Steelers' Mike Tomlin Should Seriously Be Living In His Fears If Firing Of Matt Canada Doesn't Work According To Teddy Bruschi

The Pittsburgh Steelers made an in-season coaching change for the first time since 1941 ahead of a Week 12 bout against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mike Tomlin finally had a breaking point after a lack of offensive production and alleged fights going on in the locker room. Players were hinting at being overly frustrated with the poor performances and now running backs coach, Eddie Faulkner and quarterbacks coach, Mike Sullivan will take over in an attempt to put a respectable product on the field. Quarterback, Kenny Pickett no longer has his scapegoat and the final seven games of the 2023 season are the most pivotal of his career.

Anyone relevant in the football media world has wanted to discuss the firing of Matt Canada after a Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns. On Sunday NFL Countdown, the crew wanted to talk about the situation going on in Pittsburgh in one of their first segments. They touched on the change and went into even more detail about what they need to see moving forward.

Former three-time Super Bowl champion, Teddy Bruschi went on a long tangent about how Canada was used as a scapegoat. While it could provide a positive change, Tomlin better hold other people accountable going forward. Bruschi said that Tomlin needs to be cautious and the move could have damaging effects to his locker room heading into 2024.

"What Pittsburgh really has now, is a scapegoat... Tomlin's gotta be careful now. Because these players, if this doesn't work now, and where's the criticism gonna go to from the players? It's gonna go to Pickett. It's gonna go to Kenny Pickett."

Pickett has been less than impressive in his second NFL season. He only has thrown six touchdowns passes and has 13 since early in 2022. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers both have thrown for nearly double in that timeframe and neither has played in 2023 besides Rodgers' short series in which he tore his achilles in Week 1.

Bruschi didn't stop there. Tomlin clearly acknowledged his players' concerns and did something about it. If the move to let go of Canada doesn't work then Tomlin's loyalty to Pickett will seriously be put into question.

"All of a sudden, you've told these players 'there's your voys. I'll do something about it.' Now you may have to do something about the quarterback. That's the only thing I'm wary about here. 'Cause this is uncharacteristic of the Pittsburgh Steelers... Tomlin, we love to hear him talk, right? We love to hear him always talk about accountability and getting better. Now, finally, he says it's someone's fault... The actions say that."

One of the other analysts on the show, former quarterback, Alex Smith, agreed with Bruschi and said that Tomlin is going to be on a legitimate hot seat with the fans if Pickett fails to improve throughout the rest of the 2023 campaign.

"They gotta quiet down that turbulence. A lot of noise in Pittsburgh right now," Smith said.

It is loud in the Steel City and rightfully so. It's hard to find a football town that would be upset with a 6-4 record near the end of November, but that's exactly what is going on within the Steelers fan base. A loyal following will have no problem blaming Pickett and Tomlin moving forward if the offense doesn't display significant changes the rest of the way.

Steelers Need To Use Play-Action And The Middle Of The Field

The countdown crew continued to go off about how the Steelers have used Pickett. He is currently second-best in the league when it comes to the play-action pass, but the Steelers are calling these plays the third-least in the league. It's not rocket science and Rex Ryan said he needs to see it in Week 12 or it'll be very concerning. Pickett's passing chart against the Green Bay Packers in Week 10 was hard to look at, despite the team winning.

Tomlin, who didn't receive a contract extension in the 2023 offseason could be on the hot seat entering 2024 if Pickett fails to develop and it becomes clear that using Canada as a scapegoat was just to hide the fact that the former first-round quarterback isn't ready, and may never be, to be an elite NFL quarterback. The final seven games of 2023 are crucial for Pickett, and maybe even Tomlin's, futures.

Do you think Tomlin should be on the hot seat if the Steelers fail to ramp it up on offense the rest of 2023? Let us know in the comments below!

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