Pittsburgh Steelers May Overcome Their Matt Canada Issue With Some Musical Chairs

The Pittsburgh Steelers found out during the 2022 season that when an opponent can keep you off balance and unsure of where your next move will take you, things can get chaotic very quickly. Thanks to a subpar play-calling strategy laid out by OC, Matt Canada, defenses were able to toy around with the simplistic formations to the point where defenders were calling out the offensive plays before the Steelers ever snapped the ball. To put it another way, opposing defenses got to play musical chairs with the Pittsburgh offense; moving players around, changing this and that, all to ensure that when the music stopped, there were no places left and the Steelers fell flat.

Steelers OC Matt Canada is terrible at party games

If the Steelers lined up in an obvious running formation, defenses would start the music and start playing around with different players in different seats - all the while, Matt Canada watched with unflinching nothingness until the defense found their spots, nodded, paused the music and went about stuffing whatever plan the Steelers had in place. This wasn't something that happened here and there - which still wouldn't have been close to acceptable - but rather became a thorn in the side of a Pittsburgh season and a laugh track for whatever defense had the Steelers next up on the calendar.

Defenses would play musical chairs with endless glee, starting the music, watching a confused and frustrated Pittsburgh offense fumble for seats, and then stopping the music while enjoying the upper hand.

Now, this may all seem rather "gloom and doom," but there is a bright spot at the end of this embarrassing tunnel. if you watched any of the 17 Steelers games in 2022, though, you saw at least a few plays that made you wonder if that friend who always claims to be a better coach than the professionals would actually be right in this scenario. When the season ended and the final press conferences were winding down, the one thing that every Steelers fan and loyal follower was waiting to hear still had yet to be said; "We are letting Matt Canada go." That moment never came, and through every moment that seemed to be perfect to announce a departure from the uninspired offensive drudgery of 2022, Pittsburgh never changed its tune.

Those chances are long past, players have been re-signed, and free agency brought a flurry of positivity and active strategic moves to an excited Steelers fan base - but Matt Canada is still the offensive coordinator. In the back of every Pittsburgh fan's mind is the worry that all the moves, the massive linemen, the Patrick Peterson surprise, and everything else that made this offseason something special won't end up making more than a few ripples when up against the lackluster, beige perspective that Canada brings. You should be sufficiently downtrodden by now - which is how so many of us felt watching Najee Harris try his best when a run up the middle is called for the fourth straight 3rd and 8 - so let's find out what that promised end-of-tunnel light is all about.

Steelers can control the music in 2023

You are probably wondering how there could be an upside to this particular issue, considering that the culprit of the majority of those downsides was not only retained, but also defended in the press by the front office several times. The answer is that Omar Khan has actually taken a page out of Canada's own book to organize and go about executing his offseason plans.

In 2022, there were more than a few times when Matt Canada seemed completely oblivious of the players that were actually on the field when it came to the plays he called. While that is the worst strategy to employ when calling plays, Khan found out that having specific blinders can be a positive as he constructed the kind of squad envisioned for a strong 2023 push. Instead of fretting over how bland Canada's plays will be - not to mention the worry that no growth has occurred in the OC - Omar Khan operated as though he had no clue who his OC was going to be. 

Now, that might sound haphazard and reckless at first glance, but when you have a coordinator like Canada, the best approach is to build a flexible, prepared team ready for constant adjustment. From the outside looking in - the perspective of anyone in the press, really - it looks like the Steelers' roster is meant to be rotational and multifunctional. On a daily basis, there is talk about the amount of offensive guards the Steelers have stockpiled (currently five active OG's on the roster, all with the potential to be in a starting lineup). To some it might be an issue, to me it means that the offense will be ready to adjust if needed; not only due to unforeseen injury troubles, but also in the scenario when a different size or style is needed to combat the small-vision approach Canada tends to flourish within.

Bringing back Zach Gentry showed a dedication to having a wide array of different types of tight end's for whatever situation comes about or is created by an OC's calls. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren showed wonderful flashes of a 1-2 punch that has been missing since DeAngelo Williams and his brilliantly pink hair left town. The foundation began by signing large men right away (Nate Herbig, Isaac Seumalo, and Le'Raven Clark, thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles influence brought by Andy Weidl) and with every forward bit of movement, I am seeing more and more dedication to being ready for one of two possible 2023 outcomes under Canada; everyone is shocked and a light show of creativity is revealed in Week 1 and continues through February, or there will be many more short runs on 3rd and 8.

Whichever result occurs, it feels good to have some hope that instead of being forced to dance about all season, the Pittsburgh Steelers may just have some control over the music this time around.