Former Steelers player defends OC Matt Canada
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada has at least one person coming to his defense.
Canada has become public enemy No. 1 in Pittsburgh for the team's abysmal offense, but former Steelers defensive lineman Chris Hoke pointed out on Thursday that a lot of the problems go beyond the play-caller.
During his weekly appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Hoke pointed out the issues with players executing what is called.
That includes rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, who had an especially tough game this past Sunday in Philadelphia.
Said Hoke:
"You go back and watch that film, and everybody can say what they want, but guys are open. Kenny's not seeing them. This game, Kenny missed throws. Third-and-10 he has Pat Freiermuth open for a first down, and he sails the ball. Is that on Matt Canada? You tell me. On a third down, you have Diontae Johnson and he throws the ball to him, yet he had Pat Freiermuth wide open down the seam for a touchdown. He does not even look at him. Another time it is third down, he has the safety on the hash to his right, he throws the ball to George Pickens, who beat his man off the ball. Throw the ball up in the air and let him right under it, but he throws the ball on a back shoulder fade, when he has the guy beat. Ball falls incomplete. That is not on Matt Canada. Those are plays that are called that are not being executed."
You can hear more of his comments here.
The Steelers have the NFL's worst offense, averaging just 15 points per game (32nd out of 32 teams) and 299 yards per game (28th out of 32 teams).
Despite the struggles, head coach Mike Tomlin has refused to make a change at offensive coordinator and is sticking with Canada.
There is a lot of truth in what Hoke says about Pickett's struggles and a lot of the problems coming down to execution and personnel. The Steelers offensive line is bad in all phases, while Pickett has gone through his fair share of growing pains. It is a poorly constructed team with a rookie quarterback. That is a bad combination.
This is also Canada's second year as offensive coordinator, and the results have remained consistently bad no matter who the starting quarterback has been. The offense struggled with veteran Ben Roethlisberger during the 2021 season. Those struggles continued when Mason Rudolph had to start. It was awful with Mitch Trubisky at the start of this season, and it remains bad with Pickett. That makes four different quarterbacks in the same system all seeing the same results.
Even worse, Canada's offense has never found consistent success in any of his previous coaching stops in college or the NFL.
His two NFL offenses have ranked 22nd and 32nd.
The harsh reality is the Steelers just might have a bad offense and a bad offensive coordinator.
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