Mike Tomlin: New Steelers QB coach Matt Canada to provide 'fresh ideas'
It wasn’t long ago that Matt Canada was viewed as one of the most innovative offensive football minds in the country.
Now that Canada is with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin wants to take advantage of it.
“He’ll work hand-in-hand with all the quarterbacks and help them in their growth and development and readiness for the season,” Tomlin said of Canada, who was hired as quarterbacks coach in January. “And not only that, he’s going to bring some fresh ideas to us as a coaches collectively — and probably bring some schematic ideas, as well.”
Canada, 48, was hired away from Pitt by LSU before the 2017 season. He was given what was reported as one of the highest salaries for any college assistant coach in the country.
But LSU let Canada go after that one season, and he was hired by Maryland for the same position. Then, when head coach D.J. Durkin was placed on leave and later fired, Canada served as interim head coach of the Terrapins in 2018.
(Incidentally, Tomlin’s son, Dino, made a verbal commitment to play at Maryland while Canada was serving as head coach).
In Canada’s one season overseeing the Pitt offense, the Panthers set a school record by averaging 42 points. Pitt led the nation in red-zone touchdown percentage and scored at least 28 points in all 12 regular-season games.
Canada joins Ike Hilliard as new voices on the Steelers offensive coaching staff this season. Hilliard replaces Ray Sherman, who filled that spot last season after Darryl Drake died suddenly during training camp.
Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner previously served in a dual role as QB coach.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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