Matt Canada has no reservations about what his new quarterback's capabilities are.
The Steelers' offensive coordinator has a relationship with Kenny Pickett that extends to 2016, when Canada was Pitt's offensive coordinator and was recruiting a high school Pickett.
Now, six years later, the two will run it back as the Steelers make a trip to Orchard Park, N.Y. to oppose the Bills on Sunday.
In his weekly briefing at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Thursday, Canada gave a glimpse of what the Steelers could look like with the changing of the guard -- er, arm -- on Sunday:
"We just have to continue to play better," Canada said. "Coach (Mike Tomlin) talked to you guys about it before, our offense, we haven't been scoring enough points. You make a change and it's not all a reflection of the quarterback. Obviously we always try to do what guys like to do. We're going to focus on what everybody does well, we hope. It might be tweaks here, a route that Mitch (Trubisky) liked that Kenny likes different. But, as a grand, big picture, it's going to be the same plays. We have to execute better and play better, all the way around."
On the South Side, #Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada noted the “tweaks” that will be made to plays in order to adjust for Kenny Pickett playing quarterback: pic.twitter.com/EuU2IJSiqa
— Corey Crisan (@cdcrisan) October 6, 2022
Pickett took over as the Steelers' QB1 against the Jets on Sunday, and Tomlin reaffirmed on Tuesday his commitment to the first-round pick from this past NFL draft. With a challenge coming up against the Super Bowl-favored Bills, there isn't room to install anything completely new, so there is likely going to be that similar flavor that Canada had mentioned about some tweaks but largely having most of the playbook remain the same.
"We've been around him, he's gotten reps," Canada said. "Since camp he hasn't gotten as many reps, so certainly that's a little bit of a disadvantage coming in last week like he did, but that's part of being in the seat that he was in. He's gotten all the reps this week. We expect him to throw well."
The buzz word around the complex this week has been "spark," as used by players and coaches to describe what Pickett brought to the Steelers in the second half on Sunday. Canada noted the "aggressive" personality -- which mirrors Pat Freiermuth's comments about the Steelers becoming the "aggressors" against the Jets with Pickett in -- which he carries onto the field.
I asked Canada about what makes Pickett unique among quarterbacks:
"We all know Kenny," Canada told me. "Kenny's a competitive guy, he's a great leader, he enjoys it, he loves to compete, student of the game. I don't know if that's unique, but that's just who Kenny is."
And that's the minimum of what's expected from him. And that's what Pickett has brought from his time as Pitt's QB up until now.
"I think it's just a work-type environment," Canada said. "He is who he is. Our guys, we just have to -- we've got to make a couple more plays a game, to be in a different situation that we're in, and I think we all know that, we see that, and that doesn't matter anywhere that isn't inside this building. We're not getting it done. The numbers are the numbers, and we've got to win games, score more points."
