When the Pittsburgh Steelers made the decision to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada and hand his duties to running backs coach Eddie Faulkner and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan for the rest of the season, Faulkner was chosen in part due to his ability to communicate and be organized.
That showed up right away leading up to the Week 12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on the road.
Now, one full week into Faulkner serving as Pittsburgh’s interim offensive coordinator, third-year running back Najee Harris is seeing a lot of good leadership qualities from Faulkner, who is still the Steelers’ running backs coach too.
“He gives really good examples of what exactly a team should be,” Harris said to reporters Wednesday from inside the Steelers’ locker room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on Twitter. “I’m not saying that Coach Canada didn’t do that; this is no shot to him. But Coach Faulk just did a really good job, was being a leader. Carrying that leadership mentality and placing it upon everybody, really holding a lot of people accountable for stuff, good or bad.”
Harris’ comments echo what head coach Mike Tomlin stated following the news that Faulkner was going to be overseeing the offense post-Canada. Faulkner was the offensive coordinator at Ball State in 2009 and 2010, and since joining the Steelers’ coaching staff in 2019 as the running backs coach, he’s been a steady voice and gotten a great deal out of his room year after year.
His presence, the way he carries himself and the accountability he demands from his players has stood out in the past within the running backs room. That led to Tomlin making the call on him to oversee the offense.
“Man, he has a real steady voice and demeanor,” Tomlin said last week about Faulkner via video from the Steelers’ YouTube Channel. “He’s really solid. I love the way he has managed his room in the years that he’s been here through good times, bad times, et cetera. There’s always great clarity in that space. He’s natural with people from a communication standpoint and a consistency of communication standpoint. And so, I got no reservations about his ability to do it.
“And so, that’s why I’m confident. I’ve seen how he’s handled that position group and oftentimes that’s a reflection of how he’s gonna handle a larger body.”
Communication is a big thing that the players have been harping on since Canada’s dismissal. Clearly, it was something that was missing in some aspects on the offensive side of the football. With the change to Faulkner and Sullivan, that is seemingly starting to improve and been made a point of emphasis for the Steelers moving forward. That starts with Faulkner.
