Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth has a unique perspective on the position group, even beyond being the position coach.
He came up through head coach Mike McCarthy's "quarterback school" as a player in his final NFL stint. Arth experienced that alongside Aaron Rodgers, who was drafted out of California a couple of years after Arth went undrafted out of John Carroll.
But with his coaching hat on, Arth already has worked with Rodgers, Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. While he's getting his first hands-on look at rookie third-round pick Drew Allar, he recruited Allar — and Howard — out of high school when he was the head coach at Akron.
In that sense, Arth is the perfect set of eyes to navigate the new-school "QB school" under the tutelage of McCarthy, as well as offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio. Howard and Allar appear to be taking to it well so far.
"I think it's really good. I think it's really positive to have two young guys together," Arth said Wednesday. "Obviously, they're at a little bit different stages and different players, but two guys who are going to be very competitive with one another. They get along well. They're both great, great people — smart players — but they're ultra-competitive. They wouldn't be here if they weren't. I'm very excited to see how that plays out as we get into training camp and get into the preseason, just how the two of them bring out the best in each other."
Both Howard and Allar have discussed their mutual connections and familiarity with each other even prior to winding up in Pittsburgh together. It becomes a pretty small world when you take an eastern Pennsylvania guy who starred at Ohio State and put him in the same room with a Northeast Ohio native who starred at Penn State.
Arth has the duties of leading that group in his third season with the Steelers. One of a couple holdovers from the previous coaching staff, he's seeing McCarthy's process in a new light than he did 20 years ago.
"Coach makes it a priority in our schedule," Arth said of McCarthy. "We have the ability to really train the footwork, train all the different drills and concepts and different types of throws that we're asking these guys to make. It's pretty unique in that way."
A former backup quarterback himself to Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts, Arth puts stock into how McCarthy has prepared players in that role over the years. And those are the roles Howard and Allar are vying for.
Matt Flynn went from one-year college starter and seventh-round pick to prolific passer in two fill-in starts for Rodgers in 2008 and 2009. Arth pointed specifically to Cooper Rush, the Dallas Cowboys backup who went 9-5 as a starter over the three seasons in which he had to fill in for Dak Prescott. Point being, the quarterback mechanics instilled by McCarthy can pay off at any time and for anyone on the depth chart.
"In terms of the fundamentals of it, it's all very similar," Arth said. "It's all what I remember, and it's time-tested. It's proven."
One of the first days McCarthy sat down with the quarterbacks, he had some old video clips he wanted to show them. It was the tape he had made of Arth's profile from two decades back, and how they transformed his game.
Arth acknowledged it's still early to assess Allar's progress in the program, but that Rudolph and Howard look "fantastic." Of course, Rodgers got his first McCarthy lessons a long time ago, too. That certainly doesn't hurt the learning curve for the two players who have yet to take their first snap in an NFL game.
"They're able to help each other, number one, first and foremost," Arth said. "Aaron is incredible with the entire group, especially Will and Drew as young players. But even Mason has had an incredible career. He's played almost a decade of football. That's pretty rare and pretty special, so he has some great experiences. Those guys have an opportunity to learn from him, as well."
All in all, Arth has plenty of work ahead of him, but he doesn't necessarily view it as an obstacle. Developing Howard and Allar side-by-side has its advantages, too.
"It's certainly a challenge," Arth said, "but I think it probably benefits us more than it challenges us."
