Steelers 3rd-Year Coach Matt Canada Receives Crushing Critique From ESPN's Dan Orlovsky

The Pittsburgh Steelers' current quarterback was not a media darling after the 2022 season ended. Kenny Pickett evolved into a trendy selection as a breakout candidate in the national media after he posted a perfect preseason. The talking heads at NFL Network, Fox Sports, and ESPN don’t move off their takes easily once they latch onto something.

Pickett’s performance in Week 1 might have given Steelers fans pause. Critics got to gloat about the second-year quarterback’s first opportunity to start a season opener. Pickett was off, and there was no defending the missed throws on Sunday, and to his credit, he didn’t try. However, once you become a media darling, support will start pouring in to shift the blame. A familiar and accurate target has emerged: Matt Canada.

Dan Orlovsky from ESPN, who came aboard the Pickett bandwagon late in August, took to Twitter / X to call out the Steelers' uninspired passing schemes on Tuesday. Suggesting that the former Pitt Panthers quarterback was stuck in a bad version of the movie Groundhog Day. He didn’t mince words, but he did repeat them.

The ESPN analyst is a budding star in NFL coverage. Like any talking head, he is prone to hyperbole. Orlovsky did not jump on the Pickett bandwagon immediately. Once he joined, he became a passionate advocate for Pickett's step forward in his second season. The Steelers did not get much national attention in 2022, so the deep dives went only as far as the offensive line for most of last season. 

Orlovsky is not the first, and he won't be the last, to question Canada and the Steelers' scheme. Mike Tomlin has always relied on his players to make plays over schematic wizardry. He did start his career with Dick LeBeau and Bruce Arians as holdovers from the Bill Cowher era. Those two coaches helped him pad his resume with two Super Bowl appearances. 

Tomlin's hands are not clean when it comes to Canada, as Andrew Fillipponi from The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller reminded listeners on Tuesday afternoon. In response to Tomlin being blamed by multiple callers for the return of Canada, the bombastic host questioned Tomlin's motivation to let Canada return.

"I don't think there is any in-season solution," Fillipponi observed. "I think the only in-season solution is you just expect your guys to be better than their guys. That was a game where you weren't going to win that way cause it's the 49ers. It's just a strange hill to die on for Tomlin with Canada."

Co-host Chris Mueller took it a step further and ran with Orlovsky's criticism more directly. Mueller was very direct with his assessment of Canada's playbook. He suggested that Canada was calling plays like he was playing video game football, three decades ago. 

"He's [Canada] got the Tecmo Super Bowl playbook," Chris Mueller added. "If you were a smart player, you knew what they were running. You had one play that if you knew what they came out in, that is what they were running. That is the charge being levied at him. It's wild to me."

It is astounding that the Steelers took the risk of bringing Canada back, knowing that one bad performance would trigger a massive reaction. Ted Nguyen from The Athletic chimed in about Canada's curious game plan against the San Francisco 49ers. He identified it as one of his three worst coaching decisions stemming from Week 1 on social media. 

Steelers President Art Rooney II Detailed The 2 Exact Reasons For Keeping Matt Canada

Social media is full of criticisms of Canada and his offensive scheme. Art Rooney II and Omar Khan could throw Tomlin a lifeline if the Steelers front office took the decision out of Tomlin's hands. It has been insinuated that he was retained because of one year remaining on his contract and an endorsement from a young quarterback who hasn't played a full season yet. 

Fans don't want to hear any excuses about continuity. They rebuilt the defensive secondary, offensive line, and middle linebacker rooms during the 2023 offseason. If they are not concerned about players adapting to a new scheme, then why not get a new scheme? The silent answer to that question is deafening. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? If the Steelers hang 30 on the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football, will you forgive and forget Week 1? Please comment below or on my Twitter / X: @thebubbasq. 

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