While the Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into a critical Week 12 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, that wasn't necessarily the topic of discussion on Tuesday. Head Coach Mike Tomlin finally let go of his friend and offensive coordinator, Matt Canada. It has been awfully tough to watch the organization's offense since Canada took the reins during the 2021 season. The baffling stat of his unit never having over 400 total yards in a game has to be one of the worst runs in NFL history. While a 6-4 record has the team in the playoff picture, they have yet to out-gain an opponent in the 2023 season.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A7728-544x306.jpg "Steelers Matt Canada")
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Former Steelers Offensive Coordinator, Matt Canada walks on the field as the team prepares for their annual night practice in Latrobe, PA during 2023 training camp.
It's hard to look back at Canada's tenure and come up with many positives. The run game has excelled at times, but that's pretty much it. It's not a far-fetched theory to believe that the former Steelers' play-caller destroyed the development of second-year quarterback, Kenny Pickett. On top of that theory, Tomlin could be responsible for ruining the prime years of players on the other side of the ball.
Ray Fittipaldo hosted a fan chat on Tuesday shortly after it became known to the football world that Canada would no longer be on the sidelines (or the booth) for Pittsburgh. He was asked a question about how the firing would affect the locker room. The fan asking the question wanted to know if it would "supercharge" the entire team. Fittipaldo ripped into Tomlin for not letting go of Canada after just one year. He also believes the best years of Cameron Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and TJ Watt were wasted.
"I think this move was long overdue. Tomlin should have fired Canada after the 2021 season. That's why I blame him for wasting the past two seasons and this one on a coordinator who wasn't very good at his job. I've said it many times. He wasted the prime years of Cam Heyward, TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick with his loyalty to Canada."
There's no doubt that Tomlin had an odd kind of loyalty when it came to Canada. Fittipaldo wanted the play-caller gone after just one season, but there's absolutely no reason that he should've lasted past 2022, at the very latest. It was a failure of epic proportions to retain him and now the Steelers are paying for it with an abysmal offense.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A5085-544x306.jpg "Steelers Mike Tomlin")
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin walks on the playing surface at St. Vincent College while his players warmup prior to a 2023 training camp practice in Latrobe, PA.
While Fitzpatrick and Watt remain under the age of 30. Heyward could potentially be on his final NFL contract if he decides to retire at the end of the 2024 season. Pittsburgh might have had a window at the end of Ben Roethlisberger's career and early in Pickett's (or another quarterback for that matter) to compete for a championship. Instead, the failure of an offense caused a host of issues.
The organization now has seven regular season games left in 2023 to see if someone (specifically Eddie Faulkner and/or Mike Sullivan) can get the very best out of the struggling signal-caller. If he continues to perform at an extremely average rate, the decision might have to be made in the 2024 offseason to retool the entire way the offense is made up.
It's nearly impossible to win in today's NFL without a dynamic offense. The defense has been stout late in games and come up with huge plays, but that's not proven to always be a recipe for success. The unit only allowed 13 points in Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns, and the team found a way to lose because the offense couldn't score over 10 points.
Jordan Schofield / Steeler Nation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett drops back to pass during 2022 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers Still Have Time To Take Advantage Of Strong Defensive Trio
Pittsburgh did seemingly waste the prime years of some of their best players with an ineptitude on offense. It might not be too late, however. Fitzpatrick and Heyward have both gone (or are going) through injuries in 2023, but Watt has been at the top of his game once again. If this change in offensive leadership can get the group back on track and playing their best, a strong defense to pair it with could lead to an unexpected postseason run.
Do you think that Tomlin is solely at fault for keeping Canada around? Did he waste the prime years of Fitzpatrick, Heyward and Watt? Let us know in the comments below!
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