Pittsburgh Steelers Finally Get Around to Blaming Matt Canada
The offense was getting worse, not better, as was quarterback Kenny Pickett. That left Mike Tomlin with little choice but to do what needed to be done.
There was no tipping point, Mike Tomlin insisted, that compelled him to finally bring an end to the misery that was Matt Canada’s tenure as offensive coordinator for the Steelers.
“I just think you know when you’re there,” Tomlin said.
Had he chosen to identify such a moment, he’d have had plenty of options.
None better than Sunday afternoon in Cleveland.
Specifically, second-and-10 from the Steelers’ 30-yard line with 1:38 left in regulation in a 10-10 wrestling match.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett dropped back to pass and launched a majestic deep ball down the right sideline.
It fell to the turf at the Cleveland 30, uninterrupted by either a defender or an eligible receiver because the intended target, Diontae Johnson, was nowhere to be seen.
That type of amateurish miscommunication occurred far too often on Sunday and had far too often previously this season.
So had possessions ending without the Steelers scoring a touchdown, as what turned out to be the last three-and-out of the Canada Era did on the way to a gut-wrenching, 13-10 defeat in Cleveland.
With another very winnable game against another backup quarterback looming this Sunday in Cincinnati, something had to be done.
Bench Pickett.
Fire Canada.
Something.
Pittsburgh Steelers Fire Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada
Tomlin picked the nuclear option, an in-season move that’s unprecedented for the Steelers and will no doubt be universally celebrated throughout Steeler Nation.
Statistically, Canada’s offenses were abysmal.
There had been plenty of asterisks attached to his first two seasons, from quarterbacks who weren’t great to an offensive line that was either a mess or transitioning in a desperate attempt to make it something better than a mess, to a collection of skill-position players long on potential but short on experience.
But this season was supposed to be different.
Instead, it was more of the same.
Or worse, as Sunday’s drop to rock bottom confirmed.
The criticisms most often attached to Canada’s attack were a design perceived as too rudimentary by many design and play-calling that too often proved to be either predictable or too random (as opposed to opponent-specific).
But the biggest issue by far in Canada’s stormy tenure was the regression of Pickett this season.
He isn’t making enough plays. And the biggest reason why is he either isn’t seeing them develop or he isn’t pulling the trigger.
The miscommunication on the late-game deep ball wasn’t the only indictment of Pickett and Johnson not being on the same page in Cleveland Browns Stadium.
That’s been an issue when Johnson has been available all season. So has Pickett missing open receivers for potential splash plays because he either didn’t see them or for some reason refused to throw the ball (being manically coached to avoid turnovers at all cost, including making plays, has quite likely been a contributing factor to the latter).
That’s how you lose a game to a rookie, fifth-round quarterback making his second NFL start.
If that wasn’t the straw that broke Canada’s back, it should have been.
The tsunami of criticism of Canada from fans and media alike was another issue the Steelers could no longer afford not to confront.
Wide receiver George Pickens has been letting his frustration get the best of him of late. On Sunday, it was Johnson’s turn, as well as running back Najee Harris, who was more diplomatic but at the same time left no doubt he wasn’t happy.
No one ever cited Canada specifically amid the bitching and moaning.
But even those with the best of intentions and the clearest of perspectives can only shut out such noise for so long before it begins to become a distraction or worse.
Now, the players get a fresh start, if not what they wanted all along.
They’ve likewise lost an excuse and a scapegoat.
But chances are that’s a trade the most frustrated of the bunch would have been willing to make.
And the Steelers, presumably, get a spark, a jump-start, a jolt heading into this Sunday’s game against Cincinnati, an even bigger AFC North Division showdown than what turned out to be the debacle in Cleveland.
And if they get that they have a chance to get their season off the brink and back on track.
That’s the way it worked out, at least, for the Raiders when they fired head coach Josh McDaniels and the Bills when they whacked offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.
It may or may play out in a similar fashion for the Steelers.
But of this much, they ought to be sufficiently convinced by now: Minus Canada, things can’t get any worse.
