As reported by The Athletic on Tuesday, there seems to be more clarity on why the Pittsburgh Steelers haven't announced any news yet regarding the future of the team's current coaching staff. This includes the highly discussed offensive coordinator, Matt Canada.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach, Pat Meyer (left) and offensive coordinator, Matt Canada (right) meet before a regular season game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation.com (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The reason for the delay is because Head Coach Mike Tomlin has needed to prioritize a "personal matter" at this time. Reports are that two members within the team's organization have acknowledged this, but details on the matter have not been specified. Player exit meetings will be conducted virtually.
Coach Tomlin has been known to conduct player exit interviews, followed by any coaching/staff changes, shortly after the season ends. Via social media feedback throughout the season, a large portion of Steeler Nation continues to anxiously await the fate of Canada, as he's been highly criticized for a stagnant offense since taking over the OC position in 2021.
Names such as Frank Reich, Byron Leftwich, Mark Whipple, and even Nathaniel Hackett continue to float around as possible names that could replace Canada. The jury is still out however on whether Coach Tomlin is ready to shake up his coaching staff again:
"I thought [Matt Canada] got better, just like our team got better," Tomlin said about his current OC towards the second half of the season. "I'm not going to speculate about him or anyone as I stand here today. I'm just not there. We have some work to do, but largely, I thought he got better in the ways that we got better, so it was encouraging," Tomlin concluded during an interview at the end of the regular season.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin (left) walks alongside defensive captain, Cam Heyward (right) at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA during a regular season game in 2022-23 season. After starting 2-6, and after being 3-7, the Steelers ended the year on a 7-2 run, expanding Coach Tomlin's streak of consecutive non-losing seasons, finishing with a record of 9-8 overall. | Photo credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation.com (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
It's anyone's guess as to what Coach Tomlin will decide, as well as what personal matter he's currently attending to. We do know however that there are pros and cons to both retaining Canada and letting him go. Building on an offense that began to surge since the Week 9 bye and keeping the same coordinator for an upcoming second-year quarterback in Kenny Pickett could be a smart move as the team continues to expand the playbook. But after two seasons of rather conservative play-calling, expecting anything to change in 2023 could be a tall order and this young offense's downfall.
What do yinz think Coach Tomlin should do regarding his coaching staff, specifically Matt Canada? Is there another OC out there you'd like to see come in and take the reins? Make sure to click to comment below!
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