The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has been bad. No, that isn't a strong enough word. It's been horrendous. It was horrendous last season, and it has continued to be horrendous this season. If Ben Roethlisberger wouldn't have been able to work some fourth quarter magic in 2021, those statistics would look even worse. Roethlisberger of course was able to pile on points against Minnesota, and Los Angeles late in the game when the team moved to a no huddle offense. During that time, it was likely that Roethlisberger himself was calling the plays, not offensive coordinator, Matt Canada.
AP
As the offense continued to sputter last season, many fans and media types had called for the Steelers to fire Canada. But it didn't happen. Excuses flew that Canada was hampered by Roethlisberger's inability to move. During the off-season, the Steelers went out and signed a mobile quarterback in Mitch Trubisky. And for good measure, they drafted one with mobility, and familiarity to Canada in Kenny Pickett. Trubisky's legs couldn't overcome Canada. Handcuffed by ultra conservative play-calling Trubisky was eventually benched for the rookie, Pickett.
Pickett has been able to make more plays than Trubisky under Canada, but it's just more of the same. 3 points in Buffalo, 20 points against Tampa, and a lowly 10 points in Miami.
On Tuesday, Mike Tomlin said he was still open to change on the offensive front, but said he wasn't ready to make any changes yet. But the tipping point could finally be upon us. Today on 93.7 the Fan Pittsburgh, NFL insider, Aditi Kinkhabwala voiced her belief that Canada will be fired if the Steelers offense struggles on Sunday in Philadelphia.
Host Andrew Fillipponi asked Kinkhabwala if she believed that the Steelers will actually fire Canada heading into the bye week if they go into Philadelphia and get blown out by the Eagles and put up another 10-point performance.
"Yes... I don't think this is our grandfather's Steelers."
Later she would offer more clarity to her comments by claiming she didn't mean exactly what she had said.
Poni!! I did NOT say he’ll be out. You asked me if I thought it was possible that a change could actually be made… I said it was possible. This was not the massively adamant and declarative statement you’re painting it to be!!
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) October 26, 2022
Another local media personality, Jeff Hathhorn joined the show and said he believed the team would give "serious consideration" to firing Canada with another bad performance.
Award-winning @jhathhorn now says on @937theFan that the Steelers will give replacing Matt Canada as offensive play-caller "serious consideration" with another bad outing Sunday. Holy cow.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) October 26, 2022
Prior to Kinkhabwala's comments, she had laid out an example of another team that fired their offensive coordinator in the middle of the season. It was the Baltimore Ravens.
Steelers offensive coordinator, Matt Canada and head coach Mike Tomlin on the field at Acrisure Stadium. | Credit: Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
"In Dec 2012, Ravens HC John Harbaugh did something he said was personally hard: he acknowledged OC Cam Cameron -a very nice human and his friend- wasn’t the best fit. He let Cameron go, moved QB coach Jim Caldwell to OC and… 2 months later, BAL won the Super Bowl.See: #Steelers"
In Dec 2012, Ravens HC John Harbaugh did something he said was personally hard: he acknowledged OC Cam Cameron -a very nice human and his friend- wasn’t the best fit. He let Cameron go, moved QB coach Jim Caldwell to OC and… 2 months later, BAL won the Super Bowl.
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) October 25, 2022
See: #Steelers
We've all heard how Tomlin has never fired a coach in the middle of the season, and how the Steelers as an organization always wait until after the season to make any coaching changes. That's all true. But they did let offensive line coach Adrian Klemm walk out of the building late last season when he took a job with the Oregon Ducks. Klemm told the team he would coach out the season before leaving, but the Steelers told him to just get on down the road.
Kinkhabwala pointed out that the Steelers hadn't given out guaranteed money beyond the first year to any player until last season with TJ Watt. Since then, they've done it a few times.
"I love how we always say: But the #Steelers don’t operate that way," She wrote on Twitter. "That’s true - until they don’t. They didn’t guarantee money beyond Year One, until they did, w/ TJ Watt. The best coaches, teams and businesses evolve.""Mike Sullivan is not the same at Randy Fitchner, or as Matt Canada. It's not just me saying that because I've know him, he's been successful with other NFL teams," she said. "And he has won Super Bowls by the way, and he's worked with really good quarterbacks. And he is someone that is absolutely respected but loved by players."
