Mark Madden: Blaming Matt Canada is easier, but Kenny Pickett’s failings far more disappointing for Steelers

Offensive coordinator Matt Canada is Pittsburgh’s Great Satan as per “Fire Canada” chants at Acrisure Stadium Monday after a botched third-and-1 play.

Quarterback Kenny Pickett ran right out of the shotgun and went down lamely, losing 3 yards.

Maybe that was the play call: “Shotgun, run right, go down lamely. On two.”

That fourth-quarter failure gave Cleveland the ball for one last possession. Rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. showed experience beyond his years by getting away with pass interference on the Browns’ final play. The kid is ready!

Canada has done a poor job.

Beyond any single play call, Canada’s offense has zero rhythm. It rarely builds momentum. The odd play will hit like a bolt from the blue — Pickett’s 71-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens, for example — but there’s nothing cumulative.

But there are other concerns, not all the result of Canada’s perceived idiocy.

Where does bad coordinating end and bad execution begin?

The citizens are predisposed to blame Canada. It’s easier and more fun to blame somebody you don’t like.

As opposed to somebody you do. More on Pickett in just a bit.

There is no running game. The Steelers had 55 rushing yards on 21 carries Monday. That’s a lusty average of 2.6 yards per carry. Najee Harris was meh, posting 43 yards on 10 carries. A bad offensive line seems more to blame than the running backs.

Tight end Pat Freiermuth has disappeared: One catch Monday, two on the year, just five targets total.

The offense has two touchdowns in two games. At least Pickens had a good outing Monday, delaying his inevitable diva blowup for another week. (When it happens, most won’t hold Pickens culpable. It’s not an offense for a gifted wideout.)

Monday’s game spawned crazy stats: The Steelers had minus-6 yards in the fourth quarter, yet came from behind to win. They didn’t have a first down in the first quarter. They never ran a play in the red zone. They had the ball for under 25 minutes.

If Canada is to blame, so is Pickett. They rank 1-2 in the hierarchy of woe. It’s a close race for the top spot.

No matter how bad Canada is, the unpleasant truth is that Pickett hasn’t improved more than minimally over his NFL tenure. Aside from two game-winning drives at the end of last season, Pickett has been mostly poor. It’s 15 games, no longer a small sample.

Pickett showed lots of his vaunted moxie and swagger against bad foes and vanilla defenses in this year’s preseason. But once the big kids showed up at the playground and real bullets started to fly, Pickett got panicky feet and his passing is wildly inaccurate.

Canada is a journeyman coach who probably should never have had his present job.

Pickett is a first-round pick who is supposed to be a franchise quarterback.

Both are failing. But Pickett is by far the more disappointing.

The defense did the most to win Monday’s game. Duh. Then punter Pressley Harvin III, who nailed second-half punts to Cleveland’s 6- and 1-yard lines.

When your punter helped more than your quarterback, that’s a problem.

The Steelers won’t fire Canada. Even if they did, the replacement would be quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan. Promoted like Canada before him, and Randy Fichtner before him. The playbook wouldn’t change. Nothing would be solved.

The real problem is head coach Mike Tomlin, not least his informal policy of hiring inferior assistants. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

If logical decisions are to be made regarding the offensive coordinator position, it shouldn’t be with an eye toward the short term. This season’s Steelers are going nowhere besides mediocre. They are far from a playoff win, let alone a Super Bowl.

Choices need to be made that will hasten and improve Pickett’s development. That’s what’s most important. Pickett should be a lot better by now.

Replace Canada, then find out if Pickett is what you hope he is. That’s what matters. Don’t let Canada’s failure be a crutch for Pickett.

Pickett has played 15 NFL games, never thrown two touchdown passes in any of them, and not looked better than mediocre for more than a handful of moments. That’s a lot of games, and he’s a first-round pick.

Canada is small potatoes.

If Pickett’s the problem, that’s a real problem.