Justin K. Aller/Getty Images Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
If you’re a Pittsburgh Steelers fan hoping that offensive coordinator Matt Canada will be fired after Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, don’t hold your breath. That’s one of the messages delivered by longtime Steelers insider Gerry Dulac in his most recent chat for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which was filled with questions about the embattled assistant coach.
But Dulac expects that Canada’s days are numbered, and offered a prediction about how the remainder of his tenure might play out.
Matt Canada’s Duties Could be ‘Altered’?
Asked about how ownership “watches & allows the Canada ineptitude to continue,” Dulac said, “I’m not sure I understand it…. I was a bit surprised he was brought back this year but I don’t expect that (to) be the case for next season. I also don’t expect him to be fired before the season is over, like some people want or think will happen.”
That said, Dulac believes that Canada might have less autonomy going forward.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if some of his duties were altered to include someone else,” related Dulac, who went on to raise an issue about Canada’s working relationship with the other offensive assistants on Mike Tomlin’s staff. “Or, here’s a novel idea, how about meeting with the other offensive assistants when developing a game plan???”
That statement suggests that Canada is working largely on his own, an approach that seems out of step with Mike Tomlin’s “collective effort” ethos, which he has spoken about during press conferences.
Dulac is mystified as to why Tomlin has been so patient with the results he’s seen in the year-and-a-half since Canada became offensive coordinator.
“The bottom line is this offense doesn’t produce points, and hasn’t since the start of last season. And the only time they did was when No. 7 (Ben Roethlisberger) took control in the fourth quarter (of games) and called what he (knew) would work best,” related Dulac. “I’m not sure too many other head coaches would have tolerated such lack of productivity. A bigger problem is the players losing trust in the offensive coordinator,” which has led to players publicly questioning Canada’s play-calling.
While Tomlin hasn’t ruled out making changes to his coaching staff, on Oct. 25 he confirmed that no changes were imminent: “I don’t feel like I’m there,” he stated, when asked about the prospect of firing Canada.
Eagles vs Steelers (2022 vs 2004)
In the midst of the offensive coordinator drama, the Steelers (2-5) enter Sunday’s road game at undefeated Philadelphia (6-0) as a 9.5-point underdog.
While there are precious few parallels between the 2004 Steelers and this year’s team, at least two are in play this week. The Steelers faced an undefeated Eagles team when Roethlisberger was a rookie in 2004, and came away with a 27-3 win over Philadelphia at Heinz Field on Nov. 7, 2004, which dropped the Eagles to 7-1.
Roethlisberger completed 11 of 18 passes for 183 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception (109.3 passer rating). Future Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis led the way for the Pittsburgh’s offense that day, rushing 33 times for 149 yards. All told, the Steelers had 56 rushing attempts for a total of 252 yards and possessed the ball for 41:49.