Steelers C Mason Cole admits players were part of why Matt Canada was fired

When it comes to the NFL, nearly every topic is open to debate. Very rarely is there consensus and a clear-cut right or wrong. But when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers and whether or not the offense is better after firing Matt Canada, there is no debate. We saw this on full display on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Center Mason Cole addressed the issue and offered something of a different perspective after the win. While he acknowledged the offense played better, he did put some of the blame for Canada’s firing at their feet for not playing harder.

“I think we all looked at each other and knew,” Cole said. “We got to play for each other. We all had a hand in Matt’s firing. We didn’t play well enough for him to keep his job. We had to make it right with the guys in this room.”

There is no doubt that the effort by this offense, especially the offense line was disappointing. Canada’s game plans might not have been great but there were times when the effort was so poor by the players, that it wouldn’t have mattered what play was called.

All that matters now is that the team is focused and brings the same level of effort and energy they did on Sunday for the rest of the season.