One year ago today, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially fired OC Matt Canada.
In 44 games as offensive coordinator, Canada’s Steelers scored 30-plus points twice, and only once more than 30. And their lone game with more than 30 points came in a loss—as did their 30-point game. Not one single time did they produce 400 yards of offense in any of those 44 games.
Since firing Canada, the Steelers have put up over 400 yards five times in 17 games. They are averaging 330.1 yards per game since firing Canada. That is about a 20-yard increase in per-game production, the Steelers averaging 310.1 yards per game under Canada. It’s no surprise that the numbers weren’t good.
Matt Canada’s offenses produced a total of 817 points over a 44-game span. That game out to 18.57 points per game. In the 17 games since then, the Steelers have scored 371 points, or 21.82 points per game. While that’s not the marked improvement you might hope for, it’s still a notable difference. And isolated to this season under Arthur Smith, they are averaging 23.3 points per game. That’s almost five points per game more than under Canada.
The Steelers hired Matt Canada as their quarterbacks coach in 2020. He succeeded Randy Fichtner as offensive coordinator a year later, in QB Ben Roethlisberger’s final season. Despite heavy criticism, HC Mike Tomlin opted to carry him into the 2023 season. The fact that he and the Steelers fired him in-season after 10 games shows just how clearly they viewed that as a mistake in hindsight.
Now, the Steelers have not become an offensive juggernaut since firing Matt Canada. They actually have a big problem in the red zone right now that they need to solve. And we also can’t put the blame for everything at Canada’s feet. They didn’t give him much to work with along the offensive line. The quarterback play during most of his tenure was sub-par, which is why they turned the entire room over this offseason.
But it’s also true that Canada had little to do with their success. In fact, under Canada, the Steelers entered the fourth quarter trailing more often than anybody else. So often they ended up winning thanks to turnovers, then turning the offense over to the no-huddle.
Matt Canada has become one of the most universally reviled sports figures in Pittsburgh history, not just Steelers history. While offensive coordinators are typically the source of jeers, they don’t often solicit petitions for their firing, nor nationwide chants.
Clearly, the Steelers made the right move in firing Canada, even if they waited too long. But did they made the right move with Arthur Smith? Did they appropriately navigate the quarterback water this offseason? In terms of asking price, sure, they did well for themselves. But the Steelers judge themselves by playoff wins, so this offense has to win in January. Getting rid of a problem doesn’t give you the solution.
