AFC Notes: Browns, Ravens, Steelers, Matt Canada

Browns

Browns DC Joe Woods isn’t worried about the criticism outside the building revolving around his defense’s performance.

“This year has been a challenge, and I promise everybody we are trying to do everything we can,” Woods said, via Browns Wire. “Right now it is not going well in terms of consistency…I don’t worry about it. You can’t. I have been around in my coaching career people who listen to it more…I believe in what I am doing, I believe in the coaches I have around me, just because of stuff we have done I believe in the players. And I just feel like if we all work together to correct the issues, then we will get headed in the right direction.”

Ravens

Giants DC Don Martindale, formerly with the Ravens, praised Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson on how he is currently playing at the form that won him an MVP award in 2019.

“Anybody that wants to say anything that he’s not, OK,” Martindale said, via the New York Post. “Because he’s unbelievable, and he’s playing at an MVP caliber right now like he was back in 2019. Not only can he beat you with his arm — he’s throwing the ball really well — but he can beat you with his legs, his mind, and everything else.”

Steelers

Steelers OC Matt Canada said that their offense must find ways to get “a little bit better” and finish off drives with touchdowns. 

“We all have to do our jobs a little bit better,” Canada said, via ProFootballTalk. “I think you can look at those plays, and we can all say, “What could we have done a little bit better here or there?” As always, I’m not going to get into all those things. We just have to be a little bit better. It’s a bottom-line business. We didn’t score when we got down [in the red zone], so moving it up and down the field really doesn’t do anything for you. That’s not what we’re trying to do; that’s not enough. So, we have to score touchdowns. The tweaks are that we’ve got to finish the drives, and it’s a multitude of things, to answer your question.”

Canada added that their coaching staff needs to improve and the team must play “better fundamental football.”

“We can sit here and say, “What is it? What is it?” Well, it’s obviously something we’ve all got to find. All of us,” Canada said. “We’re not coaching well enough, we’re not playing well enough, we’re not getting the results that we want. So, we have to look at what that is. Football is a fundamental game; it always has been. Until we get where we need to be, we’ve got to get those things found and play better fundamental football and make those plays. Then, obviously, the plays off of the play start to happen.”

Canada thinks that they can put players in a better position for success. 

“So, a little bit of both. We’ve got to put our guys in position to make plays. When and if we’re not doing that, we’ll find different plays to run those things. Combination of both, but ultimately, we’ve got to play better and coach better.”

• Steelers LB Myles Jack was fined $10,609 for unnecessary roughness in last week’s loss to the Bills. (Tom Pelissero)
• Steelers offensive lineman James Daniels was fined $10,609 and Kevin Dotson $5,887 for unnecessary roughness against Buffalo. (Sal Capaccio)