The Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada has been a common scapegoat over his two years with the black and gold. Most of it has been warranted, as for two straight seasons now he's led an offense that ranks near the bottom of the league in essentially every major category. Lately, he has shown signs of life. The Steelers' offense has shown improvements as a result, leading to two consecutive victories and a glimmer of hope for making the postseason.
Rookie QB Kenny Pickett speaks with offensive coordinator Matt Canada during training camp 2022 / Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
The signs of growth started out of the bye week in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints when the offense ran for 217 yards en route to the third win of the season. It continued the next week against the Cincinnati Bengals, which happened to be one of those games where the defense gave up several big plays. The defense allowed 37 points on the day, but the offense did its job. They scored 30 points, but it wasn't enough as the loss dropped the team to 3-7.
As a result, the criticism of Canada has quieted down a bit over the last few weeks. The offense has moved up the ranks lately, as they are now 28th in the NFL in points per game with 17.8. Despite the struggles in the running game for the majority of the season, they rank 16th in rushing yards per game with 117.0. In an article written on Monday, Paul Zeise of 93.7 The Fan and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggested the Steelers should indeed keep Canada next season, and perhaps even beyond.
"Canada, however, has clearly grown as a coordinator, he has begun to really find his groove as a play caller and he has adapted his offense to be successful in the NFL," Zeise said. "He has opened it up schematically so more guys are utilizing more space and there is more room for playmakers to make plays. I say this because I know this will be a very unpopular opinion, but I am starting to think that Tomlin’s best option in the offseason would be to bring Canada back."
Photo Credit: George Gojkovich/Getty Images
Just a month ago, it seemed to be a guarantee that General Manager Omar Khan would hire a new OC after the season. In fact, it got so bad that some thought Canada may even get fired in the middle of the season, something the Steelers franchise never does. Now, the question has persisted. If the offense continues to improve, should Canada get another season leading this offense? He is still just in his second year in the position and perhaps most importantly, rookie Quarterback Kenny Pickett is proving to be a legitimate NFL quarterback.
While he remains mostly a game manager at this point, he's cut down on his turnover problems in the last month. That alone has shown his maturity and has led to the offense taking a step forward. Perhaps before Canada should be truly considered as the team's OC next season, the offense does need to fix their red zone issues. Whether it be due to mental mistakes or failure to execute, the Steelers have settled for three points far too often.
With kicker Chris Boswell out, Matthew Wright has gotten a ton of work over the last few games. You typically don't want your kicker out there a ton, unless it's him kicking PATs. Since taking over as the team's kicker coming out of the bye week, he has had 14 field goal attempts in four games. He's attempted at least three field goals in all four contests. Specifically the last two weeks, Wright has just two XPs, but seven field goals, all of which he's made.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Until Canada can figure that problem out and truly put more points on the board, it's hard to see him returning next year. While the progress has been encouraging, points are what matters in the end. Thankfully for Head Coach Mike Tomlin, they've been fortunate enough to face some lowly opponents lately. Their three wins in the last month have come against the Saints, Indianapolis Colts and then the Atlanta Falcons this past weekend.
How have your thoughts changed on Canada in the past month (if at all)? Do you agree with Zeise in that the Steelers should keep him around for at least 1 more year? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
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