When Matt Canada was hired as the quarterbacks coach of the Steelers before the 2020 season, there was a thought the team would utilize more pre-snap motion, offensive shifts and quarterback movement than they had in the past.
They did -- for the first few games of the 2020 season before many of those concepts fell by the wayside.
When Canada was elevated to offensive coordinator in 2021 after Randy Fichtner was not retained, there was the prevailing thought the Steelers would be all-in on the Canada offense rather than just dipping their toe into it.
But even though Canada installed a new offensive scheme and terminology, the Steelers still weren't truly what Canada envisions on offense.
At least not according to quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins.
According to Rudolph and Haskins, what the Steelers did in 2021 was a bastardized mix of Canada's offense and what Ben Roethlisberger wanted to do or was capable of doing.
"I think we did a great job this year of collaborating the stuff Canada wants to do, the pre-snap motion, shifts. We had some drop-back passing that Ben likes to do from previous offenses," Haskins said Wednesday. "He did a great job of putting together different things that Ben liked. I feel like we didn’t execute at times throughout the year like we really wanted to. As far as what he asks the quarterback to do, I feel like I had a great opportunity to do that in the preseason.
In the game like Philly, for example, to be able to move around in the pocket, throw rollout passes, call different things like RPOs. I feel like whatever quarterback is playing, he’s able to adjust the plan. I feel like it will be different with a younger guy back there."
That's not a knock on Roethlisberger, a future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback. After 18 NFL seasons, his mobility was nowhere near what it once was. The Steelers ran some of Canada's rollouts and utilized jet-sweep motions and such.
But true RPOs (run-pass options) that involve the quarterback keeping the ball? That wasn't on the table.
"I'm not the R in RPOs," Roethlisberger joked during the season.
No, he certainly was not. And perhaps that's why Mike Tomlin sounded so defensive when it came to Canada at his season-ending press conference on Tuesday. Even though the offense averaged six points per game less than it had in 2020, the Steelers knew this was going to be a year of transition on offense.
They had four rookies starting at key positions. The offensive line had been completely retooled. And Roethlisberger wasn't anything close to being a good fit for what Canada wants to do offensively.
That could be a big reason why Tomlin is willing to give Canada a pass for the 2021 season.
"I acknowledge that we took a step back. There are some obvious tangible reasons why that occurred," Tomlin said earlier this week. "So, I'm not going to get into all of that. I'm not going to seek comfort in that. We got to be better. We intend to be and that's going to require a lot of planning and work, players and coaches."
Tomlin hasn't hid his desire to have more mobility at the quarterback position. He mentioned studying its effect on games during the bye week, then raved about it as a very desirable attribute when asked about it earlier this week as the Steelers begin the process of moving on from Roethlisberger.
"Quarterback mobility is valued, not only by me, but by everyone," Tomlin said. "It's just a component of today's game, and increasingly so."
But that doesn't mean he's necessarily looking for his next quarterback to be Lamar Jackson or Justin Fields.
And while neither Rudolph or Haskins will be mistaken for great runners, it's also not simply about the ability to run. It's movement in the pocket, as well.
Rudolph barely ran at all in his extended period of starting in 2019, when he filled in for an injured Roethlisberger. He had 21 carries for 42 yards that season, though a number of those were end-of-game kneel downs. The lack of running that season was because the Steelers told him not to do so because the only quarterback on the roster behind him was undrafted rookie Duck Hodges.
In limited action this season, Rudolph scrambled five times for 59 yards. Three of his runs went for first downs, while two were scrambles for 17 and 26 yards.
"I’ve gotten better at that, whether it’s from a strength and conditioning standpoint, but I’ve also made improvements knowing the right times, extending the play to throw, but at the times you need to, getting it done with your legs," Rudolph said. "That excites me. You saw that this year, sparingly when I had the opportunity. I want to continue to do that when it’s needed in the future. I know that’s a part of Matt Canada’s offense and it’s something Coach Tomlin looks for in a quarterback."
It's something that just wasn't an option for this team with Roethlisberger.
And that might be why Canada is getting a mulligan for the 2021 season.
"I think it was a bit of a mesh this year between things Ben has done for 18 years, some of the concepts he liked, what he was comfortable (with)," Rudolph said. "His playing style was meshed with Matt's. Knowing Matt, if he returns, I enjoy his offense. I enjoy the shifting, the pre-snap motion. I’m very aware we fell short in many offensive categories, so we need to improve."
MORE STEELERS
• One of the more interesting parts of this offseason for the Steelers, beyond what happens at quarterback, is to see what happens with cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. Acquired at the end of training camp from the Seahawks for a 2023 fifth-round draft pick, Witherspoon didn't play much early in the season because the Steelers stayed relatively healthy at corner and he was behind James Pierre on the depth chart and isn't much of a special teams player. But when Joe Haden was injured late in the year and with Pierre struggling, the Steelers turned to Witherspoon with great results. He wound up leading the team with three interceptions, and his 37.8 completion-percentage allowed — 14 catches on 38 targets — was the lowest in the NFL, according to Pro Football Reference. Witherspoon isn't a great tackler, he missed six this season -- hence his lack of playing time on special teams -- but he is a good cover corner with good hands. Witherspoon was playing on a one-year, $4-million deal he signed with the Seahawks as a restricted free agent after being drafted by the 49ers. So, he'll be a free agent. And with Haden also a free agent and due to turn 33 in April, the Steelers are interested in resigning the 26-year-old Witherspoon. He's also interested in returning, especially after seeing how free agency worked in 2021. But he's not locking in on signing with the Steelers or bust. "It's very important in terms of the peace I have in this process. I know that stressing or wondering where you're going to be, you might not even be there at the start of the season," Witherspoon said. "That's my approach in terms of stepping back and not acting like I know everything. I thought I did last year and I was extremely wrong. For me, just going where you're wanted is an absolute must. That was Seattle last year. That changed. I'm just very comfortable and prepared to play football anywhere." If Witherspoon hits the open market, he'll have value. But if he does sign elsewhere, it will likely be for good money, something that could help the Steelers in their compensatory pick formula. -- Lolley
• Tomlin is a hands-on coach, particularly with the Steelers defense. That's pretty well known at this point. But Haskins let slip one thing this week that wasn't known. Tomlin also works with the quarterbacks each week. "He meets with the quarterbacks every Wednesday morning to go over what the defense does, has tendencies to do," Haskins said of Tomlin. "Things to look for, situation ball, things of that nature. It was a good opportunity because I never got an opportunity for a coach to go over what the other team likes, it was always a position coach. He wants you to know what he’s thinking, how he manages practices, how he wants you to lead in a certain way." -- Lolley
PENGUINS
• The Hurricanes, Jets, Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Wild, Predators, Lightning and Rangers all had scouts at PPG Paints Arena for Thursday's game against the Senators. It's worth noting that the Maple Leafs' representative was assistant general manager Laurence Gilman, and the Predators and Lightning each had two representatives at the game. Nashville's representatives were both pro scouts (Stan Drulia and Nick Vitucci) while Tampa sent assistant general manager Jamie Pushor, along with goaltending scout Jared Waimon. -- Taylor Haase at PPG Paints Arena
• It was Brian Boyle's shot in the morning skate that injured goaltender Louis Domingue. It was toward the end of the skate when the structured portion was over. Domingue didn't see a shot coming, and it hit him on the inside of his right foot. It was clear that Boyle felt awful and sat with Domingue on the ice until he got up, and then sat with him at the bench until Domingue was ready to go back to the locker room. I saw Domingue prior to Thursday's game and he was on crutches. He wasn't wearing a boot or any kind of aid on his right foot but he wasn't putting any weight on it. -- Haase
• The Penguins finally have gotten fairly healthy (although a positive COVID test is a constant threat to put any player out of action at any time), but the way things have gone for them in 2021-22, their ironman streak might end up being better measured in hours, rather than months or years. After all, of the 31 players they've used this season, Evan Rodrigues and John Marino are the only ones to appear in each of the Penguins' first 39 games. Marino, who played in the final 27 games last season, owns the longest run of consecutive appearances on the team: 66 games. (Rodrigues was injured for the final five regular-season games in 2020-21.) Neither of those two will be overtaking the NHL's all-time leader, Doug Jarvis, who played in 964 games in a row, anytime soon, although Keith Yandle (962) and Phil Kessel (938) figure to. -- Molinari
• Mark Kachowski, writing on a networking website, describes his current line of work as "orthopaedic trauma consultant." That seems like a fitting choice of career, given that he specialized in causing physical trauma to opponents during his 64-game career with the Penguins, when he accumulated 209 penalty minutes. Kachowski came to the Penguins as a free agent via their pipeline to the Kamloops Blazers in the 1980s and early '90s, when Blazers alums such as Mark Recchi, Rob Brown, Mike Needham and Ed Patterson were drafted into the organization. -- Molinari
PIRATES
• Joel Hanrahan surprised many, including this reporter, when his next stop turned out to be as a minor-league pitching coach for the Nationals. He has major-league aspirations and had teams reach out as soon as he told the Pirates he wanted to look for a new opportunity, but apparently there were no coordinator or major-league coaching offers. Hanrahan did start his major-league career with the Nationals, so it would make sense that he would go back to an organization that he is familiar with. But something is missing here. The Pirates really liked Hanrahan and offered a variety of contracts to keep him, and Hanrahan seemed to be leaving the Pirates on good terms when we talked last month. Perhaps it was just time for a change of scenery for him. -- Alex Stumpf
• On the Pirates side, nobody had Hanrahan as a coach longer than right-hander Max Kranick. The two first worked together at rookie-level Bristol in 2017, and they rose through Class A together before working at the alternate site in 2020, and Class AAA Indianapolis last season. I asked Kranick what makes Hanrahan a good coach. “A lot of things. The list is endless…He was a starter when he first came up and became a dominant closer. He played for seven years. He was an All-Star. He has a World Series. That’s what I want to do, what my teammates want to do. He understands the season struggles really well. He struggled. He’s been released by teams. He’s had to sign other places. He’s seen it all and knows what it’s like.” Even if Hanrahan left, he left his mark on a lot of young pitchers in the system. “Without him, there’s no way I have the year I had or am in the situation that I’m in,” Kranick said. -- Stumpf
• Teams have not been allowed to be in contact with players on the 40-man roster during the lockout, but so far it hasn’t been too intrusive on offseason plans. Coaches would normally reach out periodically, but it wouldn’t be uncommon for it just to be once or twice a month. The Pirates were thorough in their exit interviews to prepare, making sure players had baseballs, supplements and whatever they will need for the offseason back in October, while players told teams their offseason plans and where they would be training. Every healthy player is at least in charted territory for offseason workouts right now, at least until spring training is inevitably delayed. -- Stumpf