It’s safe to say that Richard Sherman doesn’t think moving Matt Canada from the booth to the sideline is enough to cure the ills of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense. Despite Canada calling a solid game against the Tennessee Titans, one that put the offense in position to score more if not for clear execution problems, Sherman appeared on Fox Sports’ Undisputed Wednesday to say Canada should be given his walking papers immediately.
“It’s ridiculous. Matt Canada, the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, needs to be fired,” Sherman told the show. “Needs to be fired immediately. Go. Get rid of him. He is bad. He is a detriment to this kid, to this offense, to even Kenny Pickett because we don’t know how good Kenny Pickett can be.”
Canada is in his third year as Steelers’ offensive coordinator. And the results have been poor, to say the least. In 2021, the team finished 21st in points per game. In 2022, they fell to 26th. And through the midway point of the 2023 season, the Steelers have dropped again, this time to 29th. Every time you think this offense can’t get worse it digs the hole a little deeper.
Sherman’s commentary revolved around the show discussing WR George Pickens and his frustrations during and after the Steelers’ Week Nine win over the Tennessee Titans. Despite clear improvements to the opening script and the running game, Pickens caught just two passes, losing a yard in the process. Sherman believes Canada isn’t effectively getting the ball to his playmakers.
“There’s nobody running open. And George Pickens is a guy that could play old-school. Hey, just throw it up to him,” Sherman said. “They’ve thrown up seven ‘go’ routes to him, whether it’s over the top or back shoulders. He’s caught six of them. This man does not have a problem in one-on-one throwing it up. If it’s even, if he’s ahead, regardless, he should be getting targets.”
Pickens’ “fastball” is the deep ball and his ability to win vertically. That was hardly used throughout the first month of the season, taking until Week Five against the Baltimore Ravens for the team to throw it deep to him. But he had few of those types of chances against the Titans, though there was a well-designed and placed slot fade in the end zone that Pickens caught but failed to get his second foot down, turning a touchdown into an incompletion and seven points into three.
Sherman noted that WR Diontae Johnson has become the focal point of the passing game over the last two outings against Jacksonville and Tennessee.”
“He had just come back from injury, so he wasn’t even in game shape yet,” Sherman said. “And you can’t target George Pickens when he’s having hundred-yard games back-to-back?”
Pickens is too talented to have consecutive “dud” performances though, again, finishing that sure-touchdown catch would’ve gone a long way toward squashing his frustration and changing Sherman’s perspective. The Steelers will need to find more ways to get him the football this weekend against Green Bay, which boasts a top corner in Jaire Alexander.
Given the frustration Pickens has felt, even if he doesn’t want to admit it, odds are the Steelers will look to find as many ways as possible to target him early and often. But whether Sherman likes it or not, it’ll up to Canada to design the game plan. He’s going to coach out the rest of the season, though anything beyond that is obviously in doubt.
