Chris Mack's Eye Opener: Canada vs. CBS, Highsmith Hurt, Jurkovec's Big Move

Canada Burned By CBS

Matt Canada attempted to clarify yesterday what was said in his production meeting with CBS announcers Spero Dedes & Adam Archuleta that led to their relating what they felt was an admission that his offense wasn't built to come from behind.

Without getting in to the nature of what he said and when he said it, I think we can all agree on several things:

-The premise that this offense is not built to come from behind is correct.

-Dedes & Archuleta didn't have to throw Canada under the bus. They could've simply said "we know this Steelers team isn't built to come from behind." Notes given by coaches in production meetings are often cited during broadcasts without divulging where the information came from.

-Canada went overboard in his defense of what he said, when he said it, and why he said it. On one hand, I want to give him some credit for seemingly trying to improve his interactions with the media, which at times have been unnecessarily condescending. At the same time, he also needs to own that the lack of confidence he and the coaching staff have in their offense -fairly or unfairly- is a large part of what's contributed to its overall lack of identity.

This weekend's matchup gives them another opportunity though to reassert what we believed their blueprint would be coming in to the season: Lean on the run game, put Kenny Pickett in advantageous positions -i.e., on the move, with play action, and not coming from behind- and ask their defense to make some plays.

Will they? And how the hell does a padded practice in the middle of the week help them get there? Who knows?

Maybe Canada will have something else to apologize for next week.

Injury Report

Ironically, before what will undoubtedly be one of their more physical matchups all season (Steelers/Ravens always is), the Baltimore injury report is thinning out.

Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman, Marlon Humphrey, and Ronnie Stanley all look on track to be available on Sunday.

On the Steelers side of things, while Kenny Pickett has apparently slowly improved throughout the week, five players did not participate yesterday. Dan Moore Jr., Pat Freiermuth, James Daniels, and Pressley Harvin were unsurprising.

Alex Highsmith showing up on the injury report with a groin issue though, is not good this late in the week.

Jurkovec the TE

Good luck wrapping your brain around this one: The guy who Pitt was so committed to that they shoved Kedon Slovis out a side door, let Christian Veilleux and Nate Yarnell sit on the sidelines, and allowed to submarine multiple games before benching, is now no longer even their third string quarterback.

He's a tight end.

I mean, you can't make this stuff up.

So a guy who couldn't stick at his two previous schools can't stick at a position now, either. Incredible.