While there’s a change at quarter in Pittsburgh, there won’t be much of a difference in scheme. That’s how offensive coordinator Matt Canada framed things speaking to the media Thursday, discussing the move from Mitch Trubisky to Kenny Pickett.
“That might mean tweaks from what Mitch liked to what Kenny likes,” he said via The Trib’s Chris Adamski. “But big picture, it’s going to be the same plays. Just have to execute better and play better all the way around.”
Every quarterback has their favorite calls an OC may lean on in situational football, specifically third down and red zone play. But it doesn’t sound like the Steelers’ offense will come out looking any different Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. Of course, they hope to play different, scoring no more than 20 offensive points in a game this season while facing increased struggles to take care of the football. They’ll need to eliminate turnovers against a stout Bills team with one of the league’s best offenses and defenses.
Echoing Mike Tomlin’s comments Tuesday, Canada made it clear blame shouldn’t rest solely on Trubisky for the offense’s problems.
“Our offense, we’re not scoring enough points. You make a change, that isn’t always a reflection of QB play.”
Trubisky was yanked at halftime of Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets after the Steelers’ offense only managed to net a pair of Chris Boswell 50+ yard field goals. Pickett provided a spark in his first NFL action, putting up two touchdowns in roughly a quarter though a costly fourth quarter interception coupled with a defensive collapse led Pittsburgh to blow a ten-point lead.
The core of Canada’s offense will remain the same. A desire for a run game that keeps the team on schedule. A heavy dose of rollouts and half-field reads, especially on second and long. Deep shots against single-high looks. Pittsburgh’s offense has continued to show small signs of improvement, but at 1-3 and facing a tough month of the schedule, there’s no more time to wait. The Steelers have to put it together. Or a season of small tweaks could lead to big changes in 2023.
