If you thought Pittsburgh Steelers fans wanted Matt Canada gone, well, those thoughts have only become louder through two weeks of the 2023 season. Seemingly for stability reasons, the front office opted to bring the team's offensive coordinator back for his third season. That was despite the fact that he hasn't proved anything since his arrival in Pittsburgh.
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Despite being in their second year together, Steelers Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada and quarterback Kenny Pickett haven't shown much improvement through two weeks.
Things haven't gotten any prettier through the first two games, as the offense again ranks near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every major statistic. The "Fire Canada" crowd has already made their feelings known, as chants filled up Acrisure Stadium in the Week 2 victory over the Cleveland Browns. In his Wednesday chat, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette brought up a point that owner Art Rooney II could step in and fire Canada if needed.
"Actually, most coaching decisions are up to Mike Tomlin, not to say Art Rooney II couldn't step in and tell him what to do. After all, that's how [Bruce] Arians was let go. But Arians didn't have a year remaining on his contract so the Steelers chose to simply not rehire him. Canada had a year remaining on his contract," Dulac mentioned.
Despite the loud chants in Week 2, Canada and several others refused to acknowledge that they were prevalent. The Steelers don't typically fire coaches in-season, but the OC's seat is getting warmer by the minute. Dulac isn't necessarily predicting this to happen, but it's an important reminder that it has happened in the past. Looking back, Arians was one of the best offensive coordinators that Pittsburgh has had.
Peter Diana / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A young Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians stand next to one another during a team practice.
Since moving on from him, the team has had an ugly stretch of offensive coordinators. While Todd Haley wasn't as bad as some made him out to be, he was still a downgrade from Arians. He was able to lead the team to one of the best offenses in the NFL, but that was aided by the plethora of talent with Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown.
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Since then, it's only gotten worse in Randy Fichtner and now Matt Canada. While Tomlin remains one of the best coaches in the NFL, he has done a poor job in putting together talented coaching staffs. That has become a main criticism for the 17th-year head coach, as other teams around the league rarely come to Pittsburgh to snag away coaches.
Before coming to Pittsburgh, Canada's coaching resume wasn't exactly pretty either. As Dulac mentions, Canada is still in the final year of his contract. Whether the team opts to fire him or just move on in the offseason, it's highly unlikely that he's back in 2024. It will be a very important hire for the front office, and there are a few names that make some sense as a replacement.
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If it's needed, Steelers owner Art Rooney II could step in and fire Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada, something that has been done in the past.
Former Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich is a name that will surely get brought up if/when Canada is gone. Most recently, Leftwich was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His name was brought up this past offseason, as the Buccaneers opted to move on from him. Time will tell if Tomlin will finally move on from one of his own coaches in the middle of a season.
Do you think the Steelers will consider firing Canada in the middle of the season? Is he the one to blame the most for the offense's continued struggles? If they do fire him, who would you like to see be the OC replacement in the offseason? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
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