The Pittsburgh Steelers finally made the decision to part ways with Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada as they head into their Week 12 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Many fans have been waiting for this move to be made, and expected it to come much earlier in the 2023 season. Now that Canada is officially on his way out of Pittsburgh, many analysts are making their case as to why this was a necessary move by Mike Tomlin. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky chimed in on why this was a needed move to save the Steelers' season.
Steelers' Firing Canada Was The Right Move According To Orlovsky
Canada's tenure as the Steelers offensive coordinator was absolutely horrific. The offense has been near the bottom of the league in all major statistical categories since he took over the job at the beginning of the 2021 NFL season. Canada's offense has never produced a game where they gained over 400 yards, and more often than not, the Steelers defense needed to win the game for the team since the offense found it hard to score any points. Orlovsky went on The Pat McAfee Show to discuss the firing and why it was the right move.
"It's the right move, it's the necessary move. There has been too many instances where this offense, and you guys have had me layer out the predictability, the lack of explosion, never creating an advantage, there's so many flaws within this scheme."
Orlovsky played quarterback in the NFL and is a respected and experienced analyst, so it might be easier for him to point out the deficiencies that there were in Canada's offense. But, even the average NFL fan could tell that Canada's offensive scheme was predictable and not meant for the NFL level. It's a miracle the Steelers are sitting at 6-4 this far into the 2023 season, and had a real chance to be 7-3 during the Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns had the offense been functional.
Many thought the Steelers would make the move of firing Canada back during their bye week after the Week 5 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, however he managed to stick around for a little bit longer. A lot of fans had given up on the thought that Canada would be gone in the middle of the season, as it is not the Steelers way to fire a coach mid-season. Orlovsky explained why now was the right time for the Steelers to go in a different direction offensively.
"Yeah, well you're throwing away a season. Again that goes back to the initial statement. When everybody knows what is the problem with your football team, then as a coach, you have to sit there and say, ok I have a defense that is playing their absolute tail off, and they go into every game knowing we are not trying to win the game on offense."
There was an instance this season where the Steelers defense won a game for the Steelers back in Week 2 against the Browns. The defense actually outscored Canada's offense, and scored two touchdowns by themselves, also holding the Browns offense to minimal success. The defense also helped the offense out in Week 5 against the Ravens by forcing turnovers late in the game to help the Steelers win.
Orlovsky insinuated that the Steelers would be throwing away their season by keeping Canada as their play-caller, which is absolutely true. The Steelers have a defense that can help this team go far in the postseason. The unit forces the second most turnovers in the NFL, and TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith are two of the best edge rushers in the NFL.
Now with Canada gone, the offense has some hope and needs to step up for the remainder of the 2023 season. Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner has taken over the responsibilities as offensive coordinator for the remainder of the season, with quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan assuming the role of play-caller. With these two at the helm, hopefully this offense can turn things around and help the defense out.
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