Tuesdays can be a slow day in NFL circles. But Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers made sure we didn’t have such a thing when they announced the firing of now former offensive coordinator Matt Canada. I discussed it a bit here through the lens of a Bears fan frustrated with his own team’s offensive coordinator. Meanwhile, Patrick dissected it more from a national level here.
But then I found myself circling back to Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s comments after the announcement. And I want you to :
“I’m excited about Eddie Faulkner coordinating our efforts, organizing staff responsibility and meetings, organizing gameplan, leading our unit as a collective and reviewing our tape in preparation for our upcoming opponents, things that the coordinator doe🦩s. He has full authority in that regard and my full support.
“From a play-caller perspective, the bulk of that responsibility will fall to Mike Sullivan. H🌜e’s done it in two different locations. He has tangible experience I’m sure that will be helpful. But also, and proba⛎bly more importantly, he works closely with Kenny (Pickett). Looking for fluidity in that area and some cohesion there.”
I … I didn’t know that a head coach could be clear, concise, and thorough with their words. Who knew that was even legal? Mike Tomlin really detailed the responsibilities for his coaches as they embark on their most important stretch of the season. Heck, so did Ron Rivera in Washington as he dismissed two defensive coaches on Friday. Meanꦍwhile, get♐ting a straight answer out of Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus is a most impossible task.
Mike Tomlin shows us how it’s done
One thing I’ve found annoying about the 2023 Chicago Bears is how Head Coach Matt Eberflus hasn’t come around to taking accountability when the opportunity comes around. Instead, Eberflus has deflected on players. And while players do share blame for the team’s shortcomings this season, there is no shortage of quality coaches who will go out of their way to fall on the sword — if only to take some pressure off players. This week was no exception to Eberflus.
In what made for an awkward exchange during Monday’s press conference, Eberflus flipped an opportunity to take some accountability or reflect on how he might do things differently if given another opportunity and turned it into a remember that one time I made good decisions anecdote. Then, when discussing why stud defensive end Montez Sweat missed time on 3 of the 11 plays of the Lions’ game-winning drive, this is what Eberflus had to say.
“We want him out there more. But those guys are rotating,” Eberflus said, . “Travis (Smith) rotates them in and out. Usually, they’re five to seven plays — somewhere in there — during the two-minute drive like that.”
Sigh. Yes, I understand that Defensive Line Coach Travis Smith is responsible for rotations and keeping players fresh. HOWEVER, Eberflus is the head coach and should use that authority to overrule an assistant managing playing time. Or Eberflus needed to be cognizant of which players were potentially on a pitch count and had them available for crunch time. That some of the Bears’ biggest stars weren’t on the field because of snap count management or rotations is truly maddening stuff from a head coach who I thought knew better. Or maybe I’m naive to think a former linebackers coach and defensive coordinator who proclaimed a desire to be a CEO-style head coach would have a grasp of that concept.
And on the other side of the coin, we have Mike Tomlin expressing clearly why the team is moving on from its offensive coordinator and laying out what he expects from his coaches moving forward. Back in 2020, I remember slogan. I didn’t truly grasp it before. But I do now.
