In the wake of Matt Canada’s departure, it’s revealing to assess how his record as Steelers OC compares to those of his predecessors. The Steelers created the offensive coordinator position in 1983 under the Chuck Noll regime. But given the substantial changes in the game during the past 20 years, it’s probably a more meaningful comparison to examine the records of the past six Steelers OCs serving since 2001.

The first stat of note is 3.83, which is the average number of years served by these past six OCs. This underscores the fact that, regardless of who might fill the position in Pittsburgh, their tenure likely will be relatively short, typically corresponding to the overall trend in their team’s fortunes.

The following is a list of the past six Steelers OCs, ranked in order of the team’s records during their tenures:

1) Ken Whisenhunt (2004-2006): Team record: 34-14-0, Playoffs: 5-1
2) Bruce Arians (2007-2011): Team record: 55-25-0, Playoffs: 5-3
3) Todd Haley (2012-2017): Team record: 61-35-0, Playoffs: 3-4
4) Mike Mularkey (2001-2003): Team record: 29-18-1, Playoffs: 2-2
5) Randy Fichtner (2018-2020): Team record: 29-18-1, Playoffs: 0-1
6) Matt Canada (2021-2023): Team record: 23-20-1, Playoffs: 0-1

Not surprisingly, Matt Canada’s winning percentage is the poorest in this group at 53.4% compared to Whisenhunt’s 70.8% or 68.8% for Arians. Canada’s record also falls well below those of Todd Haley (63.5%), Mike Mularkey (61.5%) and Randy Fichtner (61.5%). While Canada’s shortcomings are obvious and well-documented by numerous analysts, it’s also true that his tenure corresponded both with Ben Roethlisberger’s final season and Kenny Pickett’s first full year as a starting QB. Conversely, Whisenhunt, Arians and Haley were beneficiaries of some excellent seasons in Big Ben’s remarkable career.

This history reveals that success in the OC position is highly dependent on the state of the team’s overall talent during the periods when they serve. This also suggests the challenge which any OC faces in making a major impact independent of efforts by the head coach, scouting and player recruitment. For these reasons, it’s important to recognize that OCs resemble NFL players with short careers. Generally, they’re considered to be interchangeable parts whose arrivals or departures rarely affect the team’s overall trajectory.

So when the Steelers ultimately name a successor to Matt Canada, it’s certainly reasonable for fans and pundits to expect a different and hopefully-improved look on offense. But history suggests the next OC will be equally constrained by the feasibility of the Steelers’ overall strategic plan for success. For example, unless Kenny Pickett is able to take the strides anticipated by the Steelers when he was drafted, and until we see significant improvement on the Steelers’ OL, it’s not going to matter who the next OC might be. That’s why the tendency of fans and the media to overemphasize this role in the team’s success can become a vicious circle wherein we continue expecting the latest candidate to convert our old jalopy into a DeLorean.