Tag: Matt Canada

Steelers in awkward spot with Mike Sullivan

The Steelers may end up needing to fire Mike Sullivan

Just over a week into the NFL hiring cycle, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a rather uncomfortable spot. Reports are the Steelers have hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as the team’s new offensive coordinator. This is a good thing.

But there are still more coaching decisions to be made and one was made more uncomfortable. Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan was in the running to be the new offensive coordinator of the Las Vegas Raiders but Vegas went with Kliff Kingsbury instead.

Now the Steelers have a coaching predicament with Sullivan. Getting improved quarterback play is a focus and top priority. This means a new quarterbacks coach and maybe even a passing game coordinator. The hope was Sullivan would ride off into the sunset with a new team. Now it might mean the Steelers will have to let Sullivan go so they can hire his replacement.

Sullivan took over playcalling for the Steelers last season after the firing of Matt Canada. But head coach Mike Tomlin made it clear at the end of the season that neither Sullivan nor interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner were candidates to take over the job.

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Final decision on new OC will belong to Steelers HC Mike Tomlin

Art Rooney II says Mike Tomlin will have final say over the new offensive coordinator.

Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II addressed the media on Monday and did a year in review and offered up his insights and opinions on the upcoming offseason. One topic of discussion everyone was interested in was the team’s search for a new offensive coordinator.

Rooney said that while the team was taking a team approach to the interview process, the final say in who the new offensive coordinator will be up to head coach Mike Tomlin alone.

In addition, Rooney said he wants the new offensive coordinator to bring a fresh approach to the offense. Last season, with Matt Canada in charge of the offense, the Steelers were among the worst offenses in the NFL. They were plodding and predictable, with no semblance of innovation or explosion.

Even with all the other issues, once Tomlin fired Canada, the offense improved. We never got a full picture of what the offense looked like minus Canada with Kenny Pickett at quarterback due to his injury but it did show this team has the talent to compete with the right scheme and leadership.

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Steelers OC candidate Thomas Brown let go by Panthers

Thomas Brown was interviewd for the Steelers OC vacancy.

One of the potential candidates for the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator is former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. We say former because the Panthers let Brown go after one year as the team’s offensive coordinator.

Thomas interviewed with the Steelers last Wednesday and has drawn praise for his philosophy and mindset. Johnson is one of two candidates the team has officially interviewed including Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson.

The choice of Brown as a candidate is a curious one. Brown is a former NFL running back so one would assume his philosophy is centered on running the football as opposed to an innovative passing attack that maximizes the potential of a young quarterback.

The Panthers offense was easily the worst in the NFL last season. Carolina chose quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. If Young’s development as a rookie carries any weight, Brown doesn’t feel like a serious candidate given the Steelers needs.

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Steelers interviewing Texans QB coach for OC vacancy

The Steelers are interviewing Jerrod Johnson.

According to NFL reporter Tom Pelissero, the Pittsburgh Steelers are interviewing Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson for their offensive coordinator vacancy.

Johnson gained a ton of notoriety in 2023 for the work he did with Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud was the best rookie quarterback in the league in 2023 and one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

2023 was Johnson’s only season as the Texans quarterbacks coach and he has fast-tracked his NFL career thanks to his knowledge and ability to maximize and develop talent.

Johnson played in the NFL for eight seasons after going undrafted out of Texas A&M. The Steelers are focusing their attention on replacing Matt Canada with a new offensive coordinator who can innovate and get the Steelers quarterback position on track.

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Steelers QB coach Mike Sullivan to interview for OC with Saints

Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan has another interview.

According to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan is interviewing for the offensive coordinator vacancy with the New Orleans Saints.

Sullivan took over as the team’s primary offensive playcaller after the team fired Matt Canada. Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner was named interim offensive coordinator but Sullivan’s experience as an offensive coordinator made him the best fit to call plays on gameday.

The Steelers are already on the hunt for a new offensive coordinator and if Sullivan leaves, it would expand the search to a quarterbacks coach as well. The Steelers offense ranked among the worst in the league in yards and scoring due in large part to problems at the quarterback position.

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Saints schedule interview with Steelers play caller Mike Sullivan

Saints schedule interview with Steelers quarterbacks coach and play caller Mike Sullivan, who replaced Matt Canada at midseason:

Here’s another name for the New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator search: Mike Sullivan. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Saints have scheduled an interview with the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks coach to discuss the vacancy. Sullivan took over play-calling duties when the Steelers fired Matt Canada midseason.

Sullivan, 56, has been around a long time. He helped prepare Derek Carr for the NFL draft when he was coming out of school and coached his older brother David Carr on the New York Giants. He’s previously worked as an offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (in 2012 and 2013) and Giants, though he only occasionally called plays while working under offensive-minded head coaches like Ben McAdoo. He’s been in the NFL since 2002 and spent eight years coaching at the college level.

Hopefully the Saints are just being thorough. The Steelers offense was more inept than theirs last season and Kenny Pickett has not developed well under Sullivan’s tutelage; Pickett threw has thrown the same number of interceptions as touchdowns (13) through his first 25 games, ranking 31st and 27th in adjusted net yards per attempt in his first two seasons. Sullivan has drawn attention from other teams like the Las Vegas Raiders so his services are in demand, but he’s far from the most appealing candidate on New Orleans’ radar.

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Steelers QBs coach Mike Sullivan to interview with Raiders for OC vacancy

Mike Sullivan could be headed to Las Vegas with new head coach Antonio Pierce.

According to NFL reporter Mike Garafolo, the Las Vegas Raiders plan to interview Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback coach Mike Sullivan for their vacancy as offensive coordinator.

Sullivan assumed the role of offensive play caller for the Steelers in 2023 after head coach Mike Tomlin fired then-offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner was named interim offensive coordinator but Tomlin leaned on Sullivan’s experience as a play caller to take on that responsibility.

Despite the team’s success with the offense once Sullivan took over calling the plays, Tomlin made it clear the team plans to pursue outside candidates for the position. The team has already requested permission to interview Rams passing game coordinator Zac Robinson and it is reported that the team will also interview former NFL head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

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Steelers request interview with Rams passing game coordinator Zac Robinson

The Steelers have begun the process of hiring a new offensive coordinator.

The search for the next Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator has begun. According to NFL reporter Albert Breer, the Steelers have put in a request to interview Los Angeles Rams passing-game coordinator Zac Robinson for the vacancy at OC.

Robinson has spent all of his five years as an NFL coach with the Rams. He started there in 2019 as an assistant quarterbacks coach and worked his way up to quarterbacks coach as well as passing-game coordinator in 2022.

Prior to coaching in the NFL, Robinson was a private quarterback coach and worked for Pro Football Focus. Robinson was a quarterback at Oklahoma State and spent four seasons in the NFL after being a seventh-round pick of the New England Patriots.

Robinson is the first request to be released by the media as the Steelers have just begun their quest to replace Matt Canada. The Steelers fired Canada in the middle of the season and had Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan share the offensive coordinator and play-calling duties. Robinson has never been a play called in the NFL.

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Steelers DT Cam Heyward gives 3 guys he’d like to see as new OC

Cam Heyward has some ideas of who should be the new Steelers offenisve coordinator.

This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to try to find a new offensive coordinator to try to move the Pittsburgh offense into the modern NFL and turn a talented group into a more consistent scoring unit. On his podcast, Steelers star defensive tackle offered up three guys he’d love to see the Steelers hire.

3 reasons the Steelers shouldn’t fire Mike Tomlin

Pittsburgh might want to give Mike Tomlin another year.

Starting on Saturday, the clock is ticking for the Pittsburgh Steelers to decide if the future of this team centers around having head coach Mike Tomlin running the team. Fans are ready for Tomlin to be gone. Most analysts believe it is time for Pittsburgh to move on. But here are three Pittsburgh shouldn’t fire Tomlin.