Mike Tomlin Gives Vote of Confidence to Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada

PITTSBURGH — Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin gave a vote of confidence to offensive coordinator Matt Canada in his post-season press conference on Tuesday.

Tomlin was asked repeated about Canada’s performance and that of the offense in general, and was also asked if he anticipated changes to his coaching staff.

“I’m optimistic about Matt and what he’s capable of doing. I acknowledge that we took a step back,” Tomlin said. “There’s some obvious, tangible reasons why that occurred. I’m not going to get into all of that. I’m not going to seek comfort in that. We’ve got to be better. We intend to be. That’s going to require a lot of planning and work, players and coaches.”

That doesn’t meant that he’s satisfied with having the No. 23 offense in the NFL, he clarified.

“I’m not expressing satisfaction with any component of it,” Tomlin said. “I’m just acknowledging that [Canada] brings things to the table that are attractive and we need to be better, and we will be.”

The Steelers started the odd combination of a 39-year old quarterback in his final season along with rookies at four positions, but Tomlin didn’t lay all the problems with offense at the feet of the personnel, either.

“You can seek comfort in those facts and things of that nature, but I won’t and I don’t,” he said. “We’ve got to be better than we were. That’s one of the critical reasons that we’re sitting here having this end of the year discussion as opposed to me working and planning, getting ready to play this week. We’ve got to be better.”

But when asked about further potential changes to his coaching staff, Tomlin said he was not personally anticipating there being any while acknowledging that some may not want to return.

“I don’t know that I’m anticipating any, but I don’t know that I’m going to be surprised by any,” Tomlin said. “This exit process, this information gathering process, these conversations is all geared toward assessing what it is that we’ve done and plotting the most clear course in terms of how to proceed. I’m doing that, individuals are doing that, and when that’s transpiring, you acknowledge that potential change is a component of it at our business at this level.”

So despite problems with the offense that lasted throughout the 2021 season, it appears that Tomlin is heading into the offseason with the plan of Canada once again leading the offense.