4 questions Ben Roethlisberger has to answer before returning to Steelers

Does he fit the new offense?

The Steelers made the smart decision to move on from offensive coordinator Randy Fitchner in favor of Matt Canada. Canada uses a lot of motion and plays under center to establish successful offenses. He is young and bright, so the team would be wise to allow him to construct the offensive scheme as he deems fit. He has a great opportunity to turn a lackluster offense into a good unit given the talent there.

The issue is Roethlisberger, as he has had a firm grip over the offense for the past few years. Half the reason Fitchner was brought in was to appease Big Ben. Fichtner had been the quarterback’s coach for quite a few years, and he gave Roethlisberger a lot of freedom in how the offense ran. This meant very little play-action and snaps under center. It worked fine enough, but by halfway through this year, it was apparent what the issues were with Roethlisberger and Fitchner controlling the offense.

With Canada now in charge and Roethlisberger’s career almost over, it would make sense for Canada to call the offense and for Roethlisberger to learn it. While there will be natural influence from the veteran quarterback, he can’t have the control that he had in previous seasons. This needs to be Canada’s offense with Roethlisberger leading it. If not, it could derail Canada’s chances of succeeding and set the Steelers behind after Roethlisberger retires.