If Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Stubbornly Refuses Outside OC Candidates In 2023, Charlie Batch Should Be His Only Choice

Mike Tomlin could have appeased the local media and fan base by dismissing Canada. Fan control football would have been preferable to watching another Gunner Olszewski jet sweep or any of the countless other first down plays that consistently failed during the first half of the season. The Steelers offense was sputtering and was at the bottom of the NFL in scoring offense.

If you are a Canada apologist, you could point out that Mitch Trubisky and Pickett did not exactly wake up the echoes of Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger and the offensive line was burying itself under a deluge of penalties. It seemed as if the offensive line could barely go a series without an illegal man down field and it was almost as if the offensive coordinator wasn’t familiar with the difference between the college and NFL rules in regard to the play.

Pittsburgh is currently in a unique position. If they somehow finish 9-8, the coaching staff may somehow survive intact. Rumors that Canada won’t survive no matter how they finish have surfaced to give Steeler Nation hope. But even if it is true, the Steelers have rarely hired anyone outside of the organization as a coordinator recently. Teryl Austin and Canada were on the staff before being promoted and if the Steelers don’t seriously interview offensive coordinator candidates, that puts Mike Sullivan in line to be the next coordinator.

Sullivan was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Giants for two seasons each. After having a top 10 passing offense in his first season as coordinator, his offenses finished last in total yards and last in passing yards in his second season and he was promptly fired. In 2016 with Eli Manning at the helm, his offense was 25th in the NFL in total yards and 17th in passing yards. After finishing 21st in yards and 19th in passing yards (and taking part in the decision to end Manning’s consecutive games played streak in New York), he was let go.

Promoting Sullivan would be Tomlin and the Steelers standard operating procedure in recent years. The black and gold have not gone outside the building for a coordinator since Todd Haley and that was reportedly forced on Tomlin. Sullivan seems like a nice guy and Roethlisberger speaks highly of him on his podcast, but it would be disastrous to experiment with a bottom tier offensive coordinator who could stunt Pickett’s further development.

If Pittsburgh insists on hiring a candidate from within the organization, they should seriously consider looking to the analyst for preseason game broadcasts and Pittsburgh’s native son, Charlie Batch. Batch is a highly respected former player who was also the Steelers and Detroit Lions former players union representative. He is an excellent communicator and could be a phenomenal coach. Roethlisberger on his podcast has stated several times that Batch has an eidetic memory for play-calling and was invaluable to him in preparation when they were teammates.

Batch was Roethlisberger’s backup for all three Super Bowl appearances and worked with Ken Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians during his tenure as a backup. Both coordinators were extremely successful working with a young quarterback early in his career. Batch, based on the success of Byron Leftwich as a coordinator in Tampa, could be the perfect solution if Tomlin insists on keeping the search in-house. He is not on the coaching staff, but his television work has kept him visible in the building and it is doubtful that Batch would be viewed as an outside voice.

5 Possible Offensive Coordinator Candidates If Steelers Move On From Matt Canada In 2023

The Steelers should interview outside candidates, but if Tomlin throws his weight around behind the scenes, this is the only viable option for the Steelers to avoid continued mediocrity. They have not won a playoff game since 2016 and next season, it doesn’t look like ‘Blame Canada’ will be a viable rallying cry for those looking to protect Tomlin. Batch could bring the perspective the Steelers need, while appeasing the veteran coach. If the Steelers promote Sullivan to offensive coordinator, than his performance should be directly tied to Tomlin’s job security.