The Matt Canada era is over in Pittsburgh. Regardless of what variables forced Mike Tomlin's hand at this juncture, the Steelers are moving on.
Enter Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan.
As laid out by Tomlin when he addressed reporters in Pittsburgh during his Tuesday press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Faulkner, the team's running backs coach, will take over as interim offensive coordinator while Sullivan, the quarterbacks coach, will handle "the bulk" of the play calling.
"This is a result-oriented business and to be short, the improvements were not rapid enough or consistent enough for us to proceed," Tomlin said Tuesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "We've got to score touchdowns in this business. You have got to win games in this business. And just the totality of it has us where we are today. I am quite confident and excited for the men who get an opportunity to evolve in terms of their roles. One man's misfortune in this business is another man's opportunity. We say that regarding injury. It's the same thing under these circumstances."
Hiring from the outside or implementing a new offense from within is pretty much impossible at this point in the season. NFL offenses are just too complicated for seismic changes with only seven games remaining on the schedule. And, with the Steelers at 6-4 and currently holding the seventh and final spot in the AFC playoff picture, keeping things in house at least provides some continuity amid this kind of a change.
So, what are the Steelers getting with Faulkner and Sullivan? And, while it's impossible to predict, what about each of their pasts can help give us a glimpse into what we might expect over the next seven games.
According to Tomlin, Faulkner will handle the day-to-day duties by "coordinating our efforts, organizing staff responsibility in meetings, organizing game planning, leading our unit as a collective in review of our tape in preparation for upcoming opponents and things of that nature, things that the coordinator does."
Faulker brings a healthy mix of coaching experience into this role. He started as a running backs coach for Anderson University in 2002, then moved onto Ball State, where he spent the next seven years in a number of roles. He started off as a graduate assistant in 2003-04, then coached running backs and special teams from 2005-08. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2009, and even took over as interim head coach in 2010, all while still coaching the running backs.
After his tenure at Ball State, Faulkner spent the 2011 season at Northern Illinois as running backs coach and special teams coordinator, then went to Wisconsin to coach the tight ends in 2012. Faulkner then found stability with NC State from 2013-18, coaching the tight ends, fullbacks and special teams.
Faulkner is now in his fifth season with the Steelers. His coaching style is very hands on, which is very clear to the media when covering practice as the running backs run their drills right in front of where the media predominantly observes practice. During his tenure of coaching the running backs, James Conner's development lightened the burden of the Le'Veon Bell fallout, Najee Harris put up back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in his first two NFL seasons and Jaylen Warren has gone from undrafted free agent to arguably the NFL's most explosive running back in 2023.
From what I've observed during my time reporting on the team, Faulkner is very detailed in his work. Ball security is a big part of running back drills. And, if you might notice, fumbling doesn't seem to be an issue for either Harris or Warren this season. That's worth noting because Warren struggled with fumbles in training camp and preseason as a rookie. Now, with 219 touches in the NFL, he's put the ball on the ground only twice.
"He has a real steady voice and demeanor is really solid," Tomlin said of Faulkner. "I love the way he has managed his room. In the years that he's been here through the times, bad times, etc. There's always great clarity in that space. He's natural with people from a communication standpoint and a consistency of communication standpoint. And so I got no reservations about his ability to do it."
Sullivan brings more relatable experience to this heightened role, and at the NFL level, as well. He's been offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers (2012-13) and Giants (2016-17). During his time with the Giants, Sullivan became a favorite of Eli Manning, which might help explain why Sullivan and Kenny Pickett have a good relationship now.
"(He's) a really good solid communicator, highly organized, really consistent," Tomlin said. "He's got experience as a play caller, he's got experience as a play caller in less than ideal circumstances. He's been an interim play caller before and so it's just a good means of calling upon guys who have natural skill sets in those areas or experienced in those areas without disrupting the applecart, too much man and still pushing forward as a collective."
Of course, this isn't the most ideal of circumstances for the Steelers. While Faulkner and Sullivan provide something different other than Canada, there is also reason to be cautious.
While Faulkner could be described as a position coach that's on the rise, the vast majority of his experience comes at the college level. And, his only opportunity as a coordinator came 14 years ago. With Sullivan, the Buccaneers' offense ranked ninth and 32nd, respectively, with him at the helm, and the Giants ranked 25th and 21st, respectively, and even ranked 31st in points per game in his final season as coordinator, albeit with a pretty terrible Giants' roster.
I'd expect the two of them to simplify things on offense. Not so much where the offense becomes more predictable, but rather makes things a bit easier to execute. Asking players to act more on instinct rather than focus so much on thinking. There will also likely be changes in how certain concepts are sequenced or even disguised.
It also shouldn't be much of a surprise that Faulkner was Tomlin's first choice as interim offensive coordinator. This offense is primarily built on the Steelers' ability to run the football. Now, Faulkner has the ultimate authority on how the running game is designed and schemed. And, he has something great to build on, as the Steelers have averaged 181 yards on the ground over the past three games.
In those same three games, the Steelers have averaged just 118.7 yards passing. Of course, the big question regarding this offense is Pickett's regression over the course of the season, and if something like firing Canada can help get the Steelers' 2022 first-round pick back on track.
However, Tomlin was clear that this decision is solely focused on helping the team achieve its goals this season.
"I'll focus on this week in terms of the development of Kenny," Tomlin said. "We're getting ready to play a football game and win this week. That is the only agenda here. There's that big picture and 2024 and all of that. This organization is not wired like that."
