PITTSBURGH — Scotty Miller knows the look.

Although he spent only one season with Arthur Smith in Atlanta, the Steelers wide receiver enjoyed watching his new offensive coordinator's facial expressions on the sideline.

Occasionally obscured by a gigantic play sheet, Smith's eyes conveyed intensity, belief and determination that Miller appreciates to this day.

"He's fiery on the sidelines," Miller said. "I remember one preseason game last year, we were trying to throw a [slant-and-go route] at the end of the game. I looked at him and saw him smiling, his sheet in front of his face. It's fun to play for him."

In an ironic twist to the Steelers' schedule, Smith's return to the sidelines at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after the Falcons fired him in January won't take long — just another week.

But for Smith to successfully show his former employer what it may have been missing, the Steelers offense will also have to reach a level that was elusive throughout the preseason.

Until the Lions game, Steelers offensive starters struggled to move the ball. The running game and usage of tight ends — Smith staples — were largely non-factors.

There's been subsequent consternation over whether this will work, Smith reshaping the Steelers into a legitimate offensive threat. But perhaps emblematic of his personality — low-key, humble, smart and endearing, those players who know him best said — such concern has hardly consumed Smith.

The new man in charge remains confident and steadfast in his beliefs, the same as when he called that late-game deep shot Miller witnessed.

"His mentality and mindset are just different," Miller added. "He expects a lot out of us. He wants to be a physical team. That's how he goes about his business around the facility and how he commands the meeting room.

"We all have a lot of respect for him and his desire to win. He has a championship mindset no matter what we're doing."

It was certainly easy to question the viability of the Steelers' offense throughout a sleepy preseason, which featured fumbled snaps, third-and-longs and a failure to sustain drives. At the same time, I don't think we've seen anywhere close to what this unit can become.

Tight ends, again, weren't involved. Russell Wilson was brought back slowly from a calf injury. The tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren was largely preserved. There was also myriad shuffling along the offensive line, which remains a legitimate question mark for Week 1.

But it hasn't dented my curiosity when it comes to what Smith can do here, a process that has seemingly started with buy-in obtained from players.

They genuinely seem to like playing for Smith, something I'm not sure you could say the past couple seasons with the Steelers offense.

"More than just a coach, Art's a great man," Van Jefferson said. "You know he just wants perfection. He wants everything to run smoothly."

Jefferson would know.

His father, Shawn, played wide receiver in the NFL and has been a coach in various capacities with a half-dozen organizations. The younger Jefferson, who won a Super Bowl with the Rams, knows how coaching and relationship-building look when done right, which is why he said he found comfort quickly following last year's trade to Atlanta.

In addition to appreciating Smith's dry and sneaky sense of humor, Jefferson loves how there's usually a bigger-picture explanation provided behind things — why a certain formation might be used, why specific routes work or might be avoided or the strategy behind building out a game plan.

Jefferson, Miller and MyCole Pruitt all talked about feeling comfortable in Smith's offense because they knew where they fit and why they had specific responsibilities on a given play.

"He does a great job of explaining things," Jefferson said. "I think that resonates with players. It allows you to execute even better. He's a great teacher. He knows how to get to his players."

The Steelers will certainly hope.

There's a lot riding on the Smith hire, from rejuvenating Russell Wilson and perhaps Justin Fields finding consistent results for the first time in the NFL, to Harris in a contract year and George Pickens becoming a top-5 wide receiver.

The same for Pat Freiermuth potentially becoming way more involved and the Steelers playing a more physical brand of football.

"I have a lot of respect for the work [Smith] did in Atlanta and Tennessee," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said earlier this year at the NFL owners meetings.

"I see his personality in his tape, and it's not something that he has to buy into in terms of being a Pittsburgh Steeler. That was one of the reasons why we pursued him. His football vision and things that he values are in line with ours."

Those who played for Smith described an interesting dynamic with the change back from head coach to coordinator. It has allowed Smith to pour himself even more into the offense and into details and strategy, as well as communication and the overall direction of the group.

Sure, it hasn't shown much in the preseason. But it remains silly to read too much into three fake games. The bigger proving ground comes in Atlanta, a place where Smith earned the respect through another group of players but didn't get the results to match.

Think he's been paying attention to this one?

"I'm pretty sure it's in the back of his mind," Jefferson said with a laugh.

Added Pruitt, who has been with Smith since his Titans days: "If I know Art, he's definitely thought about that one. He wants to get back at 'em. He wants to win every game, but when you're playing your former team, you definitely circle that one."

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