The Steelers made a change to their gameday operations against the Titans last Thursday and it looks like it will remain the way they handle things against the Packers this week.
Offensive coordinator Matt Canada worked from the sideline rather than in a booth above the field in order to improve his lines of communication with head coach Mike Tomlin, quarterback Kenny Pickett and others on the offense. The Steelers got a 20-16 win and Pickett said after the game that he thought the arrangement worked well.
At his Tuesday press conference, Tomlin said Pickett wasn’t alone in that opinion and that the team will likely be doing things the same way moving forward.
“We’re willing to do whatever is required to continue to progress in all three phases,” Tomlin said. “We make changes week in and week out. Obviously, because of his location, that was a more obvious change. I thought it was good reviews. I thought it aided in communication. Coach-to-player is one thing, but the give and take and the face-to-face component I thought could add a little value to our cause. The reviews were positive and, so, we’ll probably continue to work in that area. We’ll probably continue to turn other things over in an effort to continue to improve. Again, we do things weekly. Some weeks you notice them. Most weeks you don’t.”
Little about the performance of the Steelers offense has gone unnoticed so far this season and reviews generally haven’t been as good as the ones Tomlin got about Canada’s move downstairs. The Steelers have a winning record, though, and adding to it with a home win over Green Bay should continue to quell calls for bigger changes in Pittsburgh.
