NFL Coach Fired After Four Seasons With Team

An NFL team just made a big coaching change. This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they have fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada. The decision comes after the Steelers lost to the Browns 13-10. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke to reporters after the announcement and explained why he made the move now since the team is 6-4. 

"I did not come to this decision lightly," Tomlin said, per ESPN. "It's my role to absorb and protect those that I work with. This doesn't feel like that. I'm not assigning blame or deflecting in any way. ... Just rest assured that this decision was not taken lightly. I've got a lot of respect for Matt personally and professionally."

By firing Matt Canada, the Pittsburgh Steelers just made their first in-season change to the franchise's head coach or coordinators in 81 years.

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The Steelers announced running backs coach Eddie Faulkner will take over the day-to-day responsibilities of managing the offensive staff and setting up the game plan. Quarterback coach Mike Sullivan will call the plays, and that will start on Sunday when the team takes on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. 

Canada has been the Steelers' offensive coordinator for 44 games, and the team never ranked better than 23rd in yards and 21st in points. This season, the Steelers rank 28th in yards and points. "We've got to score touchdowns in this business," Tomlin said, per the Steelers official website. "You have got to win games in this business. And just the totality of it has us where we are today. I am quite confident and excited for the men who get an opportunity to evolve in terms of their roles. One man's misfortune in this business is another man's opportunity. We say that regarding injury. It's the same thing under these circumstances. 

"I'm excited about Eddie Faulkner coordinating our efforts, organizing staff responsibility in meetings, organizing game planning, leading our unit as a collective in review of our tape in preparation for upcoming opponents and things of that nature, things that the coordinator does. And then from a play caller perspective, the bulk of that responsibility will fall on Mike Sullivan. And that's also a really natural thing. Because he's done it in two different locations in the National Football League. He has tangible experience."

Canada, 51, was hired as the Steelers' quarterbacks coach in 2020 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2021. Before joining the Steelers, Canada served as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for multiple college football teams from 1997 to 2018.