At his final NFL 2020 press conference, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said there would be changes within the organization. Using a form of the quote “the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome”, it looked like the Steelers would make some tough decisions in the coming weeks. Surprisingly, it was only the next day that three coach contracts were not renewed for the 2021 season, along with the retirement of a coach. Most notable was the Steelers’ split with offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner after just three seasons in that particular role.
One thing to remember is that while we can see how things look based on people’s words and body language, there is often a lot going on behind the scenes that Steelers fans are unable to judge. Sometimes, it is after the fact that we discover that the best player on the team is a real nightmare to deal with day-to-day. Other times, something that appears to be the problem may not be the cause of the problems, after all.
A presumption under which Steelers fans have operated in the past three seasons has been Randy Fichtner was handpicked to be Steelers’ offensive coordinator by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. His defender’s coach since 2010, when Steelers left Todd Haley as coordinator, it didn’t take long to promote Fichtner to the post.
It seemed that Ben Roethlisberger had the person he wanted to work with to lead the Steelers attack on greatness. Unfortunately, the 2019 season was thrown out after Roethlisberger suffered an injury at the end of the season in Week 2. But over three seasons, the Steelers attack has struggled at times, even during their 11-game winning streak at the start of the season. 2020. After certain things were discovered by the opposing defenses, it seemed that the Steelers didn’t have much to offer in the form of adjustments other than “just letting Ben be Ben”.
The Steelers leaving Fichtner posed several questions when it came to the organization’s future. Here is just one example:
Did the relationship between Fichtner and Roethlisberger go sour?
It was during the 2019 season that the comments of coach Fichtner and defender Mason Rudolph started to fire a red flag among some. It seems that many times, when the Steelers’ attack was exploding, which often happened in 2019, Coach Fichtner did not hesitate to throw his young defender under the bus. On the other hand, some of Rudolph’s comments about things that Coach Fichtner was hammering into his brain could make him think that Rudolph was suffering from “analysis paralysis”.
If you listened to Fichtner’s comments and press conferences in 2020, it seemed like there were times when the Steelers crime worked, it wasn’t Ben Roethlisberger drawing plays on the ground according to Fichtner. But when the Steelers attack had a problem, it looked like Fichtner was struggling to point out that it was Rothlisberger who was calling the shots. Perhaps the Steelers coordinator would take the credit when there was credit to be given, but passing the blame when the time came for responsibility did not go down well for the future Steelers Hall of Fame quarterback.
Does Fichtner’s switch show that the Steelers are willing to switch from Roethlisberger?
Another question would be if the Steelers are willing to make changes in the attack, especially when it comes to philosophy and schema, is that something that Ben Roethlisberger is interested in doing towards the end of his career? If Roethlisberger really intends to play one or more additional seasons with the Steelers, is a change in the offensive system something he wants to do at this point in his career?
Perhaps this is something that the Steelers discussed with Roethlisberger before making the decision. Maybe it isn’t. If the Steelers are willing to make that change, regardless of Roethlisberger’s opinion, knowing that he can decide to hang should be something they are willing to live with.
Was there more to Randy Fichtner’s situation than meets the eye?
As mentioned in the first question in the section, Randy Fichtner often seemed to want to be honest when it came to the success and failure of the Steelers attack. The fact that the Steelers brought in a defender coach for the 2020 season, a position that Fichtner had held for 10 years, even when he was the offensive coordinator, it was written on the wall that the Steelers would actually make a change of coordinator. anticipated in the last off-season? Were the Steelers just waiting until Fichtner’s contract expired to move on? Was coach Fichtner really in charge of the attack this season or was he gradually having his responsibilities removed? Was there a turning point in the season when the Steelers knew that Fichtneer was unable to handle responsibility?
Knowing how the Pittsburgh Steelers operate, unless Randy Fichtner goes out of his way to publicize his version of the case, don’t expect the Steelers to throw you under the bus and expose your shortcomings (as he liked to do). This is not how they do business.
Just 48 hours later, reports emerged that the Steelers are planning to promote defensive coach Matt Canada to the role of offensive coordinator. Nothing has been officially offered and any interviews the Steelers may have conducted have yet to be reported. Steelers cannot simply promote Canada without conducting interviews, as coordinator positions now also fall under the Rooney Rule. But with Coach Canada being interviewed for the position of coordinator in Miami, the Steelers’ report of intentions appears to be a deliberate move not to lose his favorite.
Canada’s hiring also raises additional questions. Again, here is just one example:
What was Canada’s participation in the Steelers 2020 offense?
Some don’t like internal hiring for the Steelers coordinator job. But to what extent was Canada an insider in 2020? Did he have a lot to say about the Steelers offense, or was he just there to pitch ideas and help develop Mason Rudolph? While these are interesting questions, there is a chance that some of them could be answered before the 2021 season.
Was 2020 just beginning to get to know Canada better for a position they knew they wanted to offer it?
Upon his arrival, much of Steelers ‘Nation was saying that Canada was now joining the queue for Steelers’ offensive coordinator position as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Did the Steelers know they were leaving Fichtner after 2020, except for one major change? Was Canada there to “light the fire” or leave Fichtner when told? Were the Steelers bringing Canada simply to audition for work and show what it could do at the NFL level before taking over?
Is Ben Roethlisberger willing to execute Matt Canada’s attack or will Canada have to adapt to Roethlisberger if he stays?
As described here at BTSC on several occasions, there often seemed to be a disconnect between some of the philosophies that the Steelers were implementing in a Matt Canada system and Ben Roethlisberger’s ability to execute those concepts. A good outline of the situation can be seen here thanks to our own Geoffrey Benedict:
If Canada is the Steelers offensive coordinator next season, as has been reported, does this mean that the Steelers are leaving Ben Roethlisberger? If Roethlisberger returns as reported, will Roethlisberger adapt to Canada’s system or is it the other way around? Will Canada be handcuffed with what he really wants to do based on the old Steelers quarterback?
It is difficult to say if and when these questions will receive definitive answers, but during the off-season this is the kind of thing that Steelers fans often discuss. It is difficult to say how long it will take before there is an official announcement regarding Ben Roethlisberger for the 2021 season, but reports are that the Steelers want to move on to the next season with their Super Bowl winning quarterback.
So, what do you think of the Fichtner-Roethlisberger-Canada triangle? Make sure to leave your opinion in the comments below.