The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off one of their most disgraceful losses in recent memory. After already being blown out by a talented 49ers team in Week 1, three weeks later, the Steelers were utterly humiliated by a young Texans team decimated with injuries and led by a rookie quarterback.
Their appalling performance in Week 4 has caused the fanbase to lash out on social media. After putting up just 6 points in the loss, most are calling for the firing of offensive coordinator, Matt Canada.
As much as we would love for this to happen at this point (and know that it needs to), Mike Tomlin still isn't ready to move on from his OC. During his Tuesday press conference, the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach fielded a question from ESPN's Brooke Pryor about 'changes' in the division of labor and whether and whether or not that extends to who's calling the plays on offense.
Tomlin's response was a simple, "Not at this juncture, no."
This is hardly what Steelers fans were hoping to hear. As armchair analysts, we can see from home that everything about Matt Canda's offense is a mess -- from the route concepts to the play design. Canada's game script has also been justifiably criticized for making head-scratching decisions in inopportune moments.
On Sunday against the Texans, for example, he called a pass out of shotgun on 4th and 1. Prior to that point, Najee Harris was the only player on the team who had a respectable game. As you may already be aware, this was the play that ultimately resulted in Kenny Pickett taking a sack and injuring his left knee.
Mike Tomlin is wrong for not firing Matt Canada
I don't like to root for human beings to lose their job, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to run a billion-dollar business with some folks who just aren't qualified for their jobs, and Matt Canada is at the forefront. While I respect Mike Tomlin's loyalty to his coaches and players, there's no doubt in my mind that he's making the wrong decision at this point.
The whole reason Tomlin said the Steelers were sticking with Canada during the 2023 offseason was so that Kenny Pickett didn't have to go through another offensive coordinator change. Why stick with something that didn't even come close to working last year?
The lack of real and meaningful change is driving this team into the ground. How many more times do the Steelers need to get humiliated on the football field before they make a decision with any sort of significance?
Entering Week 5, the Steelers are 25th in points per game, 29th in yards per game, 27th in yards per play, and 31st in offensive EPA. If you take away their pair of defensive touchdowns in Week 2 from T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh would be 31st in points per game -- managing just 12.0 offensive points per contest.
Enough is enough. Pittsburgh's Week 4 catastrophe was the perfect opportunity to send Matt Canada packing. We know this team has issues that extend beyond the offensive coordinator; that's easy to see. But we can't fix this sinking ship with the current OC on board, and Tomlin is making the wrong decision sticking with Canada.