Matt Canada, the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was let go, the team announced on Tuesday. According to CBS Sports HQ Senior NFL Insider Josina Anderson, running backs coach Eddie Faulkner is anticipated to take over as offensive coordinator, with quarterback coach Mike Sullivan serving as the play-caller. In the wake of Canada’s firing, the Steelers are essentially dividing up the offensive game planning.
Later, when speaking about the dismissal, Tomlin stated that the choice to break relations with Canada “was my and mine alone.”
Tomlin clarified, “I did not come to this decision lightly” (per ESPN.com). “It is my responsibility to take in and safeguard the people I work with. That’s not how I feel about this. I’m not blaming or skirting the issue in any manner. You can be sure that this was not an easy decision to make. Matt is someone I greatly admire on both a personal and professional level.”
According to Tomlin, there were “many layers” to the firing, which included consideration of the team’s 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 11.
“I simply consider you know if you’re that to be blunt and brief about the answer,” said Tomlin. “I’ll say it again: taking the situation lightly at all is not what I mean by flippant. However, after playing the role for a while, you kind of know when that you’re there. an amalgam of numerous variables combined.”
Canada, who oversaw the Steelers’ offensive line for three seasons, never saw Pittsburgh’s offense total 400 yards or more in a game. They went 58 games without reaching 400 total yards—the second-longest streak in NFL history.
Under Canada, the Steelers ranked 29th in terms of points per possession and 30th in terms of yards per possession. In Canada’s three seasons, they finished 28th in total yards and 28th in points scored.
Kenny Pickett, the struggling quarterback, will continue to be the starter, according to Tomlin. Tomlin praised the second-year the player’s work ethic as well.
“This guy will do anything and everything,” Tomlin remarked of Pickett. “He puts in a lot of work. Football justice is a real thing. Those folks typically find what they’re searching for. I continue to be optimistic about his future development and growth because of this.”
Since 1970, Pickett has had the lowest pass touchdown percentage (1.9%) of any quarterback with 500 or more attempts. This season, the Steelers rank 28th in the NFL in terms of points scored per game, but they only rank 31st in terms of pass touchdowns per game, averaging just 0.7.
“I’m focused on this week in terms of Kenny’s development,” Tomlin said in response to a question about how important the next seven games are for Pickett’s growth. Man, we’re not pissing on the fire.”
Despite being outgained in each of their first ten games, the Steelers are 6-4 for some reason.