With the Steelers’ 2023 regular season underway following a disappointing year that came up just short of reaching the playoffs, it’s time to start finding out whether or not the answers to last year’s questions are on the roster, tested all throughout training camp and the preseason.
Both sides of the ball got key additions through both free agency and the draft, with new starters, including potentially rookies, amounting to half a dozen or more. The offensive line, the linebackers, and the secondary were all key targets since last year. But what will they look like?
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
Topic Statement: Sideline Matt Canada will lead to an improved offense.
Explanation: This one will be hard to quantify since we can’t automatically attribute any improvement to the offensive coordinator’s relocation. The Steelers did have arguably their best offensive showing of the season in Canada’s first game on the sideline, however, and everybody who was asked about it felt that it was better for him to be there.
Buy:
I think word of mouth here is critical, and I just can’t help but notice how universally positive everybody was about the impact of having the offensive coordinator on the sideline rather than in a booth where he can only directly communicate with QB Kenny Pickett.
Perhaps Canada and the Steelers underestimated the value of a face-to-face interaction and immediate feedback, but from the wide receivers to the running backs and offensive line and backup quarterbacks, everybody welcomed the direct line to the offensive coordinator—and vice versa.
Significantly, having Canada on the field also allows for greater input from elsewhere. It has been noted that OL coach Pat Meyer and RB coach Eddie Faulkner had more opportunities to put in their two cents. The first-game results were good, including an opening-drive touchdown. Most of the miscues were execution-related, with few actual play calls you would really want to question.
Sell:
Look, we’re talking about one game here on a short week at home against an underwhelming opponent. The Tennessee Titans are no scrubs, but you can move the ball on them, and the Steelers did that. It was their first prime-time game all season. They’re not used to that.
And we’re only talking about scoring 20 points. That’s nowhere near good. The Green Bay Packers are averaging 20 points per game, and that ranks 21st in the NFL right now. The Steelers needed a late touchdown to pull out the game. Yeah, they moved the ball here and there, but they didn’t finish more often than not.
Maybe this is the beginning of something better, but we need to see more, and better than the last outing, to have any degree of confidence in saying that Canada being closer to the action even makes a difference, let alone is a good thing.
