Using someone other than your nominal offensive coordinator to call plays during games is not a novel idea. In fact, many head coaches today call their own plays, though it’s less common for another assistant coach to do the job. Still, unusual things can happen when you fire a coordinator mid-season, as the Pittsburgh Steelers are finding out for the first time.
For many, the firing of Canada felt like addition by subtraction, and it’s no wonder given that they ended a years-long streak of failing to put up 400 yards in their first game without him.