Steelers coach Mike Tomlin doesn't 'begrudge' fans for chanting disappointment with OC Matt Canada

Mike Tomlin noticed electricity in the crowd Monday night at Acrisure Stadium when the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Cleveland Browns.

The surge in wattage was difficult to miss in the fourth quarter when the Steelers placed their 26-22 victory in jeopardy.

A third-down play call that went awry with three minutes remaining prompted fans to express their displeasure with offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

Chants of “Fire Canada” rang throughout the stadium when the Steelers, trying to protect their four-point lead, had to punt the ball back to the Browns.

Although Tomlin didn’t specify whether he heard the derisive cheer, he didn’t “begrudge” the fans from vocalizing their frustration with Canada and the offense, which has gotten off to another slow start under his watch.

“Man, I appreciate their passion, I share their passion,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “We all do. We love our fans. They inspire us. They challenge us. It’s an awesome relationship.

“We don’t run from challenges. We run to challenges. This is a sports/entertainment business, and it’s our job to win and thus entertain them. We don’t begrudge them for that. We want them to be fat and sassy and spoiled. It is our job.”

The “Fire Canada” serenade came after quarterback Kenny Pickett lost 3 yards on a third-and-1 call with 3:05 left. Instead of lining up under center, Pickett was in the shotgun. The play broke down after he took the snap, and he was quickly tackled for the loss.

It was the fourth consecutive series in the second half that ended with a punt. The offense has generated two touchdowns through two weeks — the same number of scores produced by the defense against the Browns.

The offense hasn’t duplicated the results from the preseason, when Pickett and the first team produced touchdowns on all five of its possessions. The Steelers rank No. 31 out of 32 teams in total yards, and they are No. 26 in points.

“We have to get our mojo back,” Tomlin said. “We’ve got to get that mojo that we had in the preseason where we’re playing fast and fluid with confidence individually and collectively. We’ve lost that, to be blunt, in the last several weeks. We’re not getting the type of fluidity that we want in our starts.”

Through two weeks, the Steelers have totaled 494 yards. Only the Cincinnati Bengals have gotten fewer. By comparison, the Miami Dolphins had 536 in Week 1 alone.

The slow start isn’t foreign to this season. The Steelers had 510 yards last year while also splitting their first two games. Moreover, in 36 regular-season games with Canada calling the plays, the Steelers have scored at least 30 points just twice, and they’ve never totaled 400 yards in a game.

“We’re not going to have knee-jerk reactions in terms of trying to make wholesale changes in an effort to change that outcome,” Tomlin said. “But we do acknowledge that two is a pattern. We’ve had two outings that are not up to snuff in that regard.”

The Steelers have a short week in which to correct their offensive shortcomings. They play Sunday night in Las Vegas, their first road game of the season.

Although Tomlin understands the fans’ frustrations with the way the offense has started this season, he continues to have faith in it.

“I don’t share their concern because of my perspective,” Tomlin said. “I’m a part of the process. When you’re part of the process, it’s less troublesome to you.”

A week after the Steelers lost their season opener to San Francisco, 30-7, a game in which 49ers fans made up a significant portion of the crowd at Acrisure Stadium, Tomlin was happy with the turnout against the Browns.

“It never gets old — ‘Monday Night Football,’ particularly ‘Monday Night Football’ at Acrisure in front of our fans,” Tomlin said. “I just thought the environment was electric.”