Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada picked up right where he left off last season, with some curious play-calling that drew the ire of the entire fanbase. Canada was a controversial hire to begin with -- having not led an NFL offense prior to his promotion -- and led one of the worst groups in the NFL last season.
Still, after Kenny Pickett showed some second-half promise led by a solid running game, Pittsburgh chose to keep Canada around with the hopes he could help the Pitt product grow. It's too early to make any sort of judgement on Canada's 2023 season as OC, but it hasn't gone well so far.
Through one quarter of play, Pittsburgh had just two yards of offense, and Pickett threw an interception. Despite an exciting preseason brimming with hope on the offensive side of the ball, Canada's group has looked borderline unprepared to face one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans are fed up with Matt Canada again
When Tomlin chose to keep Canada around for Pickett's second season, it was resoundly a frustrating choice among fans. Canada's offense, which relies heavily on short passes, yards after the catch and even jet sweeps, simply doesn't cut it at the professional level. In many ways, Canada is learning on the fly, just as his QB is. Some would argue that Pickett could learn more from a veteran offensive mind, rather than Canada.
Same old, same old from this Pittsburgh team. While the 49ers are an elite defense -- and moving the ball was sure to be tough on Sunday afternoon from the opening whistle -- it was fair for Steelers fans to expect better.
It's easy to blame the offensive coordinator when the players aren't performing up to par, but Pittsburgh fans have seen enough. Canada's sample size isn't cutting it.
Preseason hype ends Week 1. The Steelers offense is just the latest example of that.
