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From Cleveland to Pittsburgh, new Steelers QB coach Tom Arth has been the glue for the group
Browns
game will rustle up memories, though Western Pa. has been good so far to
Russell Wilson’s right-hand man
Brian Batko
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Nov 20, 2024
He
never wanted to admit he was a Browns fan, but if he’s being honest, when John
Elway mounted “The Drive” and spoiled a Super Bowl run for the city of
Cleveland, 5-year-old Tom Arth ran upstairs to his room and cried.
As an aspiring quarterback himself, Arth was always more of a
Joe Montana fan than an Elway guy anyway. But he’s also a proud Cleveland
native, a football lifer and now in his first season as an NFL quarterbacks
coach for the Steelers.
Pretty run-of-the-mill job this year, right?
Arth has been the man behind and often
walking next to Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and even Kyle Allen in a most
unusual eight months at quarterback for this new-look Steelers offense. Thursday
night, he returns to his hometown with the hated Steelers, but he has an
appreciation for what this game and the history between the two teams means —
and how fortunate he is to have made his way here.
“There’s still family members who probably won’t be rooting for
us, certain family members who refuse to wear Steelers gear and things like
that,” Arth said with a smile. “But that’s just part of what makes the AFC
North and the rivalries within it so special.”
Make no mistake, Arth is a Cleveland fan through and through
when it’s not the Browns. He grew up there, went to college there, met his wife
Lauren there and had spent all but four seasons of his 14-year coaching career
in Northeast Ohio until now. Back in October, he was trash-talking one of the
Steelers equipment staffers — who’s a Yankees fan — when the Guardians staved
off elimination in the ALCS.
But since being hired in
Pittsburgh to join Arthur Smith’s offensive staff, Arth has settled into a
critical role working with a completely remodeled quarterback group. All three
in his room praised his attention to detail, preparation and relatability, thanks
in large part to having spent three years as an NFL quarterback on the Colts
practice squad, where he backed up Peyton Manning, among others.
“Number one, he’s played
the game,” Wilson said. “He’s been around guys like Peyton Manning, he’s held
the football in his hands in the National Football League, and I think that
knowledge, that intel, is really helpful.”
Arth never made it to the active roster, but even having a few
cups of coffee in the pros qualifies as exceeding expectations for a
quarterback from the Division III ranks. He starred at John Carroll — a hotbed
for NFL coaches and executives — 10 miles from his high school, Saint Ignatius.
His coaching odyssey led
him from his college alma mater to head jobs at Chattanooga and Akron, then
eventually the NFL. Arth held the title of pass game specialist for the
Chargers the past two years as an assistant under two different offensive
coordinators, Joe Lombardi and Kellen Moore, while helping with Justin
Herbert’s development.
“It’s different to see it through a
quarterback’s eyes, so he gets it,” Allen said. “Super hard worker, and I just
can’t say enough about him.”
That propensity to dive into everything headfirst meant that
when Arth was added to Mike Tomlin’s staff back in early February, his initial
process was to start studying Kenny Pickett. He reached out to Pickett, began
conversations and then things changed a lot in about a month’s time — for
Pickett, the Steelers and Arth.
Arth knew Wilson was a potential free agent the Steelers could
have interest in, so he had already begun that film work. He wasn’t quite as
ready for the next slant pattern thrown his way.
“Had a really good feel for Russell, but Justin, that one kind
of popped up out of thin air,” Arth recalled last week. “But it was very
exciting to have the opportunity to work with two players of that caliber —
both at very different points in their career, but both with so much to prove.”
Has it been a challenge to switch from a 25-year-old fourth-year
player who moves like a gazelle to a 35-year-old who operates with all the
savvy and confidence of a Super Bowl-winning veteran? Yes, but it’s one Arth,
43, is learning from every day.
And while the ebb and flow of the Steelers’ quarterback
situation has kept Arth on his toes, it doesn't hurt that in Pittsburgh he
feels right at home. Part of that is the proximity, of course. But with a wife
and five kids, relocating across the country isn’t easy, and he’s found that
aspect of life here to be particularly rewarding.
“My family’s everything to me,” Arth said. “That's sometimes
very difficult in this profession, with the time commitment that we make,
particularly during the season. But also the moves, and that's been challenging
for my kids, for all of us. Our move here to Pittsburgh, this transition has
been as clean and as seamless for us as any, and I think it just has to do with
the people here.”
His oldest daughter, Caroline, is a freshman at the University
of Tennessee and is getting her feet wet in the family business, working on the
nutrition side of the football program in Knoxville. His oldest son, Tommy, was
a standout junior starter at North Catholic High School under head coach Chris
Rizzo, who played for Arth at John Carroll.
Adding to the tight-knit community feel for the Arths has been
the experience for his third and fourth children, Kate and Patrick, both of
whom have special needs. Through the Colbert family, they learned of the St.
Anthony program, which allows Kate to receive a Catholic education in the same
building as her big brother.
“She’s at school every day with Tommy, and that’s just been a
really special thing for her — and I think for Tommy, too,” Arth said. “He’s
great with both of them.”
That peace of mind is especially nice when Arth is putting in
long hours with the quarterbacks, all of whom have completed at least one pass
this season. As encouraged as he is by the rapport between Wilson and Fields,
not to mention all the winning they’ve done, Arth’s biggest thrill so far
might’ve come when Allen had to come in for two snaps against the Cowboys and
threw a 19-yard strike to Pat Freiermuth cold off the sideline.
Not only did Allen keep the offense flowing, but it’s always
fulfilling for a position coach when the head man in charge or the play-caller
trusts one of his reserves enough to perform like a starter — even more so when
it’s dialing up a call like that for the third-string quarterback.
“I was just so happy for Kyle,” Arth said. “They just do it the
right way, and they do it together, and that’s what makes me proud.”
Wilson echoed that and
added that he enjoys all the time he’s spending with Arth, too.
They’ve bonded over their faith and talked work-life balance with a lot of kids
under one roof.
“I ask him all the time, ‘What’s five like?’ because I’m trying
to get to five,” Wilson grinned.
“But he also has a
tremendous amount of confidence and grace to him that I believe great coaches
have. The ability to be the calm in the storm, ability to communicate in great
moments and tough moments — all the above. And I think at the end of the day, to
be a tremendous coach, you have to be a tremendous teacher. I think he’s a
great teacher.”
Just don’t expect him to be able to teach all the die-hard
Browns fans in his life how to wave a Terrible Towel. Those roots run deep.
First
Published: November 20, 2024, 5:30 a.m.
Updated: November 20, 2024, 12:03 p.m.
