Tag: Matt Canada

Steelers Wire Podcast: Matt Canada is out, will Kenny Pickett flourish?

Check out the latest episode of the Steelers Wire Podcast.

Welcome to the latest episode of the Steelers Wire podcast.

This week’s episode is once again hosted by Ryan O’Leary (@RyanOLearySMG on Twitter/X) and  Steelers Wire managing editor Curt Popejoy.

Everything from the latest info on the team to fantasy football advice will be covered, along with some opinions on the betting lines, all with a focus on the Steelers.

This show is all about exactly what you expect it to be about. Matt Canada was relieved of his duties this week and the guys talk about whether or not it happened too late,  if it really was Mike Tomlin’s decision and speculate about how this will impact quarterback Kenny Pickett and the Steelers passing offense. Then the guys talk Thanksgiving and look ahead to this week’s game against the banged-up Cincinnati Bengals. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

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NFL experts picking the Steelers over banged up Bengals this week

The Steelers are hoping the offense gets on track this week against the Bengals.

Some of the best and most exciting games in NFL history have taken place between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. Teams filled with stars and huge personalities. Then there’s this season.

This week’s game doesn’t have the star power or fanfare of the past with the Bengals minus quarterback Joe Burrow and the Steelers offense stuck in neutral. But Pittsburgh made a huge move this week by firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada. This combination of factors gives most NFL pundits and experts the confidence to pick the Steelers on the road.

According to NFL Pick Watch, 78 percent of the expert picks are taking Pittsburgh.

The Steelers are 6-4 and hanging onto the No. 7 spot in the AFC playoff picture. The Bengals are just behind them at 5-5 in last place in the AFC North. Experts are banking on the Steelers offense getting enough of a spark by cutting Canada loose that they will get past the Bengals on the road.

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One key takeaway from Mike Tomlin’s comment on Steelers LB Myles Jack

Mike Tomlin doesn’t appear to be all too keen on Myles Jack being back in Pittsburgh.

Like many teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t very transparent with outsiders about exactly who does what when it comes to things like firing Matt Canada and bringing back Myles Jack.

Mike Tomlin will tell you that it was his decision and his decision alone to fire Canada. We all know that’s not true.

So when it came to the tone of his answer to a reporter’s question about Jack in Tuesday’s press conference, it sounded very much like he was already in Tomlin’s dog house, and perhaps, it wasn’t even his decision to bring him back.

How the question was worded, “You guys have moved on from Myles Jack after the season. Now you’ve brought him back. What do you see in him? What do you think he has left,” offered Tomlin an opportunity to approve of the decision and maybe puff Jack up a bit. Now, nothing may be left to puff him up about, but nevertheless, something positive could’ve come out of his response.

Instead, we got, “He’s a guy that has experience here and he’s here in a practice squad capacity. And, so, I won’t say much.”

Recall that the Steelers released Jack (who went to the Philadelphia Eagles, then abruptly retired) to help make the move for linebacker Elandon Roberts financially feasible. This couldn’t have sat well with Jack.

Am I overthinking the question and answer? Probably. Perhaps the perspective is off-base. But it speaks volumes as to what Tomlin thinks about Myles Jack — a player at a position the Steelers desperately need some solid help with.

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Which Steeler represents your favorite Thanksgiving food?

Who is the turkey and who is the green bean casserole on the Steelers?

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from all of us at Steelers Wire. We hope you are getting to spend the holiday with the people you love and enjoying all of your favorite Thanksgiving foods. As we were preparing our own Thanksgiving feast it got us thinking. Which members of the Pittsburgh Steelers best represent our favorite Thanksgiving foods? Here are ours.

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett on Matt Canada firing: ‘We all got to do better’

Kenny Pickett said he spoke to Matt Canada and wished him well.

On Tuesday the Pittsburgh Steelers relieved offensive Matt Canada of his duties. This took everyone by surprise as head coach Mike Tomlin had given the impression that there would be no staff changes during the season.

Unfortunately for Tomlin, the situation with the offense and particularly quarterback Kenny Pickett just wasn’t improving at all and a change had to happen with seven games left. Pickett spoke to the media on Wednesday and said he had spoken to Canada and wished him well but knew he and the team had to focus on moving forward.

This week the Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals and will be the first look at the offense with Eddie Faulkner as the offensive coordinator and Mike Sullivan calling plays we assume will help Pickett be successful. Pickett’s teammates came out on Wednesday with votes of confidence for the young quarterback.

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How the Saints and Steelers offenses compare through 10 games

Has Pete Carmichael really performed as badly as Matt Canada? How the Saints and Steelers offenses compare through 10 games:

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are celebrating the team’s decision to move on from offensive coordinator Matt Canada, and a lot of New Orleans Saints faithful are hoping for the same turn of events. Pete Carmichael has struggled to elevate an offense flush with talent at the skills position and heavy investments along the offensive line — not to mention the addition of Derek Carr, who the Saints see as their franchise quarterback now and for years to come.

Canada didn’t meet expectations in Pittsburgh. Carmichael hasn’t met the standards set in New Orleans, either, but the Saints don’t appear to be ready to make a change. So how far apart are they? How has Carmichael’s Saints offense compared to the Canada’s Steelers squad which was found lacking? Let’s compare:

Schedule lines up perfectly for Steelers OC transition

Pittsburgh has a great opportunity to see what Kenny Pickett can do over the next five games.

It might seem like the Pittsburgh Steelers waited too long to fire Matt Canada but once you dig into the schedule, this might have been calculated and planned. And it might be perfect. Pittsburgh is sitting at 6-4 and is the No. 7 seed in the AFC.

This puts a ton of pressure on the Steelers to win as many of these final seven games as possible. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, the next five games are very winnable and are ideal for a team in transition.

The Steelers face the Cincinnati Bengals this week on the road and quarterback Joe Burrow is out. Pittsburgh also faces those same Bengals in Pittsburgh as the end of this five-game stretch.

In between the Steelers get the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. All teams that are in disarray with their own problems. Going 3-2 or better 4-1 in this stretch would be huge for the Steelers and would mean the move to fire Canada worked.

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Steelers put all the pressure on Kenny Pickett after Matt Canada firing

It’s time to see if Kenny Pickett can improve without Matt Canada.

It might have come a few weeks late but on Tuesday the Pittsburgh Steelers finally came to their senses and fired Matt Canada. Sort of like tearing off a band-aid, it only hurt for a second but now it’s time to see what is under there.

Firing Canada set in motion a plan to see what the Steelers now have with quarterback Kenny Pickett without Canada’s coaching. Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan will take over play calling and you can bet this new scheme will be tailored to what Pickett does well and showcase his skills.

At that point, it’s all on Pickett. No one is saying Pickett will be replaced if he struggles in these final seven games or doesn’t make huge strides in his development. But there are two things he cannot do. He can’t get worse and he can’t keep making the same mistakes.

This week the Steelers take on a Cincinnati Bengals team minus Joe Burrow. A perfect opportunity for Pickett to take some chances and see if he and Sullivan can get him back on track without being overly concerned with getting into a shootout.

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Steelers vs Bengals: Mike Tomlin makes it clear that Kenny Pickett is starting this week

Mike Tomlin is not benching Kenny Pickett.

Most of the questions asked of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin at his Tuesday press conference that weren’t related to the firing of Matt Canada centered on quarterback Kenny Pickett. He was asked about Pickett’s struggles and if he expects more from him now with Canda gone but he was also flatly asked if Pickett would start this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tomlin was brief and succinct with his “yes” almost annoyed with the very notion that it would even come into question. Meanwhile Pickett is statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL.

But we understand why Pickett is starting this week. The change from Canada to Mike Sullivan as the playcaller gives Pickett something of a fresh start but not a clean slate. If Pickett continues to struggle after firing Canada, you can bet fans and the media will quickly turn on him the way they did with him and Canada. Firing Canada probably buys Pickett two to three games to show growth.

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Mike Tomlin offers explanation for his ‘not easy’ decision to fire Matt Canada

Mike Tomlin offered an explanation of his decision to fire OC Matt Canada.

Mike Tomlin decided to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday morning, something he said was not easy.

“I did not come to this decision lightly… I’m not interested in assigning blame or deflecting in any way… I’ve got a lot of respect for Matt personally and professionally; it was not easy,” Mike Tomlin said in his weekly press conference.

The reasoning behind Tomlin’s shocking announcement was simple: The offense under Canada wasn’t good enough.

“This is a result-oriented business, and, to be short, the improvements were not rapid enough or consistent enough for us to proceed. You’ve gotta score touchdowns in this business, you gotta win games in this business, and just the totality of it has us where we are today.”

Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner was promoted to interim offensive coordinator, while quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan will call plays.

“I’m excited for the men who get an opportunity to evolve in terms of their roles. One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity. We say that regarding injury, it’s the same thing under these circumstances.”

Despite their 6-4 record, the Steelers head into their critical matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals ranked 28th in points scored (16.6).

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