The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have the only fans displeased with their offensive coordinator. But they’re the group who make it known the loudest. Whether it’s chanting three times to fire Matt Canada in Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens to holding up “Fire Canada” signs literally everywhere to chanting for his dismissal at a hockey game, he is the NFL’s least-favorite coordinator.
The emphatic negative response against him has led some in the Steelers media to push back against the vitriol, saying it’s gone too far. But one analyst says fans have every right for their voice to be heard. On The Volume YouTube Channel, John Middlekauff says fans know when the Steelers aren’t reaching their standard and should be allowed to say what they want.
“What Matt Canada’s doing ain’t working,” Middlekauff said. “Pretty generic and ultimately, we can nitpick the play calls all we want, it’s a production-based business. It’s very black and white. It’s very black and white. You either score points or you don’t. You either win or you lose.”
There’s no question the results haven’t been there for Canada’s in his three years as Steelers’ offensive coordinator. In 2021, the Steelers ranked 21st in points per game. In 2022, they were 26th. And in 2023, they’ve fallen to 29th, and that with two defensive scores to boost that number, an Alex Highsmith pick-six and a T.J. Watt scoop-and-score. Add in Miles Killebrew’s safety and Pittsburgh’s offense is responsible for only 63 points through five games, an average of 12.6 per game.
The Steelers continue to be the league’s slowest-starting team with just seven offensive first-quarter points this season and are often forced to rally late in games. They aren’t explosive, don’t rack up yards, and struggle in situational football.
There are a variety of reasons for that but ultimately, the blame will land on a coach. It can be excused for short periods of time but not three years. During his Wednesday press conference, Canada said he had no message for the fans who want him out of town.
As for the booing and the chanting, the PPG’s Ray Fittipaldo said fans have crossed a line. Aditi Kinkhabwala has said similar. But Middlekauff accused the media of being on their high horse and punching down.
“A lot of people in the media in a weird way don’t like fans,” he said. “They view themselves as above the fans…for the most part, universal fan bases understand what it’s supposed to look like.”
Meaning, Steelers’fans know when the standard isn’t being met. And it’s clearly not. Others can debate if hating Canada at basically every opportunity is crossing a boundary or not. But in the end, Canada’s unit has not gotten the job done and barring a miracle, fans will get their wish and the team will have a new coordinator next season.
