought the Steelers didn't quite do well enough in his, in his two years in Pittsburgh.

[Alan Saunders]

Yeah, I mean I think the big thing that you can say about Arthur Smith, not just in Pittsburgh but over his career is the personnel usage is going to be frustrating. He is a believer in like nine, 10 playmakers deep, all getting an opportunity every game. They're going to be plays where you're like, why is that guy getting the ball? And a lot of them, he also, I feel like, has a tendency to have his, his guys. Now maybe it'll be different in college because he's not literally bringing his guys with, with him. But I felt like in Pittsburgh this year John Smith got like way more opportunities than he deserved. Mostly just because he was Arthur Smith's guy and that he was outplayed by Darnell Washington and Pat Farm with almost at every avenue and was still getting a good share of the reps at tight end. And so I don't know how that'll play out with college kids. And obviously, you know, you can't develop long term relationships like that with them. They're there and then they're gone. So maybe it won't be an issue. But I definitely, and that was the big complaint about them in Atlanta too is that people would say, well, you know, Bijan doesn't get the ball enough and Drake London doesn't get the ball enough and Kyle Pitts doesn't get the ball enough. And, and then you get guys like Matt Collins or whatever, you know, like I, I think there's definitely this tendency to try to do a little bit too much in terms of the distribution of the, the touches and I, I know that can be frustrating.

[Bill Landis]

Yeah, I think that's, that might be the biggest criticism I've heard of like, of this hire and people. They're a decent amount of Steelers fans, I think in the Ohio State fan base and certainly people I think just like who have come to known Arthur Smith sort of M.O. throughout his time in the NFL. And I think maybe they're like a little worried that Jeremiah Smith's not going to get the ball as much as he should. Right. Or Bo Jackson at running back is going to, you know, not get whatever his 20 touches per game. And I don't know that I'm worried about that necessarily. Like I, I understand the frustrations with that in the NFL, but I also look at like Tennessee, right. Like A.J. brown was a thousand yard receiver both years he was there. Corey Davis was close to that. So I don't know what would your expectation be of if you have, if there was a pure star receiver right in Pittsburgh.

[Alan Saunders]

Right.

[Bill Landis]

Let's just, let's just put a true wide receiver, one superstar in that offense. Do you think it would have played out the same way or do you think Arthur Smith would like. No, like that's, this is our guy. We got to make sure we're getting him the ball. As much as we possibly can.

[Alan Saunders]

I don't know. I'm. I mean I think he would have like gotten more than the guys in Pittsburgh did. I don't think you would ever see Arthur Smith really like force touches to a guy the way that I think you see other offensive coordinators do. I just don't think that's how he's wired. Except maybe at running back. I do think like when you look at like Derek Henry, like his Derek Henry usage was an outlier. Like he was like, yes, we will give this guy the ball as many times as he can physically do it. Like, are you standing on two feet? Okay, the ball's going to 22. And so I think in terms of running the ball, I, I would have no concerns about that. In terms of Jeremiah Smith maybe. Although like, I mean DK Metcalf and George Pickens in, in two seasons in Pittsburgh dominated the target share among wide receivers. Just didn't throw the ball that often. Also they had bad quarterback play and offensive line that wasn't very good at pass protection. So there was other stuff that went into that. I don't think it was just him not wanting to throw the ball. So I think he'll feed a star to an appropriate level. I don't think he's going to give up on the rest of the team to do that though.

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[Bill Landis]

What is your understanding of Arthur Smith is just like a guy building relationships with his players? I think that's always a question when guys come from the NFL to college, like, can you. And college is different now too, because everyone's getting paid and they're practically professionals. But I do think that personal touch probably still matters a little more in college than it does does in the NFL. What would you say about his ability to like, kind of connect with his players on a, on a personal level?

[Alan Saunders]

I would say, like, from a personality standpoint, he's definitely not for everyone, but people that get him, really get him, like, I mean, we saw, I think five or six guys that had played for him before that were not making anything, just want to come follow him to Pittsburgh because that was like their guy. Like, they were like guys who were the bottom of the roster, like Cordell Patterson, Scotty Miller, Michael Pruitt. You know, these are not star players that had a lot of options, but they were like, yeah, I want to go play for Arthur Smith again. I think that says a lot about his personality and his ability to connect and make relationships with guys. I also know that, like, not everybody feels that way about him and that he has. He's a bit eccentric, I would say. He likes history. I don't know how that's gonna play out with 18 year olds. You know, we'll be in a press conference and he'll be like, dropping references about like Napoleon. And I just, I don't know. I don't know if that, like how that's going to go over some heads. He's a very smart guy. You know, I got along with him. Well, I don't. I, I will say that I think the people that like him really like him, but he's not for everyone. That's probably the best way I can, I can describe it.

[Bill Landis]

Okay. I do have it. So we're in this world in college sports now where apparently if you're a pro, you can come back to college. Have you heard anything about John New Smith trying to come play for Ohio State to continue this one with Arthur.

[Alan Saunders]

Smith literally put it the day it broke in our Steelers beat writer group text. I said, breaking news. Ohio State has gotten a commitment from John U. Smith. See if the NCAA notices. I tell you what, John is a, A really a fantastic athlete. I mean, he, he could, he could pass for, for 26. Still. You could get him into a college locker room. I think so, Yeah. I wouldn't rule it out.

[Bill Landis]

I want to ask you, I meant to ask this before. So I'm circling back on Smith's run game. So I think we all know, like, he's, he's pretty heavily wide Zone based. But Ohio State and Ohio State early in Ryan Day's tenure was also wide zone base. But lately the last couple years they've been a little more gap scheme. And I think I, I watched three games at Smith called. One in Pittsburgh, one in Tennessee and one in Atlanta and I think I saw one running play with like a pulling lineman in all three of those games. But I also saw an interview that he did, it said like, you know, we'll mix in some gaps game stuff too. So, so just from like from you having watched him in every game these last two years, what would you expect an Arthur Smith run game to look like and what are kind of the change ups that might come along with? Obviously a heavy dose of wide zone.

[Alan Saunders]

Yeah, I think a change up is the good way to put it where like it's something that's in the playbook but it's never going to be something that's a staple. It's just literally a change up. We saw him do that I think last year, especially when Cordell Patterson was the third running back, like he was just for whatever reason the kid coming and then they'd run some like gap counter stuff. Okay, they, they do. I will say, like I thought this year he did a better job of it, of just mixing. It was still a very heavy zone. But in terms of like mixing up the zone plays, they ran a bunch of like lineback counter, same side counter, just different stuff that I thought was, was more beneficial than just a really heavy dose of just wide zone. But still, I mean, go watch the Steelers against the Lions this year and they're just explosive plays with the first play they ever installed with Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator. So I mean it's still going to be a big part of what they're doing.

[Bill Landis]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Before we let you go, I want to ask you about a couple of the Buckeyes that are on the Steelers. What did you make of Jack Sawyer's rookie season in Pittsburgh?

[Alan Saunders]

I thought Jack Sawyer was a strange draft pick for the Steelers. They certainly did not need badly need another edge rusher with, with who they have in front of him. That being said, they also don't usually miss on that position. So I was, I was assuming that he would be pretty good and then like wonder how they were going to use him. And that's pretty much what happened. Like he was very, very probably better than I expected him to be as a rookie. I just don't know what the future outlook is for him to ever be more than what he was for this year, which was their fourth edge rusher who sort of specialized on being like the rundown backup with Nick Herbig kind of being the, the pass down backup. I, I guess I would say yeah, I don't know where they go from here, but he was really good. I, I thought he. And, and the other thing that really stood out to me, he was really good on special teams. You know, he was a guy who was like a team captain and, and you know, one of the best players on a really good defense and you're never quite sure how those guys are going to translate to being the fourth edge rusher on the team and being a guy who's primarily used on special teams. And I thought he really, really took off in that area. I was actually just talking here at the super bowl with Ben Skoronic who was a Steelers Pro Bowler as a special teamer and he very specifically like, was like Jack Sawyer was really good for us as a rookie on special teams. When I didn't ask him about him, he just brought him up. And so I think that's, that's a pretty big phrase.

[Bill Landis]

Oh, I did. I didn't know you were out on the West Coast. You're getting up early for us today. I appreciate that we're doing this at 11:00am Eastern Time and you're out there in Santa Clar that for us. We appreciate it. Will Howard. I was at a baseball car show over the weekend and Will Howard was there signing autographs and there were a million people in line waiting to get that dude's autograph. He's obviously well, well regarded here in Columbus for winning a national championship. Is he just. He's going to be a backup in Pittsburgh and that's fine. Is there any chance that he ever elevates to something more than that with the Steelers?

[Alan Saunders]

I guess right now I don't know if, if it was still the previous regime. I, I mean, I think they hoped he would become a backup quarterback. Felt like they were drafting Mason Rudolph again was sort of the idea. But when Mike McCarthy came in, will Howard was part of his introductory press conference, which is probably not what you're doing if you think the guy is capped at hopefully a career backup. I don't know if that is something that Mike McCarthy sees in him, that he thinks he can develop him. He's obviously had a lot of success developing quarterbacks in his career. I don't know if that is something that, hey, they're looking at the reality of the quarterback situation and that the starter this year is probably 43 year old Aaron Rodgers or worse. Yeah. And just trying to find something that they can sell us some future hope. I don't know. I do think that he has the physical tools to be good enough to be an above average NFL quarterback. I think when you look at the Ohio State tape, if you just look at the last four games, you're like, this guy's awesome. If you look a little bit earlier, you're like, oh, there's some problems here. And the fact that he didn't get a preseason at all, really, I mean, it was a wasted year for him. So I don't think we know anything more about Will Howard than we did the last time he put on a Buckeye uniform. And I think the Steelers are interested to find out anyway. I don't know if they're really any more hopeful than they used to be or if this is just, like I said, trying to give the people some hope.

[Bill Landis]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'm interested to see where that goes to. Alan Saunders, Let the people in our Ohio State fan base who are Steelers fans, I'm assuming the Browns and Bengals fans probably don't want to read your stuff. No offense, but the people who are Steelers fans, where can they find you writing and talking about the Steelers?

[Alan Saunders]

Yeah, bring on the Browns and Bagels fans. You gotta, you gotta hate, you gotta hate Reed. You gotta know what the enemy is doing. Like just, just bring it on. Ace Anders, underscore PGH on social media, PGH steelers now and steelersnow.com and then my podcast Steelers Afternoon Drive is on the Steelers Now YouTube page or anywhere you find podcast.

[Bill Landis]

All right, well, check that out if you are in fact a Steelers fan. Alan Saunders, thank you so much for joining us and letting us learn a little bit more about Arthur Smith. We hope you guys have a good weekend, enjoy the super bowl and we'll talk to you next week. See you.

[Alan Saunders]

All right, thanks.

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