The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has been under much scrutiny over the past two seasons, and a lot of the blame has been directed towards Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada. Canada has been the team's offensive play-caller since the 2021 NFL season, and the offense has been less than spectacular during his time in the position. On a recent episode of Cam Heyward's podcast Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, Canada discussed what it's like being an important piece to the Steelers and the pressure that comes with his job.
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Steelers Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada sits down with Cam Heyward.
Steelers' Matt Canada Discusses The Pressure Of Being The Offensive Coordinator
Before taking over as the main play-caller for the Steelers, Canada served as the team's quarterbacks coach during the 2020 season. He coached Ben Roethlisberger and the duo started the season by going 11-0 and finished 12-4, winning the AFC North and making the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Steelers were upset by the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round, which is one of the Steelers most disappointing losses in recent memory.
Peter Diana / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sits alone on the bench after Pittsburgh's Wild Card loss to the Cleveland Browns.
After the conclusion of the season, Pittsburgh fired Randy Fichtner who was Canada's predecessor and served as the offensive coordinator from 2018 through the 2020 season. Canada has had a very disappointing start to his time as the Steelers' play-caller, in 2022, the offense finished 26th in the NFL by averaging just 18.1 points per game. Canada described how he views the pressure that is put on him in his current role.
"It's an easy answer to say I have the best job in the world. It's a job you would always want to have, and any job like that is going to come with a lot of pressure. Everybody has an opinion, which is fine. You're never going to run from it or wish you didn't have that pressure. Pressure is a privilege."
Most Steelers fans would agree that Canada has not done a great job of living up to the expectations or the pressure that he has faced. The offense has been stagnant at times during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and is the main reason the Steelers have not been able to have any recent playoff success.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers OC, Matt Canada has Pittsburgh in a vicious cycle.
Canada hasn't been completely to blame for the team's offensive short comings in recent years, however. In his first season as the offensive coordinator, he had to limit the offense as it was Roethlisberger's last year in the NFL and his ability to make certain throws downfield were visibly diminishing. In the 2022 season, he was working with an inexperienced rookie quarterback in Kenny Pickett who didn't see a lot of snaps in training camp as he was behind Mitch Trubisky on the depth chart.
Canada continued to speak about the pressure that comes with his job, while expressing his gratitude to Head Coach Mike Tomlin and the rest of the Steelers organization. Canada also hinted at increased success coming from the offense due to more experience in his system and in the NFL overall.
"I'm fortunate to work for this organization. Fortunate to work for Mike T. Fortunate to coach the players, you mentioned Ben, Kenny, really everybody on the offense. It's been a great ride. We've had an evolution of some young guys. We're older now, more experienced, it's fun to be here and go through that entire process."
Canada mentioned some young players gaining more experience and going through an evolution. One of the main, and most important, players that has been seen taking leaps forward is second-year quarterback Pickett. Having the experience from playing in the 2022 season, as well as having his first full offseason and training camp as the starting quarterback, is extremely beneficial, and it has shown through his limited but spectacular play in the 2023 preseason.
Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Kenny Pickett with his new helmet at the Steelers' minicamp in Pittsburgh, PA.
Despite the subpar offense fans have seen from the Steelers over the last two seasons, things are looking up for the unit in 2023. With a revamped offensive line, and noticeable improvement from key contributors like Pickett, George Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth, the offense is expected to look a lot more efficient and be a lot more successful, which should lead to many more victories for the Steelers in 2023.
What do you think about Canada's comments? What are your expectations for the offense in 2023? Let us know in the comments below!
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