Report: Steelers OC Matt Canada on Hot Seat

Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada is on the hot seat and could be in danger of having his seat engulfed in flames if the offense continues to struggle against the Ravens in Week 5, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

“Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada and Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael have received the support of their head coaches publicly. But if production doesn’t ramp up, their respective seats will be hot, based on conversations with sources close to the situation,” Rapoport wrote.

As Rapoport mentioned, Mike Tomlin and even running back Najee Harris have stood by Canada and his coaching. The players held a meeting on Monday at the discretion of Harris, where they watched the film from their loss in Houston and went through each other’s frustrations with one another on the field.

“We’ve got to execute the plays,” Harris said. “We’re not trying to point the finger at all. This is not the time to do that. It keeps being a conversation to be brought up, or not even brought up, but things that are talked about so much. It’s crazy. We have to execute at the end of the day, no matter who is back there calling the plays. I honestly say that we’re not doing that right now — not coaches. It has nothing to do with coaches. It’s just players. We have to play better.”

It all comes back to Canada. Are the players executing? Nope. Allen Robinson, for example, has looked awful blocking. Sometimes, he looks lost; he can’t make the play and reach the linebacker at others. The team needs to play more out-of-spread looks, where they succeed in the run game rather than condensing the formation and putting the onus on players who are not good blockers. In general, the offense has to be more competent. They are laying the defense out to dry and sucking the momentum out of the team. It’s not hard for Canada to see that. But he has to make a sweeping change before it’s too late.