PITTSBURGH — I get the anger about Mike Tomlin's refusal to fire Matt Canada during this open week. And I understand why Canada is the subject of so much criticism among fans and media.
Canada's offense has been among the worst in the NFL in scoring and production over the last two years. It is hard to watch, and the Steelers don't seem to have an identity. And it hasn't helped that we've heard NFL analyst after NFL analyst remark about the fact that the scheme doesn't look like an NFL offense.
And it has not worked for three different quarterbacks — actually four, if you count Mason Rudolph's disaster of a start against Detroit last season. None of the quarterbacks have made it work well, and that includes Ben Roethlisberger, one of the two greatest quarterbacks in franchise history.
There is plenty of statistical, visual and anecdotal evidence that Canada's offense is not working, that it doesn't work and that there needs to be a change at offensive coordinator. I don't see why it has to happen right now, and I expect it to happen in the offseason, so to me, it is a somewhat silly thing to be outraged about.
Canada will be gone at the end of the season and everyone will get a clean slate and a fresh start.
The larger issue I have with the Canada discussion and how much of the blame he has had to take on is that it totally lets the offensive players off the hook for their part in being putrid. Coaches coach, but players have to execute and make the plays they are paid to make.
This is not an endorsement of Canada or an attempt to absolve him of the blame he has clearly earned. But when are we going to have an honest conversation about the players' performance over the last two seasons?
If you don't agree, you just aren't being honest or are being willfully ignorant and want to latch on to the lazy narrative that Canada is the only problem the Steelers offense has.
For instance, let's look at the quarterbacks since Canada took over and give an assessment of how they performed.
Roethlisberger is a Hall of Famer, but it was clear his arm was cooked last year. He had to dink and dunk the ball around because he could no longer make throws accurately down the field. He was also a statue that couldn't move, which made him one dimensional.
He spent most of his career as one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but last season he was one of the worst (15th in yards and TDs and 29th in yards per attempt). Some of it may be Canada, but Roethlisberger often scrapped the game plan and called his own plays, so he can't put all of the blame on the coaches.
Mitch Trubisky started this season as the starter, and it was clear that the same things that held him back in Chicago — an inability to make quick reads and decisions — plagued him here. He held the ball too long, took bad sacks and missed open receivers with opportunities to make plays.
He was then benched for Kenny Pickett, who is a rookie and has played a lot like one. Pickett has had moments where you can see he has a chance to be really good, and he has moments where you see he has a long way to go. Like Trubisky, he has missed a lot of open receivers and made questionable decisions.
Again, he is a rookie and he will get better as he gets more experience, but he hasn't been consistent enough to even sniff being good yet.
Combine bad quarterback play with an offensive line that was atrocious last season and mediocre at best this year. The offensive line has had more lucid moments this season, but ask yourself this: How many penalties does this unit get to kill drives? How many blocks do they miss that lead to quarterbacks having to throw the ball early or just get hit? When was the last time you watched them drive block a defensive front into oblivion, like the Steelers used to do when they ran the ball down the throats of opposing defenses?
The receivers were called "elite" by some, which is laughable in and of itself. The receivers drop too many passes, run too many lazy routes and don't make enough of the routine plays to give the offense a chance. Diontae Johnson received WR1 money in the offseason but has not come close to living up to that contract. Their best receiver might be George Pickens, but he is a rookie and he tends to disappear.
And then there is Najee Harris, who has not played like a first-round pick the past two seasons. Actually, he hasn't even played like a third-round pick, if you look at his numbers and lack of production. He has been so pedestrian there are some convinced an undrafted rookie should take over the starting role.
That might seem harsh, but ask yourself this: In the past two seasons, what are the dynamic, game-changing plays Harris has made? He has had some good games, but he has had far too many games in which he is more of "just a guy" than the elite running back they need him to be.
That is all unacceptable and all things that have contributed to a bad offense. Canada is clearly a problem, but he isn't close to the only problem. The players on the Steelers offense should stop pointing the finger elsewhere, take accountability and own the lion's share of the blame for why this offense stinks.
You can keep being outraged that Canada isn't going to get fired, but it is a whole lot of wasted energy because the players haven't gotten it done, either, and you can't fire all of them.
