Mike Tomlin won't commit on retaining Matt Canada; Browns requested to interview Brian Flores
Mike Tomlin made clear two things when asked whether there will be any changes to the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff.
One, he wasn’t going to use Monday’s season wrap-up news conference to divulge any details on whether he was considering any changes.
Two, rest assured, head coach won’t be one of the Steelers’ changes — at least not any time soon — if Tomlin has anything to say about it.
Asked at the end of his half-hour session with media at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex whether he still has the same motivation and drive after 16 years as he did when he started as coach of the Steelers, Tomlin was succinct:
“More so. Increasingly so.”
Tomlin, though, was less emphatic about the status of two of his top assistants while speaking less than 24 hours after completing the Steelers’ season with a win against the Cleveland Browns to finish with a 9-8 record.
When it comes to polarizing offensive coordinator Matt Canada, Tomlin acknowledged “improvement” throughout the season but did not provide any definitive clues about Canada’s status for 2023.
“I thought he got better, just like our team got better,” Tomlin said. “I am not going to speculate about him — or anyone — as I stand here today.
“I am just beginning the process of transitioning in terms of wrapping a bow around it and looking to see what 2023 looks like. So I am just not there. We’ve got some work to do. But largely I think he got better in the ways we’ve got better, so it’s encouraging.”
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When it comes to senior defensive assistant/linebackers Brian Flores, his continued employment with the Steelers won’t depend on Tomlin. He confirmed the Browns put in a request to the Steelers to interview Flores for their now-vacant defensive coordinator position. Cleveland fired Joe Woods from that position Monday morning.
Tomlin did not divulge the specific team that put in the request to interview Flores for a coordinator position, but ESPN reported it was the Browns.
In regards to Canada, conventional wisdom dictates the Steelers’ rising second-year quarterback, Kenny Pickett, would have input on who is calling plays for him.
Tomlin, though, wouldn’t go as far as to say he would take Pickett’s opinion into consideration.
“I am not going to delve into the dynamics of my decision-making,” Tomlin said. “It doesn’t serve me or us in any way to peel back that curtain.”
Follow Chris Adamski for more on the Steelers.
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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