Here's Why I'm Happy the Steelers Kept Matt Canada

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Andre Curtis

The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced that they are keeping offensive coordinator Matt Canada for next season.

Brace yourselves.

I am genuinely happy that the Steelers are staying with Matt Canada for next season. I am a Matt Canada defender.

Yes, I understand that the Steelers offense has been nothing but abysmal for the last two seasons. In 2021, they ranked 21st in the NFL in points per game, and in 2022 they ranked even worse, at 26th in the league. It was a constant string of check-down passes and untimely running plays. In essence, Matt Canada running the offense was the most predictable thing since Jack Dawson died in the 1997 movie Titanic. 

You may be asking yourself right now, how can I possibly like Matt Canada as the Steelers offensive coordinator?

Here’s why:

The reason I am a Matt Canada defender, and proud of it, is simple: the offensive struggles aren’t Matt Canada’s fault. For example, Canada came in as the OC last season with Ben Roethlisberger. Needless to say, I love Big Ben and always will. Yet in his final year last season, he stunk. Yes, it was nostalgic, and I wouldn’t trade anything for watching him walk around Heinz Field at the end of 2021, high-fiving fans and weeping like the beautiful giant that he is. 

According to rankings on NFL.com, Ben ranked 29th out of 34 quarterbacks used by teams for the 2021 season. Need I say more?

There are not many teams that would have a .500 season or better with that bad of a quarterback at the helm. Not to mention an offensive line that seemed as if they were falling over each other every other play. Indeed, no team would ever make the playoffs with that bad of a QB and an O-line. The Steelers did. Matt Canada deserves credit for this.

Fast forward to 2022 and the Pittsburgh Steelers have a shiny young rookie by the name of Kenny Pickett as their QB. While he didn’t start the season, he still played in 12 games (technically 13 games but got injured in the first drive vs the Ravens in Week 14 and did not return). Out of those 12 games where Kenny actually played multiple drives, the Steelers record was 7-5. Replace Mitch Trubisky with Kenny Pickett as the starter in the first 4 games of the season and I believe the Steelers would have ended the season at a record of at least 10-7, if not better. As it was, the Steelers only didn’t make the playoffs because of Joe Flacco’s all-time retirement performance vs the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. The Steelers played this past season with a rookie QB and went 9-8, extending Mike Tomlin’s non-losing season streak to 16 seasons. Matt Canada deserves credit for this. 

Now, I am not saying that Canada deserves all of the credit. That would be a preposterous thing to say. Head Coach Mike Tomlin deserves credit, offensive line coach Pat Meyer deserves credit, and every single coach and player involved with the Pittsburgh Steelers defense this past season deserves credit (especially Minkah Fitzpatrick). 

Matt Canada absolutely deserves one more year to prove and cement himself as the Steelers offensive coordinator. I am glad the Steelers organization feels the same way I do.

Honestly, I don’t think Matt Canada will be one of the best offensive coordinators in the NFL during the 2023-24 season. Heck, he probably won’t even be in the top 10. Yet, The Steelers do not need him to run one of the best offenses in the league to win games. That old Bear Bryant saying “Defense Wins Championships'' still holds true unless you have a guy named Patrick Mahomes on your team. I expect Canada to improve on his play calls next season by calling more deep passes to guys like George Pickens. This will also become more routine as Kenny Pickett’s development builds as a quarterback in the NFL. The Steelers have great young talent on offense at virtually every skill position. In particular Najee Harris, George Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth, who all have the potential to be stars in this league. Matt Canada must utilize these guys much better. There is no doubt about that.

If you still believe that the Steelers should have fired Matt Canada as OC, allow me to remind you that the Steelers got rid of Bruce Arians as offensive coordinator at the end of the 2011 season. Arians won a Super Bowl as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. After that, the Steelers nixed Todd Haley’s contract after making the playoffs in consecutive years.. then Randy Fichtner.. and now fans and analysts were (and still are) calling for Matt Canada’s head. Good on the Steelers organization for giving this guy another chance because he didn’t have much of a chance to begin with. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers are close to completely clicking on offense, and next season Matt Canada will show all of you why he’s the man for the job.