Nov 23, 2023 4 min read

By Will Graves

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH – This isn’t the way Eddie Faulkner wanted to get the biggest job of his professional life.

Faulkner and Matt Canada are friends. Their wives are friends. Their families are friends. It’s a bond that goes back well over a decade, a bond that hardly ended when the Pittsburgh Steelers fired Canada as their offensive coordinator Tuesday and replaced him with Faulkner, the energetic 46-year-old running backs coach who is well aware of how the promotion could alter the trajectory of his career.

Not that he wants to talk about it much. Yes, Faulkner is thankful and excited for the opportunity. No, he’s not thrilled it had to come at Canada’s expense, particularly when the blame for Pittsburgh’s offensive struggles goes far beyond someone who means so much to him.

“We feel like we let (Canada) down,” Faulkner said Thursday.

Maybe, but head coach Mike Tomlin had seen enough to feel a rare midseason move was required for a franchise that’s among the most stable in professional sports.

Tomlin selected Faulkner as the coordinator on an interim basis, with quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan handling the play-calling duties Sunday when Pittsburgh (6-4) visits Cincinnati (5-5).

The move makes Faulkner one of a handful of Black men currently in the position in the NFL, a job considered a primary stepping stone to becoming a head coach.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think it was a blessing,” Faulkner said. “I totally understand it. You know what I’m saying? Like, I’m at the point in my career where I totally understand the opportunity that’s there. But at the same time, it’s not clouding what the task at hand is.”

Namely, trying to get Pittsburgh’s 28th-ranked offense to show signs of growth. The Steelers have remained in the crowded AFC playoff race despite a unit that struggles to generate points or yards with any regularity.

Pittsburgh has survived on the strength of its defense and the ability to find a way to pull out close games in the final moments.

It’s not a formula that’s sustainable long term, and the tipping point came after a 13-10 loss to Cleveland last Sunday in which quarterback Kenny Pickett passed for just 106 yards.

By Tuesday morning, Canada’s two-plus year tenure was over and the detail-oriented Faulkner found himself in charge of restoring some of the potency and swagger to the offense.

The inventive Faulkner has spent five years working with Pittsburgh’s running backs, where he’s developed a reputation for a “sure, why not?” approach to his job.

He’ll scour social media for drills he thinks might work, the former college running back at Wisconsin – with a brief stint in training camp with the Steelers in 2001 – taking great glee in challenging the group of 20-somethings at his disposal.

“He’s maybe one of the most influential coaches I’ve ever had in my life,” said second-year Steelers running back Jaylen Warren. “The way he goes about his job. The energy he brings. It can rub off on us.”

Pittsburgh’s offense could use a jolt. Faulkner plans to be on the sideline during games so he can communicate with position groups and collaborate with Sullivan between series.

One of his biggest tasks will be finding a way to help Pickett evolve. The second-year starter has six touchdown passes on the season and only two since Oct. 1. Getting the ball downfield has been an issue, and Pickett has looked tentative and unsure in the pocket of late.

Faulkner understands his relationship with Pickett will shift over the next two months, but he also has no plans to change everything and start over. Faulkner isn’t going to delete Canada’s playbook from the tablets. That’s something that happens in the offseason, not during the stretch run.

“You’ve got to roll with what we’ve been doing,” he said.