Saying the Pittsburgh Steelers offense has been bad this season is an understatement. So far, the Steelers are dead last in points per game, averaging only 15. They average 1.4 touchdowns a game which is 31st in the NFL, and are also dead last in yards per play with 4.7.
Pittsburgh’s second year offensive coordinator Matt Canada has taken the brunt of the criticism surrounding the poor play of the offense this season. This season head coach Mike Tomlin has said “all options” are on the table to kickstart the Steelers offense. Today, Canada was asked if he has sole possession of the offensive play calling.
“We have got a system,” he said via a team transcript. “We utilize everybody on our staff all the time. We have coaches who their areas of expertise are used, and certain guys are in charge of third down, goal line, red zone.”
Canada’s answer kind of danced around the question, but what we certainly now know is that the offense staff is all working closely. It does not seem from Matt Canada’s answer he is the end-all, be-all in the creation of the weekly game plan. Right now it seems that every coach on the offensive staff is heavily involved in game planning for certain situations.
Canada may still be calling each play, but he may have to pick from a set plays that, say, offensive line coach Pat Meyer chooses for goal line situations. This is not absolving Matt Canada for the offense’s poor performance, in fact he inserted all these plays into the playbook, but, he might not have the freedom to choose from his entire playbook like he did earlier in the season. Even if the Steelers do fire Canada this week, which seems unlikely, the Steelers interim offensive coordinator (likely QBs Coach Mike Sullivan) would still have to pick from plays that Canada drew up.
Tomlin’s comments in his press conferences this year, the Steelers horrific play offensively, and now Matt Canada’s comments today seem to indicate he is on extremely thin ice in Pittsburgh. While he may still call all the plays, it seems Canada is losing some privileges that normally come with being an offensive coordinator.
