Throughout the failed tenure of former offensive coordinator Matt Canada, the Pittsburgh Steelers infamously refused to utilize one area of the field that seemingly every single modern offense does at a high rate.
That would be the middle of the field.
With Canada being fired Tuesday, ending his three-year tenure as offensive coordinator with Pittsburgh, the hope is that the Steelers’ offense will have new life.
That hope is good and all, but the scheme isn’t going to change. Quarterback Kenny Pickett stated that outright Wednesday during his session with the media, saying the Steelers are still going to run the same scheme. But within that scheme, there is hope that things change within the passing game, like utilizing the middle of the field more.
On the Week 12 Pro Football Focus Preview, analyst Sam Monson stated that while things aren’t going to change drastically within the Steelers’ offense, the hope is that the middle of the field will be targeted much more, adding another dimension to Pittsburgh’s offense.
“That’s the part [targeting middle of the field] that should change. If he still doesn’t target the middle of the field, then now we can have a conversation,” Monson said regarding Pickett and the passing game of the Steelers. “But like now, I think you should expect this offense to look different in terms of the areas of the field it’s targeting. And then we will get to see if Kenny Pickett and this group of skill position players that looks good on paper can actually elevate their play.”
While the overall scheme won’t change, because that’s a nearly impossible thing to do in-season, there can be more of an emphasis placed on working the ball into the middle of the field based on certain route concepts and targeting certain players there, such as tight end Pat Freiermuth and wide receiver George Pickens.
The eye test on the lack of the middle of the field is confirmed when looking at the numbers.
According to Pro Football Focus, just 24.5% of Pickett throws this season have been beyond the line of scrimmage and between the numbers. Just 5.7% of his throws have been between the hash marks. Leaguewide, those averages are 38.8% and 10.1%, per PFF.
That has to change moving forward. Almost 67% of Pittsburgh’s passing attempts are outside the numbers. That’s an archaic way to operate a passing game.
With Canada out the door and two new sets of eyes in quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan and running backs coach Eddie Faulkner taking over as co-offensive coordinators in Pittsburgh, things could change from a targeting standpoint in the passing game. Hopefully that’s the case because the Steelers are really missing out on taking advantage of a lucrative area of the field.
