Tag: Matt Canada

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on decision to fire Matt Canada: ‘Mine and mine alone’

Mike Tomlin claims the decision to fire Matt Canada was all his.

Moments after the news came out that the Pittsburgh Steelers had fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada rumor and debate started to fly about how the team got to that point.

Many wondered if ownership was forced to step in and make the decision because head coach Mike Tomlin was staying stubborn and refused to make the move. But according to Tomlin, the decision to relieve Canada of his duties was his and no one else.

If this is true, and I’m not sure it is, then why did it take so long? What could Tomlin have seen in the weeks previous to this week that was so much better than what Tomlin saw against the Cleveland Browns to prompt the change? The ideal situation would have been to fire Canada heading into the Steelers bye week and give the team more chance to acclimate but Tomlin quickly dismissed this assertion, just adding to the confusion.

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin left his team in the dark on decision to fire Matt Canada

Mike Tomlin didn’t inform his players of his decision to fire OC Matt Canada.

When you and I found out about the firing of Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada, so did the team.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said in his weekly press conference that he hadn’t previously told his players there would be a change. When ESPN’s Brooke Pryor prompted him as to how they found out, “Probably from you guys,” Tomlin responded.

Even Kenny Pickett was not informed that Canada was out the door. “I was actually going to do my television show. Time was pressing, and so, there wasn’t a time for a conversation — just a chin up (in Pickett’s direction).”

After Najee Harris’ postgame comments and Diontae Johnson’s sideline outburst, Canada’s firing came as no surprise. Perhaps the timing did, given the Steelers have never let a coordinator go in-season, but doing so was not a shocker.

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With Matt Canada gone, how long of a leash does Steelers QB Kenny Pickett have?

All eyes will be on Kenny Pickett to show he can convincingly lead an offense.

In an unprecedented move, the Pittsburgh Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada leading up to their critical showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The question now becomes, how long does head coach Mike Tomlin and the newly-crowned coordinator Eddie Faulkner give Kenny Pickett to turn things around?

This season, we learned that their offensive shortcomings were not solely the result of Canada. For Pickett stats that make you shake your head, look no further than PFF:

  • Uncatchable and inaccurate pass rate: 24.7% (worst)
  • Adjusted completion percentage: 67.8% adjusted completion percentage (2nd lowest)
  • Air-yards percentage: 46.1% (2nd lowest)

Will a new offensive coordinator, especially interim, help Pickett with finding open receivers and connecting with them? He’s been outplayed by three rookie opponents, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Giants undrafted QB Tommy DeVito (who interestingly enough has the same personal QB coach as Pickett) had an outstanding Week 11 performance in only his second start.

The pressure is high enough being a young signal-caller for a historic franchise such as the Pittsburgh Steelers. But with Canada out of the way, Pickett will be under tremendous pressure to show he can convincingly lead the offense.

There are no more excuses for Pickett being hindered by an offensive coordinator who never belonged coaching at the pro level. At some point, it has to become more than wins and losses.

Cast your vote and tell us how long of a leash Kenny Pickett as the starting QB.

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Steelers fire OC Matt Canada, Saints fans say Pete Carmichael should be next

The Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada, leading Saints fans on social media to say Pete Carmichael should be next:

Whew: the 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers made the decision to move on from embattled offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday, naming running backs coach Eddie Faulkner his replacement and handing play-calling responsibilities to quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan. It’s a bold move for a team fielding one of the league’s worst offenses.

And many New Orleans Saints fans on social media quickly spoke up in the wake of Canada’s ouster, saying that Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael should be the next struggling play caller to be dismissed. Some went further, suggesting it’s time for the Saints to move on from head coach Dennis Allen as well.

The Saints may be 5-5, but they are in first place in the NFC South, so it’s a different situation from the Steelers (who are in third place in the AFC North). Still, here’s what Saints fans and analysts had to say online:

12 potential replacements for Matt Canada the Steelers should consider

The Steelers have a perfect opportunity to upgrade the entire offense this offseason.

The Pittsburgh Steelers fanbase finally got what they have been chanting for all season as the team announced on Tuesday they were relieving Matt Canada of his duties as offensive coordinator. The Steelers plan to finish out the season with Eddie Faulkner as the interim offensive coordinator with quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan calling the plays.

But once the season wraps up, Pittsburgh will be a more permanent replacement and here is a quick list of 12 guys the Steelers should look at for their new offensive coordinator.

4 things the firing of Matt Canada means for the Steelers

Tuesday marks a huge day for the Steelers offense.

Big news out of Pittsburgh this week as the Steelers have announced they are firing former offensive coordinator Matt Canada. The team is already shuffling personnel and getting things in order for this week but let’s talk about what this move means for the Steelers now and going forward.

Steelers QB coach Mike Sullivan to be offensive play caller

The Steelers will be helping out Kenny Pickett by making Mike Sullivan the playcaller for the rest of the season.

On Tuesday the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they had fired Matt Canada. This news has been a long time coming but it does come with the job of adjusting the coaching staff to account for the absence. According to NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala, current quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan will take over playcalling while running backs coach Eddie Faulkner will be the interim offensive coordinator.

Having Sullivan call the plays makes a ton of sense. Sullivan was the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2012-2013 and the New York Giants from 2016-2017. Sullivan’s strong connection to quarterback Kenny Pickett makes this an easy choice going forward.

The Steelers now must turn their attention to preparing to take on the Cincinnati Bengals this week with their playoff lives on the line. Pittsburgh is currently 6-4 and the No. 7 seed in the AFC.

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Steelers RB coach Eddie Faulkner to be named interim OC

The Steelers have their new temporary offensive coordinator.

In the wake of the news that the Pittsburgh Steelers had finally fired Matt Canada, the team is quickly making personnel moves ahead of this week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. According to NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala, current running backs coach Eddie Faulkner will be the interim offensive coordinator.

Faulkner has been the Steelers running backs coach since 2019. The run game has been the one area of the offense that has been working in recent weeks so it makes sense that the Steelers would name Faulkner OC.

The Steelers have eight games left this season and then a full search for a new full-time offensive coordinator can begin. Canada was in his third season as the team’s offensive coordinator when he was let go and the offense had struggled each of the last two seasons.

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Steelers fans were over the moon after OC Matt Canada was finally fired

The embattled Steelers offensive coordinator is out of a job, finally.

It finally happened.

And although we’re not here to celebrate someone losing their job, the buzz had gotten overwhelmingly loud over Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada and the awful job his offense had been doing all season.

The calls for Canada to take the fall had gotten loud, and now, on Tuesday, the Steelers announced that Canada had been relieved of his duties.

Steelers fans can now only hope that whoever’s calling plays can get something out of Kenny Pickett and the weapons he has on offense. For now, they celebrated on X (formerly Twitter). Here’s a roundup of the reaction:

AFC North news: Steelers fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada ahead of Week 12

The Pittsburgh Steelers have fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada ahead of their Week 12 matchup vs. Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers have followed suit after watching the Buffalo Bills offense respond positively to their offensive coordinator being fired.

Head coach Mike Tomlin has decided to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada ahead of the team’s Week 12 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

According to Mike Garafalo, QB coach Mike Sullivan and RB coach Eddie Faulkner will work together to assume the offensive coordinator role following Canada’s firing. This will be Sullivan’s third time in an OC role, having done so previously with the Giants and Buccaneers.

Pittsburgh’s offense ranks 28th in points per game (16.6), 28th in yards per game (280.1), and 31st in passing yards per game (170) this season.

They’re 6-4 despite having been outgained in every game.