The Pittsburgh Steelers might be shaking up the way their offense is called in the hopes of improving its output. According to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, OC Matt Canada will call tonight’s game against the Tennessee Titans from the sideline instead of the coaches box.
The PPG’s Gerry Dulac was the first to hint at the news, though Garafolo’s tweet confirmed the change was happening.
In his three years as Steelers’ OC, Canada has always called games from upstairs, using a telephone to communicate with players like QB Kenny Pickett on the sidelines (and of course, able to speak to him through his helmet to send play calls). With Canada upstairs, Pickett spent most of his time interacting with QBs Coach Mike Sullivan. Now, the Steelers will try to change things up.
It’s an attempt to boost one of the most lackluster offenses in football. The Steelers rank last or near last in nearly every statistical category and are coming off a game in which they scored just 10 points against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On the season, Pittsburgh ranks 29th in points scored, 30th in yards, 29th in passing touchdowns, and 29th in yards per carry. On a per-drive basis, the team ranks 30th or 31st in every category. The Steelers are also dead last in time of possession, under 27 minutes per game, one of the NFL’s lowest marks over the past six seasons.
Moving Canada to the sideline is something we called for back in September amid rumors the team wanted Canada to be closer to Pickett (though the team denied there was any change in their daily protocol).
This isn’t a magical fix but it’s worth an attempt. The only downside for Canada? If the offense doesn’t progress, those calls for him to be fired are going to sound even louder.
Pittsburgh and Tennessee kick off today at 8:15 PM/EST.
