Steelers interim OC on fired Matt Canada: ‘We let him down’

PITTSBURGH– The promo to interim offending organizer is bittersweet for Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach Eddie Faulkner.

Faulkner, who has actually been on personnel in Pittsburgh considering that 2019, is buddies with fired OC Matt Canada.

” I could not state enough excellent about Matt Canada,” stated Faulkner, who initially dealt with him at Northern Illinois in 2011. “It’s a bit bittersweet because method since when you relax and you see all that goes on, and all that’s being stated about him and the offense, all of us– and I’m promoting the offense when I state this to personnel– all of us felt that we’re all part of that. No one’s discharging themselves from anything that’s occurred because regard. We seem like we let him down.

” I got to state that since that’s what a genuine one would do. That’s a good friend of mine, which’s not going to alter.”

Coach Mike Tomlin stated previously today that he made the modification since enhancements to the offense weren’t “quick adequate or constant adequate” to continue with Canada.

On Thursday, Faulkner stated there would not always be any considerable tactical shift to the offense over the last 7 video games of the season.

” You can’t, you understand what I suggest?” he stated. “Here we remain in the middle of the season. I suggest you got to roll with what we have actually been doing, putting strategy together, what our guys can perform. We’re going to continue to do that.”

Tomlin stated he picked Faulkner to lead the offense since of his “stable voice and behavior” and “natural” interaction in performing the running backs space.

Faulkner stated that originates from maturing in a family where his mother was a teacher.

” For me that’s constantly been the offer,” Faulkner stated, “having the ability to impact lives, being included with those guys and after that football will be a by-product of establishing that.”

Running back Najee Harris, who has actually been coached by Faulkner considering that he got here in 2021 and voiced his disappointment with the offense after Sunday’s loss in Cleveland, decreased to be spoken with Thursday.

Tomlin likewise stressed the requirement for the offense to run more fluidly and, maybe most significantly, score more points. While Faulkner didn’t enter into the specifics of how the Steelers are going to do that on the field, he stressed his function as a communicator and leader in turning the offense around.

” I’m going to empower the guys around us,” he stated. “I’m going to have great deals of discussions with ’em. We’re going to dot our i’s and cross our t’s the very best we can in the hope that we head out there and put a great item out there to perform and score points.

” And if it does not end up, we return in the laboratory the next week and we do the very same thing and we simply keep attempting to fine-tune the item till it’s what we prefer. And to be truthful with you, I do not understand if it’ll ever get to where you prefer since you’re constantly looking for quality.”

While Faulkner will deal with the bulk of the organizer tasks on an everyday basis, consisting of leading the offending conferences, quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan will be the game-day playcaller. Both will run from the sideline Sunday.

” He and I are going to work genuine difficult to be in lockstep with each other,” Faulkner stated. “I understand on video game day, any playcaller wishes to have the ability to be directly concentrated on what he requires to do. And I’m not going to disrupt that. However at the very same time, we’re going to have adequate discussions and tee ourselves up along with we can, so when we enter into that video game environment, we’re all on the very same page when the chips begin to type of fall out.”