The Steelers have been toiling away at the UPMC-Rooney Sports Complex during their OTA sessions, trying to learn the nuances of first-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada's offense.
Tuesday, they moved things over to Heinz Field for the start of their mandatory minicamp, which will serve as something as a pop quiz for the offense, which got an opportunity to try some of its new plans out in 11-on-11 football for the first time.
First and foremost on that docket was to see how some of Canada's scheme meshes with team president Art Rooney II's decree that the Steelers run the football better in 2021.
The Steelers finished dead last in the NFL in rushing in 2020, something that contributed greatly to losing five of their final six games, including a playoff defeat at the hands of the Browns.
That led to the firing of offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett, and the elevation of Canada and Adrian Klemm to those spots.
The message was heard clear and precisely. And if it wasn't, the selection of Najee Harris in the first round of the draft certainly drove it home.
Mesh what the Steelers have with Ben Roethlisberger, who led the NFL in pass attempts per game last season, with a more physical brand of football. And if that includes more pre-snap motion, play-action and things of that nature -- things the Steelers haven't used much over the past decade because Roethlisberger doesn't necessarily like it -- so be it.
"Ben can do everything really well. I don’t have any concern about what Ben can do," Canada said Tuesday. "If you’re going to run the football, I think play-action is very important. Mr. Rooney has sent out a very clear directive to (Kevin) Colbert, Coach (Mike) Tomlin and then to me. We want to be able to run the ball when we have to run it. That doesn’t mean we’re going to run the ball for X amount of yards in a game. All that matters here is winning. Our charge is to win the Super Bowl and that’s it.
"Every year as coaches, you’re trying to create a system to put your players in a position to make plays. To run the football, we’ll certainly use play-action as a part of that. But that’s not the only focal point we have. We’re going to run the ball when we have to run it, and we’re going to throw the ball when we have to throw it. We’re going to do everything we can to get our best players — and we’ve got a lot of really good ones — in position to make the plays their talents direct us to do."
As part of that, Canada, who served as the team's quarterback coach last season after spending the 2019 season out of football following a lengthy career in the college ranks, has spent this offseason installing new verbiage and concepts.
It's not about starting from scratch as it is building on foundations that were already in place. The Steelers ran some of Canada's calling cards on offense -- plenty of pre-snap motion coupled with things such as jet sweeps -- early in the season in 2020. But as the season wore on, we saw less and less of those things.
Part of the reason for that was the fact the team had no offseason on-field workouts, getting together only for 14 preseason practices before the season began. They didn't even have a preseason before playing their first game.
"We tried every week to do the best things we could as a staff and it didn’t work out the way we wanted it to at the end of the year," Canada said. "We had different parts and different focuses each week based on game plan. I was certainly part of it, right in the middle of it. I wish we would have been more successful at the end. This year, we’re focused on just that, putting our players in the best position to make plays and doing what they do best. Whatever form that comes out in, that will be what you see."
Now, the Steelers have had OTAs and a minicamp. They'll have a full training camp and preseason with which to try things out or at least test the waters.
It should help alleviate any growing pains associated with teaching an old dog such as Roethlisberger some new tricks. The Steelers have added pieces to the playbook over the years as they've changed offensive coordinators, but this will be the first time they've changed verbiage on things, as well.
But they won't necessarily ask Roethlisberger to step outside of his comfort zone.
That might not be what some want to hear -- especially those who feel Roethlisberger has gained too much control over the offense in recent years -- but Canada realizes asking players, especially the quarterback, to do things of which he's not capable is a sure way to not have success.
"In football, it’s 11 men doing their job, but the quarterback is the greatest position in sports in my opinion because of all the things you have to do," Canada said. "We’re going to do what Ben wants to do and how Ben wants to do it. Our job is putting every player in position to make plays. There are changes with terminology and how we’re calling things, which is an adjustment for Ben. He’s been great and really learning it. I think he has adapted easily like we all knew that he would.
"That is our job. Matchups are how you win football games. It starts with the quarterback. What does he do well? What does he like? What does he see? What is good to his eye in the passing game? Then we build off that. That’s what we’re going to do with his voice and his vision. What he sees will be what we do."
The offensive changes won't be solely on what plays are called and how they're called. The Steelers also figure to have at least four new starters on offense this season, including Harris in the backfield and new faces at left tackle, left guard and center.
That is a lot of turnover for a team unaccustomed to much of it. But Canada believes the scheme change can help that.
"I feel great about the strides our offensive line is making," he said. "Obviously, we’ve got some change. There’s no doubt about that. ... I think up front, the mindset of what we’re trying to do, the charge from Mr. Rooney to be more physical, to run the football, as an offensive lineman, you’re going to like that. We’re going to come off the ball and do that. Doesn’t mean we’re going to run it a million times or anything like that. Giving them an opportunity to be more aggressive is going to (help)."
That remains to be seen. But when you finished dead last in the league in running the ball last season, there's nowhere to go but up.
"We’ve had a good installation plan," Canada said. "Obviously we have to know where we’re going. We’ve taken it at whatever pace we could handle and put in as much as we can by day and by week. I think the players have handled it very well. They’ve been very receptive to it. Football is football. The guys have been great and it’s been a great work environment. We’ve made a lot of progress."
