The Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled in recent years to find offensive coordinators who design schemes that make the team successful. When Randy Fichtner joined the team in 2007, he was hired as the wide receivers coach under Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians. The Steelers struggled that season, but in 2008, they returned to win their sixth Super Bowl trophy.
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Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Arians, and Mike Tomlin.
Fichtner switched to the quarterbacks coach in 2010 and worked closely with a young Ben Roethlisberger. In 2012, Todd Haley took over when Arians moved on to the Indianapolis Colts. Fichtner ultimately became the offensive coordinator when Haley left for the Cleveland Browns. While the fan base didn't like how Fichtner ran the offense, he and Roethlisberger developed a close relationship.
Recently, Fichtner appeared on the What The H**l Do I Know Podcast, hosted by Jason Becker, and was asked about his time with the Steelers. Becker asked him if it was true that he once had to come between Haley and Roethlisberger by switching from the booth to the sideline to keep the peace.
"To answer your question, yes, I was called down," said Fichtner. "I was asked if I was better served to be down. And the answer was yes, I was between those two. I knew that was part of my job. I was to keep the temperament between those two, and that was part of my job. I was a quarterback coach, and I needed to make sure that it was cohesive as best it could be."
When Fichtner moved down to the field in 2017, it was marketed as a way to improve communication between the players and coaching staff. However, Fichtner said in his mind, the move is forever tied to a young rookie wide receiver named JuJu Smith-Schuster.
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Pittsburgh Steelers' former offensive coordinator, Randy Fichtner.
He remembers that first game because it happened right after Smith-Schuster had his bike stolen and had to ride an old, clunky bike. While the two have nothing to do with each other, he said he always remembers the incidents together. He found it humorous that Smith-Schuster had just scored an 80-yard touchdown and then couldn't go to a bar and had to ride a bike around.
"We go to Detroit, and I come out of the press box and down to the sideline," continued Fichtner. "This isn't secrets. I work for Todd, and I coach Ben; the bottom line was that you know certain times you're not going to see eye-to-eye; I get that part. But it was more than that at times. It was just personalities. Todd's a strong personality, there's no question."
It is also not a secret that Roethlisberger is a strong personality. Once he took control of the offense, he was known to do what he wanted. Former Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell even said Roethlisberger would ignore Haley's play calls sometimes. Of course, when your quarterback is growing into a future Hall of Famer, it is hard to argue with them.
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Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger and Le'Veon Bell.
Fichtner initially found success as a coordinator in Pittsburgh. He reportedly had Roethlisberger to thank for the promotion. Rumors circulated wildly that the quarterback lobbied for his favorite coach to be promoted. Ultimately, that didn't save Fichtner. The Steelers chose not to renew his contract after the 2020 season.
Steelers' New Offensive Coordinator Is Making Fans Optimistic
After Fichtner left Pittsburgh, the team promoted Matt Canada to offensive coordinator. Many fans were immediately skeptical because of his lack of experience at the pro level and critical of the team's tendency to promote from within.
Canada didn't last long, and when they went looking again, they proved they might have learned their lesson. They chose Arthur Smith, the former Atlanta Falcons head coach who had previously been an outstanding offensive coach.
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Steelers' Arthur Smith talks with Justin Fields during a game.
In his first season, Smith is slowly spreading optimism among the fan base, considering he has designed and run successful offenses for two very different quarterbacks: Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. While it is too soon to claim this as an absolute success, it certainly appears to be trending in the right direction.
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