Kovacevic: No better time than now (OK, maybe October) to fire Canada taken at Acrisure Stadium (DK's 10 Takes)

JUSTIN K. ALLER / GETTY

Diontae Johnson can't catch a Mitch Trubisky pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.

Sure, Kenny Pickett was sacked and sent into concussion protocol, thanks to Mason Cole and Kevin Dotson whiffing on blocks. After which Cole would tell me, "Tough to watch, man. We've gotta be better."

Sure, Kenny's replacement, Mitch Trubisky, recklessly slung three interceptions, twice in the red zone. After which Trubisky would bemoan, "I've gotta protect the football. That's obvious."

And sure, as if not to be outdone on this wintry Sunday at Acrisure Stadium that might've seen way too many among the 66,326 show up with way too much hope, their defense was gashed on the ground by an opponent missing even a reasonable facsimile of an NFL quarterback, their own ground game barely budged a week after believing they'd had some breakthrough, their punter shanked a 17-yarder a week after planting a clincher inside the 1, and ... hang on, I'm forgetting something ... oh, right, it still took a freaking blocked 40-yard field goal to account for the difference.

Ravens 16, Steelers 14

"You do those things, you don't win," Mike Tomlin would fairly fume after citing some of what's above and even more. "We understand that. We're disappointed. Disappointment comes with that."

It should. Weeks of progress, some apparent but some very real, were wiped away in a single weekend and, worse, to this franchise's archrival that limped in here without Lamar Jackson and several other vital pieces.

And yet, with all appropriate apologies in advance -- which is to say, none -- here I go again with the same, stale theme: Fire the coordinator.

Today. Or yesterday. Or back in October. Or at any point before he can do any further damage.

Now, which coordinator, one might now fairly ask given how the defense has disintegrated under Teryl Austin despite being weighted with most of the roster's star power and salary cap commitments?

Yeah, it's this guy again:

Meaning, of course, the one who thought it'd be shrewd to save almost all of his downfield passing play-calls for the failed $40 million experiment that Diontae Johnson's become.

While at the same time calling for three whole targets toward George Pickens that, evidently escaping notice up in the booth, resulted in three catches for 78 yards and a dynamic factor that was utterly lacking from either team's offense on this day:

My goodness. Look at what this kid's doing.

And then, once done looking, copy, paste and send to Matt Canada's email address, which I'm presuming is still jetsweepsrus@steelers.com, and ask if he could even pick out Pickens from a lineup.

This isn't more complicated than this, my friends. It just isn't.

Because when someone's holding one of 32 NFL offensive coordinator positions on the planet and he can't/won't recognize that he's holding the key to the one player most poised to make the difference himself -- not a kick, not a punt, not any general facet -- and he still can't conceive of a process to get him engaged, that's someone who's robustly unqualified, it not outright overmatched.

Because when someone's foundational basis for employment is overseeing offensive touchdowns, and his team's got 19 total -- 31st in the NFL, ahead only of Russell Wilson's early retirement party in Denver -- and when that someone's been able to work with a still-game Hall of Fame quarterback, followed by a first-rounder, and accompanied by top, young talent at wide receiver and tight end in Pickens and Pat Freiermuth ... and he remains incapable of crafting touchdowns, that's ... unqualified, overmatched, all that.

Because, taking this to the top rung, any organization that's OK with conceding this essential role to someone who doesn't come close to satisfying ... yikes.

And for anyone who chooses to view these things in isolation and who, thus, might be tempted to fault only Trubisky, check this out:

That's the first of the three picks. And it's a bad decision to throw, as the thrower himself acknowledged.

"Probably forced that one," Trubisky would say. "I've got to take care of the football so we can come away with points down there. That's on me."

Except that it both is and isn't.

See, glance up there again to see that Steven Sims' route takes him right into the path of the pass for Freiermuth. That's the only reason Roquan Smith's there to pick it off, because he dropped back to stick with Sims. If Sims' route is elsewhere, that's got a good chance of being a completion.

Why was the route there?

Well, the common supposition on social media, including among NFL experts, was that Sims ran the wrong route:

It's a reasonable stance to take when watching live. It also proved to be incorrect, but then, this is what happens when attempting to explain the inexplicable.

I checked with Sims in a one-on-one talk we had, and he confirmed he ran the right route, adding, "I was coming across, and I saw the ball and ducked, thinking it was coming at me but knowing it was going to Pat. But really, I should've attacked the ball and try to hit it down 'cause the defender was in front of me jumping up to make the play. I should've kept him from getting it."

Big difference between that admission and a wrong route.

Buttressing that, Trubisky also affirmed that Sims ran the right route, adding, "They did a good job collision-ing Pat on the line of scrimmage, which made his route take a little longer. I stuck with him. Probably could've done a better job with my eyes looking off. But yeah, when it just takes a little longer, it's two guys in the same spot."

It shouldn't be. Freiermuth being bumped at the line is par for the course for a tight end. And unless he's bumped onto his behind, the play still materializes in mostly the expected time, which is never more than a couple seconds and wasn't in this case.

What actually occurred, and that neither Trubisky nor Sims could speak to publicly, is that Canada's route trees -- derided for two years now by people who know their football, including inside South Water Street -- are elementary to the extreme. Sims had no business being in Freiermuth's area code on a critical throw over the middle. And what's way worse, there've been countless examples like this of receivers running through each other's trajectories even if they're precise.

That's a joke. For that to be happening at the NFL level is a joke.

Same with ignoring Pickens.

Asked why the offense went away from Pickens after a couple big completions, Trubisky replied, "I'll have to watch it on film. I was looking for George. There are certain things they were doing. I was just playing within each concept that was called, trying to find completions, trying to move the ball down the field. ... I'd love to continue to get George involved. He's a great talent. We've just got to continue to work on the details and see which ways we can get him the football, for sure."

That sound familiar?

Right. Trubisky's still an offensive captain and, as a veteran, he's far more capable of using the I'm-going-with-the-concepts-that-are-called material than a rookie like Pickett would be. Trust me when I share that's code for pointing toward Canada.

There weren't any complaints from the kid himself this week, unlike in Atlanta. I spoke with Pickens for a bit, and let's just say his temperature was fine.

Asked earlier in a group setting how it felt to get the couple deep targets that he did, he replied, "It feels good. That's kind of what we preach on how this offense should be. You've just got to execute those plays. Anytime you get an opportunity, you want to seize the moment."

Under another coordinator, Pickens -- and his team -- can seize so many more.

photoCaption-photoCredit

JOE SARGENT / GETTY

Kenny Pickett's sacked by the Ravens' Roquan Smith in the first quarter Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.

• Kenny's a better quarterback than Trubisky ever was or ever will be. Here's hoping this afternoon at least settles that once and for all.

• A reminder here that this is Kenny's second time in concussion protocol as an NFL rookie. Each one counts. That's not great.

• A further reminder here that, in the NFL parlance, being in concussion protocol doesn't necessarily mean one's got a concussion, which is how the earlier one this season played out. It'll be telling if he's around Monday for the weekly open locker room access. I didn't see him anywhere after the game, for whatever little that's worth.

• Tomlin's two-sentence response for why the run defense struggled as much through this game as it did in the second half in Atlanta: "I just thought we wore down. The pile was moving forward."

I'm old enough to remember when that was a palatable explanation, say, back in September, when the offense couldn't stay on the field. But the Ravens' edge in offensive snaps here was only 61-53. And since 33 of the Steelers' 53 snaps were pass plays, while the Ravens had 42 rushing plays, the clock was much slower during Pittsburgh possessions.

It's just not good enough. Particularly up front. Which is why I keep pining for the trenches in the next NFL Draft. Both trenches.

• The Ravens sending picks in the second and fifth rounds to the Bears for Smith looks like ... the kind of trade the Steelers should've -- and could've -- one-upped. And it's not like that's some after-the-fact sentiment. This was a known commodity. And if he wasn't before around here, he sure is now after his pick, two passes defensed and seven total tackles, one for a loss.

General rule of thumb: When there's a chance to make a trade with a bad, bumbling team like Chicago, go after that like it's mandatory. Think Minkah Fitzpatrick. Or, for that matter, the Bears taking Chase Claypool for a second-rounder.

Myles Jack's playing on a bum knee without complaint, so he's got my respect through seven tackles, including one for a loss. But for the rest of this defense to allow the safeties to be the top two tacklers -- Minkah had 11, Terrell Edmunds 9 -- that stinks.

I asked Jack how this can turn around:

"I gotta look at the fits," he'd reply. "It always seems like it's just a hole that's right there, and somebody squirts out."

Somebody squirts out, all right. From this vantage point, that's it. And that's best solved by finding more willing participants like Jack.

• Speaking of tough, T.J. Watt looks like he can barely breathe at times, even off the field. No idea how he's suiting up, much less recording a sack among five tackles.

Asked in particular about his ribs afterward, he shrugged and replied, "It doesn't matter at this point."

• When this season's mercifully done, the title for any accompanying video should be 'Backward Step,' with Johnson doing one of those many maddening twirlbacks after the catch. It's wild to me that no one over his head has been able to -- or willing to -- knock that from his game yet.

• There are few things in organized sport more cringeworthy than any Harbaugh winning anything anywhere, but even by that standard, John Harbaugh's glee after beating the Steelers tends to be accompanied by these uncomfortable platitudes that ... well, here's how he opened his postgame press conference before reporters began asking questions: "Glad to see everybody. Appreciate you guys being here. Shoutout to the great environment here in Pittsburgh and the amazing rivalry this is. We appreciate it. And we appreciate victories like this in the environment against Pittsburgh because we have respect for them and respect for the rivalry."

(Insert the sound of an entire city gagging.)

He's phonier than a Canadian dollar bill.

• Thanks for reading my football work. Four more to go.

photoCaption-photoCredit

JUSTIN K. ALLER / GETTY

Chris Boswell's field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter is blocked by the Ravens' Calais Campbell.

THE ESSENTIALS

Boxscore
• Live file
Scoreboard
• Schedule
Standings
Statistics

THE INJURIES

Hurt in the game: QB Kenny Pickett (concussion), DE Chris Wormley (knee) both were declared out shortly after being hurt, Pickett in the first quarter, Wormley in the fourth. Chris has the full report.

The inactives: QB Mason Rudolph, CB Josh Jackson, LB Malik Reed, G Kendrick Green, LB Mark Robinson

THE SCHEDULE

It's the Panthers, next Sunday, 1:02 p.m., in Charlotte, N.C. Just think, it'll be even more pointless than this was.

THE MULTIMEDIA


THE CONTENT

Visit our team page for everything from our football staff of Halicke, Alex Stumpf, Ramon Foster, Matt Williamson and myself.

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