The Pittsburgh Steelers are struggling in a lot of ways right now, but none more than the offensive side of the football. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going right for the players on offense. How bad has it gotten? It’s gotten to the point where the fan base is gathering torches and pitchforks and preparing to storm the proverbial castle to see someone get taken to task for what they’ve been forced to witness the past two weeks.

What does this medieval approach look like in today’s sports landscape? How about close 65,000+ chanting “Fire Canada” in unison on Monday Night Football…

Any #Steelers coach/player who says they didn’t hear the chant is lying. I know why they’re lying, but they are. Listen to this…pic.twitter.com/AYgnml8a23

— Jeff Hartman (@JHartman_PIT) September 19, 2023

Fans are fed up, and the offensive coordinator has received the brunt of their vitriol as the offense continues to stumble all over themselves. Fans on social media are looking at every possible way to place the blame solely on the shoulders of the play caller.

Exhibit A:

Your 2023 Matt Canada Offense *through Week 2*

4.9 ➪ avg plays per drive (32nd)
21.4 ➪ avg yards per drive (32nd)
1m 59 seconds ➪ avg. drive length (32nd)
8.7 ➪ % of drives ending in TDs (32nd)
17.9 ➪ % of drives ending in points (32nd)#SteelersNation #Steelers

— Allegheny Andy (@CityOf_6) September 20, 2023

Those numbers are downright awful, but there are other numbers which paint a different picture. Take a look at this glaring statistic on the state of the offensive line. Sure, protection schemes are drawn up based on down and distance, and can be adjusted by the quarterback, but this doesn’t bode well for the offensive line.

pressure allowed when defense DOES NOT blitz

52% – NYJ
51%
50%
49%
48%
47% – PIT
46%
45%
44%
43%
42%
41% – NYG
40% – CAR
39% – CHI
38% – HOU
37% – DEN, CLE
36% – KC, NO, SF
35%
34% – NE
33% – ATL
32% – TEN, PHI
31%
30% – TB, SEA, ARI
29% – WAS
28% – MIN
27%
26% – BUF, LAR
25% -…

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 21, 2023

Fans want to see change. Sure, they want Canada gone, but they just want to see something happen. They just want to see something change. Continually banging your head against the wall, but expecting a different result is the epitome of idiocy.

• But what changes will happen?
• When will they happen?
• And what will they look like?

Three very key questions as the team prepares for the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3 on Sunday Night Football. Let’s tackle these one at a time…

What changes will happen? Well, let’s just go down the path of Canada being removed. What next? Who takes over play calling duties? Glenn Thomas? A coach who was let go from his role in college? Mike Sullivan? Not a great track record of calling plays.

There are some who will scream, “Bring in Byron Leftwich!”

Theoretically it can make sense, but logistically how would that work? A brand new offense being implemented during the season? NFL offenses take months to orchestrate, and yet this would be able to happen on the fly? Seems outlandish when you put it that way.

In other words, the Steelers have painted themselves into a corner. Everyone with two eyes and a brain knows the Canada system just isn’t working, but they have no real viable options to turn to if they do decide to move on mid-season. Hate to say it, but the only hope is Canada gets stripped of some of his duties and the person in charge does better with what they have to currently work with.

If changes happen, when will they take place?

The Steelers are on the road the next two weeks before coming back to Pittsburgh for their Week 5 game vs. the Baltimore Ravens. The Week 6 bye would be the most logical time to make a change, and to give the team the maximum amount of time to work on these changes. Then again, you can go back to the previous paragraph regarding logical changes which could be made, and what they might look like.

Ultimately, the changes which could take place are likely to be minor, and some might not even be made public. While it makes sense for Tomlin to come out and publicly state Canada has been stripped of play calling duties, it isn’t typically how the Steelers do business. They like to keep things in-house. Other than something like that happening, the changes might be subtle.

More carries/snaps for Jaylen Warren.

Focusing more on utilizing players like Pat Freiermuth more.

Theses changes are things which will be deemed beneficial, but could absolutely be changes which just look like an improving team from the outside.

The Steelers are in a bad spot right now, but I can say for the first time in a long time I do foresee a change happening in-season. I don’t think it’s what everyone wants, but I do foresee changes happening. As for those major changes everyone wants, that will have to wait for the offseason.

Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised with the Steelers doing something very un-Steelers like in cutting ties with a coach mid-season. But I won’t hold my breath.

I talk about this, and much more, on the latest “Let’s Ride” podcast, which can be heard in the player below this article.