The Steelers' offensive issues are the main reason Mike Tomlin is now holding exit meetings with his players as opposed to planning to get his team ready to play in the next round of NFL playoffs.
But despite that being the case, Tomlin said he remains intrigued by the possibilities first-year coordinator Matt Canada brings to the table.
"I’m optimistic about Matt and what he’s capable of doing," Tomlin said Tuesday. "I acknowledge that we took a step back. There are some obvious, tangible reasons about what that occurred. I’m not going to seek comfort in that. We’ve got to be better. We intend to be. That’s going to require a lot of planning and work, players and coaches."
The Steelers offense averaged just 20.2 points per game in 2021, a massive step backward from the 26 points per game they averaged last season in Randy Fichtner's final season as coordinator.
Canada, hired in 2020 as the team's quarterbacks coach, was elevated to coordinator despite having no NFL experience after previously being a coordinator in college. He was viewed as an innovative play caller at the collegiate level.
Slow starts plagued the team all season, something that was on full display Sunday in their 42-21 loss to the Chiefs in the Wild Card playoff game. The Steelers scored 7 points in the first half and had 44 yards of offense, the touchdown coming from a defensive score.
The lack of first-half scoring was an issue in all of the team's 18 games. The Steelers were outscored 189-110 in the first half of their games this season.
"I’m not expressing satisfaction with any component of it," Tomlin said. "I’m just expressing that he brings things to the table that are attractive. We need to be better and we will be."
Tomlin said he's not opposed to making changes when he sees them as being beneficial. But in this instant, it seems he believes there are other variables at work. For example, much of Canada's offense is predicated on quarterback mobility, something the Steelers just didn't have with 39-year-old Ben Roethlisberger.
"I understand change is a part of our business. I don’t run away from it," Tomlin said of changes. "I’m not overly resistant to it. I don’t run to it, as well. I don’t change for the sake of changing. I’m open to change where appropriate."
Another reason Tomlin is reserving the right to grade Canada's performance on something of a sliding scale was the relative youth of the Steelers offense. Despite having Roethlisberger leading the unit, it was one of the youngest groups in the NFL.
The Steelers regularly started four rookies on offense in running back Najee Harris, tight end Pat Freiermuth, left tackle Dan Moore and center Kendrick Green. They began the season with four new starters on the offensive line and wound up playing five different players at left guard.
That relative immaturity overall for the group, according to Tomlin, led to the scaling back of some of what was asked of the offense.
"When you’ve got red paint, you paint your barn red. That not only transpired in-season, but it transpired in every component of the journey," Tomlin said. "We went into the season understanding we had new and young people that comprised significant portions of that unit. Often times, those discussions were ongoing, not only at certain points of the year, but at the outset."
Now, the unit will undergo even more change.
For the first time since his rookie season in 2004, the Steelers will head into an offseason knowing that Roethlisberger will not be returning as the team's quarterback.
Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins will be given an opportunity to compete for the starting job, but Tomlin also acknowledged the team will look for outside help, as well, to create more competition.
"Both guys, Dwayne and Mason, have had their moments, They’ll have to prove that," Tomlin said. "And not only the team development process, but through playing itself.
"They’ll be given an opportunity to establish themselves. There’s going to be competition. There always is. They’ll write that story. But both guys have positioned themselves to fight that fight with what they’ve done from a work standpoint and a professionalism standpoint in 2021."
That competition could come via the draft or through trade or free agency. Tomlin is open to any of that, denying a report from earlier this season that he would prefer the team acquire a veteran starter moving forward.
"I have not expressed that," Tomlin said of the report from Jay Glazer. "I think it’s prudent and appropriate to be open to all of the above. You have to weigh what’s available on the free agent market and the cost of acquiring it versus what’s available in the draft. What’s the best mix for us?"
The draft is not considered a great one for teams in the market for a rookie quarterback, though as many as five are regarded as first-round possibilities, including Pitt's Kenny Pickett.
But the free agent market also isn't littered with possibilities, either, with Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota and Mitch Trubisky being the most attractive options.
As we've seen in recent years, however, there can be some volatility there.
One thing he will be looking for at the quarterback position is mobility.
"Man, quarterback mobility is valued, not only by me, but everyone. It’s just a component of today’s game and increasingly so," he said.
Tomlin has never been in this position, needing to find a potential franchise quarterback. He's had Roethlisberger since taking the job with the Steelers in 2007.
"I’m excited about that challenge," Tomlin said of finding a new quarterback. "Those of us that are competitors are. It’s a challenge. It makes you uneasy. But I’ve learned to run to those challenges. I’ve learned to appreciate those challenges, the uncertainty surrounding them is inspiring to me."
• Tomlin did say that defensive coordinator Keith Butler and he had talked previously about Butler retiring at the end of this season, but that they haven't spoken about it recently. Secondary coach Teryl Austin is considered the leading candidate to replace Butler, 65, if he does retire.
"Buts has had conversations about this potentially being his last year. He and I haven’t had an opportunity to sit down. I’m doing player interviews, he’s doing player interviews," Tomlin said. "We haven’t had a detailed conversation in that regard.
"But defensively, we didn’t play as well as we would like, either. We’ve got to get better in that area. You can talk about player availability or lack thereof. If you seek comfort, we don’t, I’ don’t. All we have is what’s on tape and our record. I’m not comfortable with what we did against the run. I don’t think any of us are comfortable or happy with what we did against the run. We have to improve that. We will improve that."
The Steelers finished last in the NFL stopping the run this season, allowing 146.1 yards per game.
Part of the reason for that was the fact defensive linemen Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu combined to play five quarters this season, with Tuitt missing the entire season.
Tomlin said he has not spoken to either yet regarding 2022, spending his time early this week holding exit interviews with younger players.
Both Alualu and Tuitt are under contract for next season, though Alualu will be 35, while Tuitt didn't play this season while dealing with a knee injury and the loss of his brother in a hit-and-run accident.
• Tomlin also said he and GM Kevin Colbert have had talks regarding Colbert's possible retirement when his contract runs out after the 2022 NFL Draft.
Colbert, 65, has been with the Steelers since 2000.
"He and I have discussions about it, but I’ll leave it to Kevin to discuss any issues regarding him and his future," Tomlin said. "My plan and our plan is to proceed in the short term like we always do. He’s on me already bringing me up to speed on draft availability and that phase, planning on how we’re going to move. We were talking about Mobile (Ala.) this morning. You don’t want to talk about the Senior Bowl this time of year because that means you’re not in the tourney, but he understands the necessary planning and discussion we have to have."
The Steelers will send a large contingent of scouts and coaches to the Senior Bowl Feb. 4 in Mobile.
