Chalk Talk: Pickett's passing was poor, but let's talk about those schemes

The offense we saw in the preseason didn't show up in the Steelers' 30-7 bludgeoning by the 49ers this past Sunday. Not only were they beaten by a better team, they were outclassed in every way imaginable.

The 49ers' head coach, Kyle Shanahan, is known for his offensive genius, while Matt Canada has grown wildly unpopular in Pittsburgh as the coordinator of an offense that's sputtered throughout his entire tenure. And the film from Sunday's game illustrates the scope of that chasm.

Before we dive into the film, let me reiterate that Kenny Pickett played very poorly. He earned every bit of the 52.8 grade by Pro Football Focus, which ranked 23rd of 32 quarterbacks. As Dejan Kovacevic pointed out from the scene, Pickett missed throws of every variety. Pickett acknowledged that himself after the game, then again Wednesday after practice.

This angle on a miss to Diontae Johnson is painful to watch, especially when we've seen him nail these throws in the past:

While I'd much rather see Pat Freiermuth's route go into the flat rather than running a curl so it stands a better chance to open up the throwing window earlier, this is a throw any NFL quarterback has to make. And, that would have been a completion of at least 20 yards, if not more, on a crucial third down early in the game.

Pickett was bad. There's no denying that, and I want to make that crystal clear so anything that follows isn't interpreted as a means to defend him. He played perhaps his worst game as a professional. But, just as Joe Burrow won't throw for 82 yards every week, Pickett won't be this bad every week, either. Especially considering the way he ended last season, one bad week to start the season isn't enough to write him off as a bust or call for Mitch Trubisky to take back over the starting job. Remember, regardless of how much college experience he has, Pickett is still a young quarterback. There are still kinks to work out.

A key variable in Pickett's development is the system he runs, and therein lies the bigger problem. As bad as Pickett was Sunday, Canada wasn't that much better.

I want to be as fair as possible here. Canada had a couple of nice moments early on, despite a severe lack of execution by Pickett. After falling behind 10-0, the Steelers immediately came out for their third drive and Canada called the play-action rollout that gives him three options: one in the flat, one medium crosser and one deep corner, all depending on what the 49ers' defense does. We saw this play executed perfectly against the Buccaneers in the preseason, and it's one that Pickett clearly enjoys running. Call a go-to play to get some rhythm going. That's stuff I like to see from the offensive coordinator.

Also, despite the disdain some fans have for screens, this here is a pretty good one called on second-and-12 in the Steelers' second drive of the game:

The Steelers have a clear advantage against how the 49ers' defense is lined up. Allen Robinson gets to his block downfield, Chukwuma Okorafor gets to the nickelback (though I'd much rather see an offensive tackle execute a better block against a defensive back), and the play-action freezes the off-ball linebackers just long enough to create extra space. Remember, this is a very fast defense, and every extra yard of space matters. All of that gave Calvin Austin III space to gain 7 yards and a much more manageable third down.

Now, these are a couple nice moments. But, it's nothing groundbreaking. With how fast defenses are in today's NFL, pass play design needs to create as much space for receivers as possible. This is one serious deficiency in Canada's system.

Here's Pickett's first interception of the game:

This is a ball that should never be thrown. Johnson is clearly the first read, and Pickett correctly moves onto another read. Hitting Freiermuth on the short out should have been the throw here, especially since all the Steelers needed was five yards to convert the first down. Seldom does anything good happen when the quarterback goes back to his first read for a second time. Pickett should have trusted his decision and not forced a 50/50 ball down the field.

But, let's say this play is executed better in another week later this season, and Pickett connects with Freiermuth. What's the bigger problem? Go look the play again and watch every single route go to the right side of the field.

All of that open green on the left side, just not being occupied. By the time Pickett releases the ball, not one of the 22 players on the field are left of the left hash. The routes literally collapse the defense to the short side of the field, making the field way too small. In turn, that makes any throw Pickett makes much more difficult.

And, if this is a flood concept by Canada, it's completely uninspired. It doesn't challenge the 49ers horizontally whatsoever. Flood concepts should challenge the defense both horizontally and vertically, especially when they are in any single-high look, which the 49ers were on this play.

Here's another spacing issue in Canada's offense:

This is the first third down the Steelers faced. Remember, the Steelers won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball. That sends a message that this is a confident football team that's ready to attack. And, on the first third-down situation, Canada leans on a shallow cross concept. 

This is an old-school concept from the West Coast offense that tries to test the middle of the field and stresses the off-ball linebackers. And, from all the complaining about Canada's offense last year, using the middle of the field should be a breath of fresh air.

However, attacking the middle of the field against the 49ers should have been done with a "less is more" approach. Fred Warner is perhaps the best coverage off-ball linebacker in football, and he immediately cuts off Pickett's first read in Freiermuth. Then, Austin is cut off by the time the pressure gets to Pickett, who is eventually sacked.

And, man, I really hope that it was poor execution by Austin on that route. Because if it was drawn up for Freiermuth and Austin to be in the same throwing window ... yikes.

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The first two reads prior to the checkdown can't be in the same exact spot. That makes things insanely difficult for a young quarterback.

I mentioned the word "uninspired" before, but nothing gets more uninspired than this play call -- nothing:

That's Mike Tomlin making the decision to go for it on fourth down at the 8-yard line in the red zone. And, trailing 27-7 late in the third quarter, that's Canada calling four verticals. At the 8-yard line. In the red zone. On fourth down.

To put it nicely, that's mailing it in. That's giving Pickett zero imagination and zero options, and also asking him to throw a perfect pass to have any chance on a very low percentage play.

When Tomlin says something like, "We have to coach better," I sincerely hope this play comes to mind regarding Canada's performance. There's no excuse for an NFL offensive coordinator calling that play. None.

In case your head doesn't hurt enough, just wait until you see just one play from Shanahan's playbook. This is also a red zone play, but it's important to note this is not fourth down at the 8-yard line, so it's not the same circumstance at all. But, watch what Shanahan's design does to the Steelers' coverage:

That's only two -- TWO -- routes on the play. How in the heck does a receiver get that kind of separation when there are only two receivers running routes? Yes, Patrick Peterson falls down. That doesn't help matters at all. But, it's not the main reason why Brandon Aiyuk gets wide open. 

Watch the receivers switch at the release. Both receivers are running posts, but Deebo Samuel (lined up outside Aiyuk) crosses first and gets up on Damontae Kazee in a flash. Kazee reacts to Samuel and Purdy's eyes and begins to run with him until he passes him off to Keanu Neal at the other safety spot. 

But, it's too late by that point. Aiyuk's release to the outside still gives him inside leverage on Peterson. And, it causes Kazee to forget about any route on the other side of the field for even a second. But, a second is an eternity at the NFL level, and Aiyuk executes a perfect route to keep inside leverage on Peterson for an easy touchdown.

This is not only great execution, but phenomenal play design. It's done with the intention of manipulating the safety, using only two routes, and it works to perfection. Regardless of whether or not Peterson falls or Kazee jumps on the wrong route and abandons his spot on the field, Shanahan's design has intention and imagination.

Sunday's loss wasn't all on Canada. He does have some plays that can manipulate defenses as well:

This play can work against multiple coverages. A single-high safety look, especially Cover 1, gives Pickett the option to throw to either outside receiver. That's the look Pickett wants in order to give a 50/50 ball to George Pickens. Unfortunately, that's not the look given by San Francisco.

In a two-high shell, like the 49ers are in here, all Pickett really has to do is read Warner. If he stays shallow, then hit the touch pass to Connor Heyward up the seam, or throw it on his back shoulder the way he did to Freiermuth in the preseason against the Bills. If Warner goes deep with Heyward, as he does here, then the window for Allen Robinson is wide open. Pickett makes the wrong choice and forces a pass downfield. That's on the quarterback, not Canada. 

And, it's worth noting there are multiple options for multiple looks. More of this, please.

But, there's enough evidence to see that Canada's offense has a ceiling, and it's not one that's very high. And, with Johnson out for multiple weeks with a hamstring injury, the receiver who's best at creating separation isn't an option. 

Now, more than ever, there need to be concepts called that create as much space as possible and use as much of the field as possible. There are just far too many plays put on film that leaves little room for error. That's very hard on a young quarterback and the receivers, as well. Even if they are concepts Pickett is comfortable with, his game needs to grow, too. This is the NFL. Concepts that worked in college don't always work at this level.

For a unit that has yet to even produce 400 yards of offense in 36 games under Canada, a bad game from Pickett shouldn't be the only concern heading into Week 2. This will remain an issue until it's not an issue anymore.