Steelers OC: No 'drastic difference' in play calls with Kenny Pickett starting

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made the long-requested switch from veteran quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to rookie Kenny Pickett in the second half of Week 4's loss to the New York Jets and will start Pickett for at least Week 5's matchup at the 3-1 Buffalo Bills. 

Pickett tallied two rushing scores in relief of Trubisky during the Week 4 defeat, and one hope among some fans is that the 24-year-old can help open up what's been an unimpressive offense. Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada spoke with reporters Thursday and indicated his game plan won't change all that much with Pickett leading the charge over Trubisky. 

"I don’t think you saw a huge difference in the plays in the second half [of the Week 4 game against the Jets] when Kenny was in there, as far as the play calls," Canada explained, according to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "So, I don’t think you’re going to see a drastic difference. And again, we all have to be better for us to get there. We’ve got to score more points."

According to ESPN stats, the 1-3 Steelers finished Week 4 averaging a paltry 18.5 points per game. Pittsburgh's overall offense is averaging the third-fewest yards per contest at 278.8. 

"Our offense hasn’t been scoring enough points," Canada added during his comments. "You make a change, but it’s not all a reflection of quarterback play. Obviously, we try to do what guys like to do. We’re going to focus on what everybody does well, we hope. There might be tweaks here, like a route that Mitch liked that Kenny likes different. But as a big picture, it’s going to be the same plays. We have to execute better and play better all the way around." 

While Pickett tossed three interceptions against the Jets, he completed 10-of-13 passes for 120 yards and averaged 9.2 yards per pass attempt. To compare, Trubisky averaged 5.6 yards per pass attempt this season before he was benched and is dead last in that category among eligible quarterbacks, per ESPN.