3 OC candidates who could salvage Mike Tomlin's reputation with fans

Things were going just fine in Week 15, until they weren't.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were up 13-0 on the Indianapolis Colts and could have been trending toward righting the ship. And then, the Colts scored 30 unanswered points, while the Steelers' offense sputtered to a total of 216 yards for the game.

Mitchell Trubisky threw two picks. Najee Harris lost a fumble. The offense simply wasn't right, and it hasn't been right for quite some time. Firing Matt Canada was just the beginning. Ben Roethlisberger was right: this offense is not acceptable.

But, in the near future, head coach Mike Tomlin is going to have to make one of the most important hires of his career. Which offensive coordinator candidates could help salvage Tomlin's reputation with Steelers Nation? There are three, in particular, fans should have their eyes on.

1. Joe Brady, Interim Offensive Coordinator, Buffalo Bills

We could easily make a case for former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, as well, but let's stick with the guy who currently has a job (and that's not a dig at Dorsey, the issues have always fell on Sean McDermott's shoulders this season).

Both Dorsey and Joe Brady are smart guys who understand today's game. Brady took over for Dorsey after he was let go earlier this season, and the Bills just put on one of their best shows all year, dominating the Dallas Cowboys and rushing for 266 yards.

The Steelers have always been a tough, hard-nosed type of franchise. If Brady came in and turned the focus back onto the run game, utilizing both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in the correct manner, that's a good start. Whomever the quarterback is next season would benefit from a healthy run game, obviously.

Brady also knows what it's like to have a big play receiver and a strong possession receiver, which the Steelers like to think they have as well.