Making sure each guy on the team is happy is an area each organization struggles with year by year. No matter what the situation, being able to get 53 men to buy into one singular idea brought to them by a coach and an organization that has already bought into that idea themselves can be one of the main reasons a coach is not successful early on in his tenure. Now, when that one singular focus is winning, the whole idea of “buying into” the scheme becomes ten times easier. That exact philosophy of winning is exactly what Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin brings to the table, so it's safe to assume that each coach he chose for his staff has that same mentality.
That being said, Tomlin himself and the organization have entrusted last year's quarterback coach Matt Canada with this year's offensive scheme, in hopes of turning the direction of this offense around from what we saw the previous season. This will be Canada’s first season as an offensive coordinator in the NFL after having that title previously at the University of Maryland where he first got the Steelers attention. It was Canada’s “new and improved” style of offense and the assertion of the pre-snap motions that grasped the Steelers interest. Canada’s offense is one that emphasizes speed, and it is that exact concept that led the Steelers to Canada.
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One of the early struggles Canada will face is at the wide receiver position. It’s not necessarily a bad problem to have, but it is no secret that there is an influx of talent at that specific position. It is believed that 3rd year standout Diontae Johnson will go into the new season as the team's main target once again, based off of last season's attempts. It is believed that 2nd year receiver Chase Claypool will be the second outside receiver and will be looked at as more of the deep threat of the group, and JuJu Smith-Schuster seemingly is taking over the slot position and will see some time as an outside receiver as well. Wherever each one of these guys lines up shouldn’t matter, all three are talented enough to make a difference no matter what solidified position, and these seem to be the next three-headed monster pairing in Pittsburgh.
All eyes are going to be on just how Canada is going to utilize not just these three mentioned above, but the other talented players on the wide receiver depth chart. James Washington is a name that has been in the news recently due to a report that he had requested a trade from the Steelers due to a lack of playing time on the field. Luckily for Steeler fans, the report was debunked by Coach Tomlin himself, but the report still got me thinking.
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Washington has been the lone receiver who just can't seem to find time on the field, but not due to a lack of trying. Although productive, he has found himself under each of the “new guys” on the depth chart the past two seasons (Johnson and Claypool), and has not been able to overtake either one since. He is coming off his best season as of yet as far as touchdowns are concerned, yet his reception and yardage rate severely decreased from 2020. Claypool's emergence did not help Washington's playing time, however he has received praise from Ben Roethlisberger himself as far as him seeing more playing time and has been one of his favorite/consistent targets when on the field.
It will be interesting to see how this new offensive scheme put together by a first year offensive coordinator is going to look, yet again who will be incorporated within it. Canada is walking into a pretty good situation with a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Roethlisberger at the helm, surrounded by nothing but young talent. The hardest part for Canada will be just how to make sure everyone who is worthy sees ample playing time throughout the season, making everyone happy while doing it. Sounds easy, right?
Do you see James Washington getting more playing time in 2021? Comment below!
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