PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – We are all guilty of making assumptions for the season based off one game. I sure am. Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada said just because they went to shotgun and a number of run-pass options late against Buffalo that it's how the offense will look all year.
"We ended up finding a way to win the game," Canada said. "I said it last week and I was sincere. It's just a matter of finding a way to win based on where we are in the game. What we are doing (well)."
"They certainly were going to challenge the run. They were in the box, up in there. We made some decisions and went to that part of our plan to win the game and we did."
So again, Canada says that doesn't mean they don't want to run the ball. Or the other narrative that Ben Roethlisberger is taking over the play calling.
"I think there is a lot of speculation of what we want to do and how we want to do it," Canada said. "We want to run the football. We don't want to have so many drop back protections."
Najee Harris rushed it 16 times, Chase Claypool one and Ben Roethlisberger scrambled four times. Roethlisberger threw it 32 times against Buffalo, but again, Canada says they just did what they did to win a game.
"We want to try and be a balanced offense," Canada said. "If it's all pass, it's not necessarily what we want to do as a seasonal goal. We want to be a team that can run the ball when we have to run it. Throw the ball when we have to throw it."
"Every game is different. The defense can take away whatever they want to take away. If they want to stop the run, they can do that. If they want to stop the pass, they can do that. We have to be good enough to take advantage of their most vulnerable position. We have to be able to execute and do both."
Canada said we can all ask him every week if he wants to run the ball better. He said every week he will say it does no matter what success they had in the game. They want to improve.
"We have to raise the level of play," Canada said of the run blocking by the offensive line. "The production, the efficiency. Those two yard runs need to be four-yard runs."
"Running the football is hard. There is a reason not everyone can do it."
It's been awhile since the Steelers did it consistently well. Canada maintains it's a work in progress and they aren't giving up on it. Nor are we likely to see the offense we saw last season.
