Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney talked to the media on Thursday in his end-of-the-season interview. One of the topics of interest to most fans was why the team chose to keep offensive coordinator Matt Canada after a long season on offense. Rooney made it clear that the relationship between Canada and quarterback Kenny Pickett played a role in why the Steelers didn’t fire Canada at the end of the season.
“With a rookie quarterback, they seem to work well together. They built a good working relationship,” Rooney said. “To start over again with a new offensive coordinator, you could wind up back in the same situation again where the first half of season, you’re breaking in a new coordinator. We felt there was enough there to build on. We wanted to keep that group together.”
Keep in mind, Rooney wasn’t overly enthusiastic about the Steelers offense from last season but he saw growth. And that growth was enough for him to feel like the plan is working and there is no reason to make any drastic changes.
Even with the strong finish to the season, the Steelers were still 26th in scoring and 23rd in yards. Is that enough to keep Canada for the sake of chemistry with Pickett? It’s important to note Canada is in the final year of his contract and it is doubtful the Steelers sign him to an extension. This means 2023 he will be a lame duck, coaching for his next job.
