Fourth and one, game on the line, you need a yard. Three feet. 36 inches.
In today’s NFL that’s easily converted, where it’s the much-debated “Tush Push,” a standard QB sneak, or handing it off to your running back and letting him plow ahead.
That’s not the case for the Pittsburgh Steelers under third-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
By now, you’ve all see the dreaded 4th and 1 play call from the Steelers on Sunday in Houston against the Texans trailing 16-6.
After picking up 17 yards on a 3rd and 18, the Steelers decided to call timeout to get a proper spotting of the football. Earlier in the game the Steelers pulled off a successful quarterback sneak with quarterback Kenny Pickett, so there was a good chance — at least at the time, the conventional thinking was — that the Steelers were going to run the “Tush Push” coming out of the timeout, or even let running back Najee Harris line up behind Pickett under center and barrel forward for a yard.
Instead, in a crucial got-to-have-it situation with the game on the line and the Steelers holding all the momentum at the time, Canada called for a play out of shotgun that led to Pickett running into a sack and being injured, this play call coming in the same quarter in which Harris already had 55 yards rushing on nine carries, averaging 6.1 yards per tote.
In this short-yardage situations, there’s so much an offensive coordinator can do to move the football and move the chains with his offense. Canada did none of that with his play-call, calling the same exact play he called in the first quarter when the Steelers were facing a 2nd and 16.
Head coach Mike Tomlin stated after the loss that injuries to tight end Pat Freiermuth and left tackle Dan Moore Jr. took away the short-yardage package, which was an awful answer not based in facts as the Steelers haven’t gone jumbo in short-yardage with an extra offensive lineman and certainly haven’t been shy about running the football out of 11 or even 12 personnel with rookie tight end Darnell Washington and third tight end/fullback hybrid Connor Heyward.
Then, Canada somehow made an awful situation worse on Thursday stating “that’s just the play call we had” to reporters regarding the atrocious decision on 4th and 1.
If that doesn’t about sum up the Steelers’ offense and the incompetency at the top, not sure what more is needed.
It’s 4th and 1 in a critical spot in the game. That’s your best play call? Seriously? What process could have possibly led Canada to calling that play — the same exact play he called in the first quarter on a 2nd and 16 — in a got-to-have-it situation on 4th and 1 with the Steelers down 10?
There is no rhyme or reason to the Steelers’ offense under Canada. It’s picking plays out of a hat, theoretically. He doesn’t build things off of each other within drives. Everything feels like a hodgepodge put together randomly.
There’s no probing and learning about the defensive scheme early in games to set them up for success later, either. It’s all just very random and spur of the moment. Coming out of a timeout and having that be the play call, and then giving that explanation is rather daminng.
But that’s not a surprise regarding Canada and the Steelers offense at this point. That’s just who they are. They are one of the worst offenses in football, bar none, and there’s no real hope of things getting better anytime soon, at least as long as Canada is at the helm.
The players and coaches can scream about not executing all they want, but the offensive coordinator does not inspire confidence whatsoever, and he’s not helping the Steelers when it comes to play-calling within situations in the game — you know, something any competent offensive coordinator should be able to do.
