Here is what we know about the Pittsburgh Steelers offense so far:
• The run game isn’t any better than what it was a season ago. In fact, it looks worse. Najee Harris has only 72 yards over two games.
• None of the receivers have really found a rhythm to speak of.
• Offensive coordinator Matt Canada is moving the pocket and rolling out Mitch Trubisky quite a bit, but there doesn’t seem to be much of a purpose to it.
• They are still doing that incredibly annoying thing where they throw the ball well short of the sticks and just cross their fingers and hope the pass-catcher will pick up the necessary yards to gain after the catch. Which they rarely do.
All that is translating into a measly 4.3 yards-per-play average, about 25 minutes of average possession time, 12 of 30 on third downs, and just 30 offensive points.
Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE has seen enough.
“That offense has the stench of death,” Madden said on this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast. “There is nothing to like about it. Nothing to trust about it. It is the same as last year, only worse.”
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Of course, all people in Pittsburgh seem to be focusing on is the quarterback position. “Replace Trubisky with the Pitt guy right now!”
That’s going to be a moot point this week, though. With a Thursday night game in Cleveland looming, the Steelers aren’t going to pull Trubisky for rookie Kenny Pickett. Nor are they going to fire Matt Canada with a game in four days.
No matter how bad of a job he might be doing.
But Madden wouldn’t wait, regardless of circumstances.
“They should fire Matt Canada,” Madden said. “It’s really early to have that discussion, except when you look at that offense and realize it’s probably not going to change. They are not protecting the ball. They are turtling. It is 100% a cowardly method of attacking. They never throw deep. They never throw over the middle. George Pickens is wholly uninvolved. There is no deception. I could go on and on about what I don’t like about that offense. There is not a single thing I do like about it. So I’d fire him.”
So if the Steelers did that — at some point after this week’s game — who would be the offensive coordinator in his place?
“Somebody else,” Madden said.
Aside from Canada, Madden and I got into the shortcomings of the Steelers defense without T.J. Watt. We also discussed the woes of the AFC North this weekend, Ke’Bryan Hayes and his sunflower seeds and the latest drama from “Cobra Kai.”
Listen: Tim Benz and Mark Madden talk Steelers, AFC North and Ke’Bryan Hayes
