Mike Tomlin decided to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday morning, something he said was not easy.
“I did not come to this decision lightly… I’m not interested in assigning blame or deflecting in any way… I’ve got a lot of respect for Matt personally and professionally; it was not easy,” Mike Tomlin said in his weekly press conference.
The reasoning behind Tomlin’s shocking announcement was simple: The offense under Canada wasn’t good enough.
“This is a result-oriented business, and, to be short, the improvements were not rapid enough or consistent enough for us to proceed. You’ve gotta score touchdowns in this business, you gotta win games in this business, and just the totality of it has us where we are today.”
Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner was promoted to interim offensive coordinator, while quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan will call plays.
“I’m excited for the men who get an opportunity to evolve in terms of their roles. One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity. We say that regarding injury, it’s the same thing under these circumstances.”
Despite their 6-4 record, the Steelers head into their critical matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals ranked 28th in points scored (16.6).
