The Pittsburgh Steelers brought offensive coordinator Matt Canada on as the quarterback's coach in 2020. Then when the Steelers let then-OC Randy Fichtner go in 2021, Canada was promoted to take his place, despite having only been with the team for a year.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers former offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner.
You know that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for?" Well, it applies here. If you were around and paying attention during Fichtner's tenure, then you know the amount of venom he took from fans. They did and said everything they could about the man, hoping he would get run out of town.
Then he was gone and Canada took over. Most fans were a little caught off guard. They expected the team to bring in some big names from the outside. This is despite the fact that the Steelers are well known for promoting from within.
His first season as offensive coordinator was Ben Roethlisberger's last season as quarterback. While fans were not happy with the play-calling, they blamed a lot of it on Roethlisberger. They said that he was too old, too set in his ways, unwilling to work with a new coordinator, etc.
In Canada's second season, 2022, he got to work with two new quarterbacks. The first was journeyman Mitch Trubisky and the second was then-rookie Kenny Pickett. Both struggled with Canada's offense and the team missed the playoffs.
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Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett warms up prior to his first ever NFL action in the 2022 preseason.
We had other teams making jokes that they could predict what play we were going to run before we ran it. There were players frustrated they weren't getting the ball. The analysts mostly criticized him, but a few noted they felt his offense was too complicated for a rookie like Pickett, so they had to "dumb things down" for the young players and thus, it made the team predictable.
Fans were outraged. They expected him to be fired, first at the bye week and then at the end of the season. But he wasn't. Now as we sit and obsess over the fate of our beloved team during the offseason, Canada and his play-calling remains a top concern.
Can the team actually succeed with him at the helm? And an even bigger question than that is how much longer will Head Coach Mike Tomlin keep him around? According to one former Steeler, this year is a put-up or shut-up year for Canada.
Steelers' Ramon Foster On What Mike Tomlin Saw In Matt Canada
Former Steelers offensive guard, Ramon Foster, recently spoke about Canada on his show, The Ramon Foster Show. The podcast airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports and is co-hosted by reporter Dejan Kovacevic. On a recent episode, a fan wrote in and asked Foster what he thinks Tomlin ever even saw in Canada and what he continues to see that he keeps him around.
The reality is the buck stops to some degree with the head coach. There are a lot of people out there, especially the fans that want Tomlin gone, that have used this as a bit of a lynchpin for their argument. If Canada is a terrible coordinator and Tomlin is mostly responsible for him being with the team, then isn't it Tomlin's fault?
"I think he has confidence in him, but I also think it's one of those situations where he's good for a young quarterback," said Foster.
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Steelers' Kordell Stewart vs Jacksonville Jaguars.
At the end of last season when Canada was retained, that is one argument that came up quite often. Pickett is a young guy who is learning and it would be hard for him to jump coordinators in his second year. That led to people arguing both sides. You heard guys like Kordell Stewart say that's no big deal, welcome to the NFL. On the flip side, you heard others say that it's too much when you are trying to acclimate.
"I think he has some good ideas that we've yet to see. I think it's fair to say that. I know this about Coach Tomlin, if you got the insane work ethic, if you've got an insane affinity to want to win, then he gonna ride with you for a little bit," according to Foster.
Foster goes on to say that the desire to want to find success with someone isn't enough. He says that opposite of what the Tomlin critical fans say, he isn't afraid to fire someone. Despite the Steelers being well known for 'standing by their man,' they aren't about misplaced loyalty.
"But this is one thing about Coach Tomlin too, he will not hesitate to cut bait. I can tell y'all because Canada comes up often and everybody asks the question, 'Will he be retained,' or 'Will he be fired after this year?' I think the conversation started with Mr. Rooney. He wanted everything to stay the same for Kenny. I think that was a proper response for a guy going into his second year."
AP
Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive players Ramon Foster and Maurkice Pouncey run out of the tunnel on the field pre-game.
There are more teams with high coaching turnover than teams that are like the Steelers with three coaches in more than 30 years. Just because something shinier and brighter is out there, that doesn't always mean it is the best. The Steelers, like all successful franchises, have had an ebb and flow with winning seasons. You can't win the Super Bowl every year. But you also have to be able to acknowledge when something or someone isn't working. Foster thinks that they have the correct balance.
"We've never been that type of team to fire a guy and stunt the development of one of your key players/quarterbacks. I think that made sense. I think it makes sense for Coach Tomlin to say, 'If it don't work, get rid of him this year.'"
How do you feel about Foster's comments? Do you think Tomlin sees something in Canada that he expects to come to fruition? Click to comment below!
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