Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin gave his final press conference of the 2021 season today and the most notable item you will likely care about is the offensive coordinator position. I won’t keep you in suspense any longer but it looks like Matt Canada will return for his second season as the team’s offensive coordinator.
Despite the offense scoring six fewer points per game and finishing well behind in nearly every statistical category, it appears Canada has a second life. I’m of the opinion that this is largely abut the quarterback position. Canada’s offense doesn’t necessarily have to have a ‘dual-threat’ QB but mobility is a huge and important part especially in today’s game. With Ben Roethlisberger’s lack of mobility, some of what Canada likes to do had to be set aside.
What’s interesting is that neither Mason Rudolph nor Dwayne Haskins is what I would call “mobile.” Rudolph can move and scramble at times but just not enough in my opinion. Tomlin has openly stated his love for mobility at the quarterback spot and said as much again today. Does the retention of Canada mean that the Steelers will target a mobile QB in the draft or free agency?
One name tossed about has been Marcus Mariota who would fit Canada’s offense quite well. He would likely come rather inexpensively too. Then when you look at the draft, it’s already a weak quarterback class. Maybe the Steelers like someone who is expected to fall into the second or third round.
For me and many other Steelers’ fans however, this is about a lot more than just the quarterback. Canada’s inability to get anything going early in games and his penchant for calls in general that made no sense in the situation is what alarms me. I believe people can grow and learn from their mistakes and I’m hopeful that Canada will but there are a lot of things that need to improve in a hurry for this offense to get where it needs to be.
