hello Pittsburgh Steelers fans today we have a fascinating story for you especially as we gear up for the exciting start of the season on September 8th our Steelers will face the Atlanta Falcons in what promises to be an emotional game but with a very interesting backdrop the return of Arthur Smith to Atlanta for those who don't know Arthur Smith our current offensive coordinator was the head coach of the Falcons for three consecutive Seasons from 2021 to 2023 during his tenure the Falcons failed to surpass a 7 to10 record in any of those Seasons leading to his dismissal last year however far from holding a grudge or resentment Smith has taken a surprisingly positive and reflective stance on his time in Atlanta in a recent interview with Diana Rini of the athletic Smith made it clear that he doesn't consider the season opener against the Falcons as a personal Revenge match in this league nothing is guaranteed Smith said demonstrating great humility and maturity I'm grateful for my time in Atlanta I love those players and the staff many of them are still there we brought them onto the team but now it's about the players we have here in Pittsburgh Smith continued by saying that although the Falcons have made significant changes such as adding Kirk Cousins and drafting promising quarterback Michael pennick his focus is entirely on his current team the Steelers and securing the win in that first game of the season but that's not all Smith won't be the only one returning to Atlanta with fresh memories this offseason five players who were under his command with the Falcons have joined the Steelers these players include curell Patterson a wide receiver and kickoff return specialist who signed with the Steelers thanks to Smith's influence alongside him van Jefferson Scotty Miller Michael puit and Adat toonbo o gundi who was recently signed to the practice squad also arrived for them the game against the Falcons will be an opportunity to return to a place they once called home but this time wearing the Steelers colors it's interesting to remember that during his time in Atlanta Smith faced harsh criticism for not fully capitalizing on the team's offensive Talent particularly the skills of three of his main weapons running back benon Robinson tight end Kyle pittz and wide receiver Drake London one of the most talked about moments of his time in Atlanta was when Smith delivered a peculiar for minute rant defending the lack of Red Zone Touches for Robinson which generated numerous headlines in the media despite this criticism Bon Robinson holds no grudge against Smith in fact in a recent conversation with K Adams for the show up and Adams Robinson expressed his excitement about facing the Steelers and reuniting with his former coach it's going to be amazing Robinson said after the game name I'll walk up to Art Smith say man I love you I appreciate you give him a big hug and keep walking because art is still my friend I had him all last year and he's my friend I wish him much success there but yeah after that game I'm ready to face him it'll be fun it's clear that while the upcoming game between the Steelers and the Falcons is filled with history and emotions it's not expected to be a controversial matchup this contrasts sharply with other returns we'll see this season such as Russell Wilson's return to Denver in week two which is sure to be full of tension however what's clear is that for Arthur Smith and his former players this game will be more of a friendly reunion than a battle filled with resentment Kenny picket booed at pit game hero or villain in Steel City Kenny picket the former quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh pit has gone from local her to a controversial figure in Steel City this past Saturday during the game between pit and Kent State at AER Stadium picket was booed by fans when his best plays were shown on the big screen picket who was once a fan favorite for leading the pit Panthers to an 11-3 record and an ACC title in 2021 has seen his popularity plummet since his abrupt departure from the Steelers in March his decision to request a trade after the team signed Russell Wilson left to bad taste in many supporters mouths the Steelers granted his request and sent him to the Philadelphia Eagles leading to a wave of criticism towards the Young quarterback many fans believe that picket showed a lack of competitiveness by not wanting to fight for the starting spot against Wilson leading to a dramatic fall in his reputation however not everyone shares this view some supporters believe the Steelers betrayed picket by not providing the necessary support especially in his development under the controversial offensive coordinator Matt Canada the situation has not been easy for Picket whose NFL statistics failed to impressed during his two seasons with the Steelers with just 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 25 games his scoring percentage is the lowest in NFL history a statistic that has fueled the criticism against him Andrew philipon a commentator from 93.7 The Fan was one of the few who defended picket after the booze critic izing fans for not separating their discontent with the Steelers from their support for pit Kenny picket was great for pit if you boo him at a pit game you need your fan card revoked he stated on social media additionally experts like Warren sharp have pointed out that the Steelers did picket no favors by keeping Matt Canada in his role claiming they set him up for failure from the start I'm not a picket supporter but the way the Steelers supported their first round QB was disgraceful Sharp wrote in his recent book for his part picket now with the Philadelphia Eagles has maintained a positive attitude about the change in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer he said change is a wonderful thing I'm living it right now I think if you keep a positive attitude everything will get better the upcoming match up between the Steelers and the Eagles on December 15th could be Pickett's chance to prove his worth although it's most likely he'll do so from the bench unless Jaylen Herz suffers an injury will this be the moment picket redeems himself to his former fans or will he continue to be seened as the villain in Steel City the Titans could complicate life for the Steelers with a shocking trade the Tennessee Titans might be on the verge of making a move that would shake up the AFC North and put the Pittsburgh Steelers in an even more difficult situation according to analyst Alex Valentine of Bleacher Report the Cleveland Browns direct Rivals of the Steelers might be on their way to acquiring star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in a trade with the Titans Hopkins 32 proved in the 2023 season that he remains a force to be reckoned with amassing over 1,000 yards and scoring seven touchdowns however with the Titans in full rebuild mode and Hopkins in the final year of his contract the possibility of the veteran receivers joining a title contending team is becoming more and more real the idea of Hopkins reun uniting with his former teammate deshun Watson with whom he shared successful seasons in Houston makes this potential trade even more intriguing with a trio of receivers that would include Amari Cooper Jerry Judy and DeAndre Hopkins the Browns could be building an offense that would give Watson all the tools he needs to return to his Pro Bowl form the Steelers who at one point also tried to acquire a star receiver might now face the possibility of going up against Hopkins twice a year if this trade goes through the competition in the AFC North is heating up and this potential move could drastically change the landscape of the division are the Steelers ready to face a Browns offense more powerful than ever only time will tell