Ben Roethlisberger answered each time in the affirmative when asked this week whether he was nervous or excited about what awaits the Pittsburgh Steelers offense Sunday in Buffalo.

Matt Canada, on the other hand, called it just another day at the office.

No matter the perspective of a veteran quarterback heading into his 18th season or an offensive coordinator calling plays for the first time at the NFL level, the Steelers won’t have to wait much longer to see whether the fruits of their offseason work will be fulfilled in a new-look offense that will be unveiled in the season opener.

“Anxious, excited, nervous,” Roethlisberger said. “We hold ourselves to high expectations and high standards. So, I think, as players, you have to (be that way). I’m sure the coaches are a little nervous and anxious, too.”

If Canada has any trepidation about the offense he will put on display before a full house at Highmark Stadium, he didn’t show it outwardly this week.

“Excited to watch our guys play,” was all Canada would allow regarding his emotions. “Like any first game of the season, it’s exciting to let your guys go play, kind of see where you’re really at going against somebody full speed.”

Since the Steelers exited the playoffs in January with a first-round upset loss at home against the Cleveland Browns, the offense has undergone massive changes.

• Canada was promoted from quarterbacks coach to replace Randy Fichtner, whose contract was not renewed after three seasons.

• Adrian Klemm was promoted to offensive line coach, replacing Shaun Sarrett, after the Steelers finished last in the NFL in rushing, averaging 84.4 yards per game, including 3.6 yards per attempt. In a lesser publicized move, Alfredo Roberts was hired as tight ends coach, replacing the retired James Daniel.

• The offensive line, which is expected to do more zone blocking this year, has just one holdover starter from his position in 2020: right tackle Chuks Okorafor, who moved back to his old spot just two weeks ago because of Zach Banner’s extended recovery from ACL surgery.

• Four rookies either will start on offense or receive significant playing time. That includes two members of the offensive line — left tackle Dan Moore and center Kendrick Green — first-round pick Najee Harris at running back and second-rounder Pat Freiermuth, who is listed as a co-starter at tight end.

“I’m excited about what they are going to provide for us this weekend, but at the same time, I think it’s reasonable to expect those guys to find their footing and improve continually and rapidly over the course of this journey,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “I think that is what comes with this time of the year. There’s always an element of the unknown that kind of heightens your awareness and gives you that tingle.”

It was more of a migraine for the Steelers down the stretch of the 2020 season. In building an 11-0 start, the offense averaged 29.6 points and scored at least 24 points in each of the first 10 games. In the final six games, the Steelers averaged 19.6 points and topped 24 just once. That was one of the reasons they limped into the playoffs with four losses in a five-game stretch.

The immediate message delivered by team president Art Rooney II was that the Steelers needed to run the ball more frequently — and effectively. The mandate was passed down from Rooney to general manager Kevin Colbert to Tomlin to his assistants and the players.

“We’re going to put them in the best position we can to make plays,” Canada said. “We’re not shying away from the four rookies. We’re not shying away from a couple new wrinkles. We’re not shying away from the tremendous team we got to open with. There are going to be ups and downs of every game of every season. I have confidence in the work we’ve put in.”

The question is whether the Steelers got enough done in the preseason. Roethlisberger played just three series, although he did have a perfect passer rating in his abbreviated appearance in Week 3. The line as currently constructed didn’t get any game snaps, and Banner, Okorafor and guard Kevin Dotson dealt with various ailments.

That could be problematic for an offense that features new terminology and wrinkles. Even Roethlisberger has admitted having difficulty grasping all of the concepts that include an up-tempo style with plenty of pre-snap motion.

“We’re going to kind of have to learn on the fly, all of us,” Roethlisberger said. “Learn about each other. It may not be pretty early, and we have to accept that fact, too. At the end of the day, we just have to do what we have to do to win a football game.”

And that is no small feat considering the Bills finished 13-3 a year ago and advanced to the AFC championship game.

“Obviously, if we’re sitting here next week and it went well, we’ll be happy,” Canada said. “If it’s not, we’ll still be ready to go and be positive about what we are going to do. We’re always going to believe we can figure out a way to do it. I think we’ve got a good plan, and I think our guys have put a lot of time into it. But so has everybody else in the league.”

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