NFL analyst Peter Schrager doesn’t think Matt Canada is the Steelers’ biggest problem. During a segment breaking down the Steelers’ offense on Good Morning Football today, Schrager detailed why he thinks the Steelers have bigger issues at hand.
“I know Matt Canada doesn’t suddenly forget how to call an offense,” Schrager said. He explained that he was more concerned about Mike Tomlin saying in his press conference on Tuesday that the Texans were more physical than the Steelers.
“That’s not Steelers football. So they’re getting beat up also. Texans were down four offensive linemen, had a rookie at quarterback, and they went up and down on that Pittsburgh defense. There’s something else going on,” he said. “There’s something else going on that has to be fixed now, whether it’s [Kenny] Pickett or [Mitch] Trubisky or something, it’s not too late, you’re still 2-2, and I know Matt Canada didn’t just forget how to call a game and I know Matt Canada didn’t just forget how to use his best players.”
Yes, the Steelers not being physical enough and getting outmuscled by Houston is a problem. It’s why the Steelers will practice in pads today as a part of Tomlin’s big changes ahead of the Ravens game this weekend. But there is no way that their lack of physicality in one game is a bigger issue than Canada’s offensive play-calling.
Schrager claims that there was still some excitement with Canada after the Steelers made the playoffs during Ben Roethlisberger’s last season and after the offense came alive toward the end of the year last year. But Canada was still a huge concern heading into this season, and he didn’t curry favor with fans in his first season as offensive coordinator, either. Canada’s inability to make this offense successful isn’t anything new, and that’s why it’s such a problem right now.
Tomlin did everything he could to try and deflect the blame from Canada, but Sunday might have been in a masterclass in what not to do. I still can’t get over how bad the fourth-and-one play call was, putting Pickett in shotgun, and Tomlin’s explanation was somehow even worse.
So yeah, the Steelers need to be more physical. They need to play harder and start blocking better and playing better run defense, among other things. There are a lot of issues, and Pickett also hasn’t done Canada any favors. He bails from clean pockets too frequently, including on the fourth-and-one play, and he’s regressed from last year. So we can’t put all the blame on Canada, but his ineptitude is probably the biggest issue plaguing the Steelers right now.
There are a lot of issues, but I disagree with Schrager that Canada isn’t the biggest one. We’ll see if he turns around because if he doesn’t, he’ll be out of a job at the end of the year.
