Mitch Trubisky is getting a lot of flak for two underwhelming performances to start the 2022 season. And having only 362 passing yards and two touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per attempt makes a strong case for those who are frustrated with the level of play at quarterback.
But, this goes beyond Trubisky. Matt Canada has to share some of the blame too.
"We haven't scored enough points here the last couple of weeks," Mike Tomlin said in his Monday press conference. "That's a collective, not just the quarterback position. Not just the players. It's responsible for all of us for ringing up the scoreboard."
Tomlin isn't about to let Trubisky or any one person be the scapegoat for two measly touchdowns in 24 drives to start the season. He didn't come right out and say it, but he very much alluded to it when he said he was going to "exercise appropriate patience" with Trubisky and the offense.
But, Tuesday morning revealed a little bit more of what might be some of the core issues beyond a barrage of short throws and check downs.
Trubisky met with the media, and was up front and honest about how there were opportunities to stretch the field in the 17-14 loss to the Patriots. He echoed a similar sentiment that Tomlin said Monday about the offense collectively needing to become more aggressive.
"There were some missed opportunities," Trubisky said. "A couple better decisions by me and giving our playmakers more of a chance. I'll look to fix that this week in a quick turnaround. It's a great opportunity for us to get on the right track."
You seldom get brutal honesty out of a player in a big media scrum. However, this was the very first thing Trubisky said. Even for a quarterback talking in a formal setting, this is an honest as you're going to hear someone speak.
The same could not be said for Canada.
The vast majority of reporters gathered around the Steelers' offensive coordinator instead of Teryl Austin's media availability that stood 30 feet away. Canada was hit hard and early with questions regarding the lack of throws down the field over the first two weeks of the season. In one instance, Canada was asked if there have been opportunities to make plays down the field or if they need to call more of those plays.
His response at the :16 mark was not very revealing:
Canada did, however, share something a bit more revealing, and it goes beyond the lack of deep throws.
Trubisky said Tuesday he doesn't have the freedom to audible on every play. Canada later confirmed that when he spoke with the media. That's obviously a big change from last season when Ben Roethlisberger had far more control over the offense. Canada was asked about the difference between giving Trubisky freedom to audible compared to how it was with Roethlisberger. Canada said they are evolving toward giving Trubisky more freedom, but here's the difference:
"You had a guy who played 18 years and (now) a guy that just got here with a bunch of young players," Canada said. "We're slowly building to that. We didn't get the result we wanted Sunday and we didn't score enough the week before. So, we're not where we want to be and we have to keep working at that. Adding certain things that we think will help us each week, but without creating any kind of missed assignments or communication issues. Especially in a game like Sunday with the limited possessions, when you don't execute it correctly or we're not on the same page, those plays magnify. We have to make sure we're doing that. So, it's a balance."
In answering a question about why Trubisky doesn't have the freedom to audible out of every play, Canada said they're "adding certain things that we think will help us each week, but without creating any kind of missed assignments or communication issues."
Now, here's what Tomlin said about what he likes about Trubisky during his first two weeks as the Steelers' starting quarterback:
"I've liked a lot from him to be quite honest," Tomlin said Monday. "I think he's done a good job of doing the things that come with the position. The intangible things, the leadership things, the communication things, detailing and communicating the offense, working hard to execute our agenda, the things that we want to work on."
See the disconnect? Tomlin likes how Trubisky has performed in intangibles, leadership and communication within the offense. Canada doesn't want to give Trubisky free reign out of fear that there will be miscommunication.
At the end of the day, you have to properly diagnose a problem in order to fix it. Sure, the Steelers have to be more aggressive down the field. That's the tangible outcome that needs to happen for this team to win football games.
When things weren't going the Steelers' way last season, Roethlisberger had the power to take matters into his own hands. And out of the nine wins in 2021, Ben registered six fourth-quarter comebacks. If Tomlin likes Trubisky's communication, why isn't he given more freedom?
Again, as Tomlin said, the issues on offense are collective. And Canada's words made that all more apparent than they were 24 hours ago.
And if you think Kenny Pickett would be better at running this offense, he'd be even more handcuffed than Trubisky is.
