With the Pittsburgh Steelers firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada, there’s been a lot of speculation that quarterback Kenny Pickett is the next to go for Pittsburgh. While Pickett has struggled for the majority of the season, some of that fault does lie on Canada for just how basic the Pittsburgh offense was under him. Former NFL quarterback and current analyst Dan Orlovsky believes that Pittsburgh firing Canada is actually a sign of their belief in Pickett.
“Kenny Pickett has been given nothing to work with when it comes to scheme so to sit here and say he’s on the chopping block, I would disagree with that. I actually think that the decision to fire Matt Canada is a sign that this organization truly does believe in Kenny Pickett,” Orlovsky said on ESPN’s Get Up this morning.
While firing Canada could be seen as a vote of confidence in Pickett, Pickett still has to play better. Barely throwing for 100 yards in a game, as he did with his 106-yard performance against the Cleveland Browns in Week 11, is unacceptable. Orlovsky broke down a few things that Pickett needs to do better as a quarterback going forward.
“Two things that Kenny Pickett has to do over this next six weeks. One, stop running away from clean pockets. I think part of that is the way that he’s been coached in many ways, be risk-averse and two you’ve got to be willing – this sounds ridiculous – willing and capable of throwing the ball downfield past five yards. That sounds nuts and I just don’t think he’s been asked to that often. Those are two things specific to Kenny that he’s got to get done,” Orlovsky said.
He also talked earlier this week about Pickett needing to push the ball downfield and throw it beyond five yards. Whether or not he’s been told to not take chances, it’s worked in the sense that Picket hasn’t thrown an interception since Week Four. It hasn’t worked in the sense that the passing offense has been largely non-existent, relying on dump-offs and sideline throws to generate any sort of yardage. It hasn’t been fun to watch, and there’s been a lot of frustration within the offense for its lack of success, particularly through the air.
Whether that’s on Pickett or Canada is something that remains to be seen. If Pickett continues to be risk-averse and not take chances, then we can probably conclude that he’s the one afraid to push the ball and take a chance, even it comes with a little bit of risk. If he now starts slinging it, then it’s likely that the game plan and strategy was on Canada.
While Orlovsky sees the move to let go of Canada as belief in Pickett, former NFL defensive tackle and ESPN analyst Chris Canty said Pickett has to show us something to prove he’s the guy.
“You’re starting to run out of excuses as to why Kenny Pickett can’t get it done,” Canty said on Get Up. He added that Zach Wilson and Bryce Young are the only two quarterbacks with a lower QBR than Pickett.
“The evidence has been there that Kenny Pickett hasn’t been able to do the things they’ve anticipated he would as a first-round draft pick,” Canty said.
The next few weeks will tell us how much of this season has been a Pickett problem, or if Canada really was holding the offense back. Up to this point, it feels like a mix of the two. But with Pickett knowing that any offensive failures will now be on him and the fact he has someone close to him in Mike Sullivan calling plays, hopefully he can take the next step and prove he can be Pittsburgh’s starter for years to come.
