Steelers' Kenny Pickett just saved Matt Canada from more embarrassment
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada has been the punching bag in Pittsburgh for some time now. Whether it be his rudimentary scheme, gimmicky play design, or the fact that he inherits a position that historically takes it in the shins in Pittsburgh, let's just say he's not the belle of the ball. And yesterday […]
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada has been the punching bag in Pittsburgh for some time now.
Whether it be his rudimentary scheme, gimmicky play design, or the fact that he inherits a position that historically takes it in the shins in Pittsburgh, let's just say he's not the belle of the ball.
And yesterday was another chance for Canada to catch a stray from one of his players, with Kenny Pickett seemingly saving him:
Kenny Pickett: "It was available last year"
Before yesterday's practice, Kenny Pickett answered questions from the media, including one about a play that I highlighted in my post-practice report over the weekend:
If you watch the beginning of the play, Kenny signals in an audible, likely a choice route for "Muth" and targets him in a one-on-one scenario. That scenario was foreign to the offense in 2022, with Freiermuth admitting to the media that the offense had no checks, audibles, or hot routes.
So when a reporter brought up that exact play yesterday, Kenny Pickett took the high road and saved Matt Canada from another round of scrutiny:
"It was definitely available last year. But I have more control and I feel more comfortable doing it," said Pickett on if he has unlocked the freedom to change the play at the line of scrimmage.
And more than one thing can be true. Perhaps Canada's offense didn't include sight adjustments and audibles because Kenny was only a rookie.
NFL players often have more than enough on their plate, much less a rookie QB who was thrown into the mid-season fire like Pickett was.
But the truth is, that can't happen anymore. The NFL is far too advanced, and the players are way too intelligent to not allow your QB to make adjustments. Whether that be shifting the protection, sight adjusting the WRs, or audibling the play in its entirety, these are relatively fundamental components of offense compared to novel ideas.
So with Pickett more comfortable, confident, and experienced heading into 2023, I expect to see a more efficient offense.
Steelers weapon starts a fight he won’t be able to finish
He’s not pulling any punches
Featured image via: © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
