The Pittsburgh Steelers have their first preseason game solidly in their rearview mirror. Fans spent months leading up to the game wondering what certain players would do, and how they would perform. However, players weren't the only black and gold team members under scrutiny. The Steelers' offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, remains on the hot seat.
Photo Credit: Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers Head Coach, Mike Tomlin (right) and offensive coordinator, Matt Canada (left) laugh with one another at a practice during training camp.
Canada has had a difficult start to his career as a professional offensive coordinator. His first season was famed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's last. Any way you looked at it - Roethlisberger was stuck in his way, Canada's offense was too complicated, Roethlisberger wouldn't cooperate - it seemed silly to develop and teach the future Hall of Famer an entirely new system.
In his second year as coordinator, Canada and the Steelers acquired journeyman Mitch Trubisky and then-rookie Kenny Pickett. They joined longtime backup Mason Rudolph in a quarterback battle. Trubisky emerged the initial winner and took the first-string quarterback snaps through Week 4 when he was benched in favor of Pickett.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter/x: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterbacks Mason Rudolph (2), Kenny Pickett (8), and Mitch Trubisky (10) participate in drills in training camp in Pittsburgh, PA.
Pickett was now not only a rookie, he was learning a system on which he had only taken back up reps. There is no disputing that Pickett got better as the season went on, the whole team did. However, there is also no disputing there is room to grow. This left people wondering just what Canada would do during the first preseason game in 2023. Would he show the old offense and field complaints over that? Would he show the new offense and risk giving things away? It seems like he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.
Former QB Says Steelers' Matt Canada's Offense Is A Joke
Former NFL quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan has now weighed in on the Steelers offense. O'Sullivan was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2002 in the sixth round. Sullivan was a bit of a journeyman himself and spent his time in the NFL on about a dozen teams. He also played in Europe and Canada.
While no longer playing, O'Sullivan is a student of the game and now spends time hosting The QB School, a digital platform that provides quarterback play analysis. In a recent episode, he broke apart the Steelers offense from their first preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He made it quite clear from the start that he was not too happy about what he saw on Pickett's opening drive.
"Don't freak out, but my goodness I got my blood boiling early. Just feel the visceral either eye popping or eye rolling that I am doing as I am watching."
He runs those initial plays and shows the Steelers offense under the direction of Canada, execute some rather elementary-type concepts. The first two included the first down pass to Pat Freiermuth and the Najee Harris loss of yardage on the swing pass. O'Sullivan noted the use of the Hank and Stick-Spacing, a kind of short route that he said shouldn't be used in the pros nearly as often as it is.
"Personally I would struggle in an environment like this, I'm sure Mike Tomlin could care less and Canada could care less what I would do. But there's so much better stuff than that. I would make the argument that these two concepts probably shouldn't even be in playbooks anymore. This organization does it more than others, it's almost like two middle fingers to the drop-back passing evolution of what football is and should be nowadays."
O'Sullivan also laments the fact that not only does Canada run these terrible plays, but he doesn't even do it very well. He likened it to watching a Shakespearean tragedy and worries about what that will mean for the real games.
"We can't have that during the year y'all. Can't have that."
His criticism was definitely fixated solidly on Canada. As for the actual quarterback analysis that viewers turned in for, he has a lot of praise for Pickett. He notes that Pickett does a brilliant job executing the play.
"This is a hell of a job from Kenny Pickett."
Pickett, according to O'Sullivan, has a great "feel" for the pocket, for the field, for his teammates and their whereabouts. He is able to escape and remain mobile. He comments that Pickett being able to break away and pick up a first down on a third and long is how he will win his teammates over.
It is a bittersweet relief to hear such high praise for Pickett. We all know what we saw from him last season that got the majority of fans and analysts so excited. The question remains if Pickett will be held back by Canada, or if he and Canada are really on the same page.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter/x: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Recent reports suggest that Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has improved tremendously this offseason, leaving high hopes for the 2023 campaign.
This feels like Canada's last hoorah. While it seems unlikely the Steelers will let him go during the season, if he fails to call a solid offense this year, it is even harder to imagine him returning in 2024.
What did you think about Pickett's brief performance on Friday? What do you think about O'Sullivan's comments? Click to comment below.
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