It's not that Matt Canada should be fired.
It's that Canada should've been fired already.
Understand that much, and it's easy to understand why the setting for the Steelers' game Sunday against the archrival Ravens will be unlike any other over Acrisure Stadium's 23-year history. And why, as I see it, there's never been less of a palpable buildup for Baltimore week in these parts. And why, as I see it, the bulk of the 68,000-plus on hand will be focused far more on a booth than anything on the field.
It's not just that they want the offensive coordinator gone. That happens in every NFL market, including this one, probably every couple years.
Nope. It's that they want to know why Canada's still here.
There's no precise science for scanning public sentiment, but I've had countless conversations, whether at our Downtown HQ/shop or online, and I feel plenty comfortable concluding from my own perspective that ... this is bad.
The first Steelers game I covered for the Post-Gazette was Jan. 15, 1995, the AFC Championship loss to the Chargers at Three Rivers Stadium. A couple years later, I was added as a regular to the beat and, since 2011, I've been to every game everywhere. And in all that time, I've witnessed unbridled joy, unfathomable disappointment, and the full range in between.
I'd never, until now, witnessed disillusionment. Not of this scope. Not even close.
I'd never seen, heard or read lifelong fans saying they've lost faith in how the franchise carries itself. Or whether or not everyone from Art Rooney II on down prioritizes winning over preserving some mythical 'Steelers Way' that includes keeping coaches almost unconditionally. Or whether or not Mike Tomlin would rather lose games -- lose to the Ravens! -- than to admit he and everyone was wrong about a coordinator.
This is disillusionment: A reader visiting us Downtown the other day remarked, "It's like they're not my Steelers anymore." That's the worst level of doubt. That's wondering why he's wasting his energy and emotion worrying about wins if he doesn't see it being reciprocated where it counts.
What'll that mean for this setting?
I'm not Nostradamus. But it's been three weeks since that group of Penguins fans in Section 136 ignited the 'FI-RE CA-NA-DA!' chant that soon cascaded through the entire stadium. That could never happen in a road venue, no matter how many Steelers fans are there -- Pittsburgh is Pittsburgh -- so this will be the first real opportunity for that to occur again. Only the situation's gotten far worse, the resentment's through the roof ... and I could easily envision the first chant coming after the very first three-and-out.
Imagine that. Then the next one. And the next. And never mind Canada's reaction. Imagine being the players and coaches and staff on the field having this happen in their own environment. Imagine Rooney experiencing something his elders never did.
There are still two ways to avoid this, of course:
1. Excel on offense
2. Fire Canada before kickoff
Which one's less likely?
• I mean, I'm also seeing, hearing and reading from folks who'd rather see the Steelers lose this game, if that's what it takes to effect meaningful change. And the insane part is, they've got a point. Try processing that.
• Desperation takes on many forms, not least of which is sending a struggling second-year quarterback to face a rabid archrival fresh off a lousy-looking knee injury. But desperation evidently stops at the door of anything having to do with coaching.
• No, it's not all Canada's fault, and anyone still parroting such nonsense should probably be committed. It also wouldn't be a cure-all if/when he's ever fired. A golden example comes courtesy of everyone's golden boy, George Pickens: He's now 0 for 8 on contested catches this season.
That's right, 0 for 8. Not least of which was a should've-been-touchdown last week in Houston that was defended by a linebacker. One-on-one.
No one smells right in this offense.
• The outside corner tandem of Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace, when targeted this season, are conceding a collective 61.4% completion rate, 13.9 yards per completion, seven touchdowns and a 106.5 passer rating. They've also got nine missed tackles. But Joey Porter Jr. isn't starting ahead of either because ... he's got missed tackles, too.
Don't pin that on anyone other than Tomlin. Even if he's right to enforce, as he long has, that his secondary guys must be able to tackle, maybe this isn't the most awesome time for such enforcement.
• Try to get into Peterson's head, being that bad at the base job, then putting the Ravens on blast entering the weekend by saying this of their receiver, Zay Flowers: “He's very shifty, very, very fast. He can get behind the defense. He's kind of like the guy that can do it all for them, run the screens, run the reverses and still also run the big post, as well. So it's going to be fun trying to keep our eye on that fast, little munchkin there.”
• Want something positive?
T.J. Watt's about to have a monster day. There.
Just like the Cleveland game, though, that'll represent the only plausible chance at victory. They've got to make Lamar Jackson's life absolute hell.
• Wait, here's another: A win puts the Steelers atop the AFC North. No, for real. They and the Ravens would both be 3-2, and the Steelers obviously would hold the head-to-head.
• OK, one more: Broderick Jones will show well. Rough start in Houston, but that was it. Began bullying from there. And once he's in, he's in for good.
• I like a lot of what Najee Harris had to say this week, especially this: "We have to play better. We can’t just keep looking at the coaches as an outlet or whatever you’re putting out there … it’s stupid. We can’t just keep pointing fingers. We've got to point at ourselves. It's the man in the mirror, really."
I liked even more how hard he ran in the third quarter in Houston.
What I don't like is that, on and off the field, he seems to need his figurative back to the wall to be that guy. He's not nearly that good to afford himself that luxury.
• No Diontae Johnson. No Pat Freiermuth. No realistic option for Pickett to scramble. And John Harbaugh will stack a sea of purple up front to stop Harris. Tell me, please, who rises above that set of circumstances for this offense. Name a name.
• It can't just be the media and the fans. It can't even just be former players. At some point, no matter how uncomfortable, it's got to be the current players. This is costing them wins, it's costing them pieces of their careers, and it's costing them money. Never pretend the latter isn't part of the equation in the athletes' world, doubly so in the short shelf-life of the NFL.
• Thanks for reading, as ever. Columns to come after the game.
