The Pittsburgh Steelers let go of offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday, and starting quarterback Kenny Pickett said it’s now a challenge to everybody to step up on offense.
“I feel like you have to take it personal,” Pickett said today via Steelers.com. “We have to answer the bell, find out what we need to do to play better, and just go take care of business. It’s a challenge to everybody.”
Canada’s scheme left a lot to be desired and didn’t always put players in the best position to succeed, but at the end of the day, players simply didn’t execute. Now, it’s going to be on them in order to execute and pick up their level of play. The offense has been bad for much of the season, but it hit a low against the Cleveland Browns as the Steelers scored just 10 points and Pickett barely managed to throw for over 100 yards. That’s something that has to change the rest of the season, and Pickett clearly knows it.
While Canada leaving isn’t something Pickett is happy about — he knows it’s an indictment on the offense as a whole — he’s excited that quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan will be the team’s new offensive play caller.
“I’ve spent a ton of time with Coach Sullivan since I got drafted here. I’m with him pretty much every day, with him more than I’m with any of my family members, truthfully,” Pickett said. “So It’s nice to have that kind of relationship with the coach.”
Pickett and Sullivan have a close relationship, one that NFL insider Mike Garafolo said is much closer than the relationship Pickett had with Canada, and that should benefit the offense. Sullivan knows what Pickett likes and doesn’t like, and hopefully, he’ll be able to tailor the offense to more of Pickett’s strengths. He’s a guy who has worked hands-on with Pickett since Pickett was drafted and is very familiar with what he brings to the table. As a former NFL offensive coordinator, there’s nothing new about being the primary play caller to him.
The offense isn’t going to change a lot, something else that Pickett said today, but there will be tweaks. Ideally, those tweaks do enough to take this group to another level. Pickett has to be better, and the offense needs to find a way to put more points on the board and play a full four quarters of football. It still might not be pretty at the start, but it’s a group that should continue to progress and hopefully put it all together by the end of the season.
