PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – We see all kinds of reports about Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada. We see all kinds of opinions about Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Anyone willing to admit he did some good things Sunday night or is that not allowed.
This is not to absolve him of past, present or future errors, but a big reason the Steelers WON at Las Vegas was because of their offensive coordinator.
He moved quarterback Kenny Pickett around in the pocket, called a perfect third-and-one play late and recognized the defense to allow for another splash touchdown.
It was third and seven on the Steelers 28-yard line after a pair of three-and-outs. Canada saw the press-man coverage from the Raiders and kept Jaylen Warren in the game as the better pass protector.
“It was press man at the line, that’s money time right here,” said Steelers receiver Calvin Austin. “When we got the call in and it was press, I was like this could be the one.”
It was, Austin sprinted right down the middle of the field and Pickett threw a perfect pass for a 72-yard touchdown and a 7-7 game.
“I don’t think anything changed,” Austin said. “It was about our execution. We did some of the same stuff we did games before, everyone just did their part and were executing. It wasn’t about proving anything, it was about executing how we know we can execute.”
So, what the Steelers receiver is saying is that the plays have been there, but they weren’t executing. Pickett said they had that same play in the San Francisco game and the players didn’t execute it.
There was more mobility from the quarterback position than we’ve seen most of the year. Not just Pickett scraumbling, but planned movement to get him out of potentially bad areas.
“Yeah, I think we did a good job of mixing it up and moving the pocket,” Pickett said. “They got a great pass rusher in 98 [Maxx Crosby] and I didn't want to be a sitting duck back there and give him a target that he can consistently rush at and change the launch point up. There were times where I was able to extend and
find some guys downfield and that was also a plus too, so there's a little bit of both.”
It wasn’t Pickett just free-wheeling, it was something recognized by the Steelers coaching staff and implemented into this week. It was then executed well by Pickett and others on offense.
“Definitely a game plan aspect to it,” Pickett said. “If a pass rusher can key you in the pocket every single snap it doesn't help your tackles out. So, the fact that we can move around and get me on the move and get outside, I think it only helps us.”
And that was part of the overall offensive plan that Pickett has been involved in since off-season workouts began. Pickett, Canada and others saying the quarterback and offensive coordinator are working in concert coming up with the best play for the offense. They’ve done that all year which makes some internet report that Canada and Pickett are now working together every day (as if they hadn’t been before) even more laughable.
Pickett said because they were able to execute, and game plan better against the Raiders, they were able to win first and second downs. Pickett said this allowed them to get to stuff they haven’t been able to use yet in their playbook this year.
Then there was the drive in the middle of the third quarter that seemed like something out of a preseason dream. Here were the plays:
· Pickett to Pickens for 17 yards
· Warren 4-yard rush
· Pickett to Warren 16 yards
· Pickett to TE Pat Freiermuth for 14 yards
· Najee Harris 17-yard run
· Pickett to Freiermuth 13-yard touchdown
“I think you saw a lot of different things in that drive,” Pickett said. “There were a lot of different things in that drive that were really positive. I actually think that's a positive we could take away.”
“I think it was credit to the coaching staff,” said tackle Dan Moore. “Just making some second half adjustments and seeing what they were giving us. They were trying to load the box, they saw that and tried to hit them with a few play actions.”
It doesn’t mean there were not mistakes. It doesn’t mean there weren’t bad play calls or haven’t been at times this season or last. Often in people’s search for a villain or for just a quick answer, it’s easy to blame one person. It rarely is. It’s not to absolve Canada of his own errors, but can we give the man credit.
“I think we're on track to getting it back,” Pickett said of the mojo Mike Tomlin said they missed. “It's never a perfect game. There are things we wished we had back and there's plays where that's always going to be the case. But I think we're definitely getting towards that step that we needed to have it back.”