Najee Harris has every right to be frustrated. THE Pittsburgh Steelers the offense has been putting band-aids on its leaks all season, just to try to move on to the next day. It’s a strategy that has largely worked. They’ve scored 25 points or more just once this season, but still remain in the thick of the playoff race at 6-4.
The Steelers’ DVOA numbers highlight what the tape clearly shows: They’re a slightly above-average football team. Their defense is great, but their offense is mediocre. The Steelers’ problem with their unspectacular offense is that the worst part is the structure itself.
Harris said this while speaking to the media following Pittsburgh’s Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns and their fifth-round rookie quarterback, Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Harris was visibly frustrated and made sure to express it. He even blamed the offensive coaching staff. He was asked if he thought opposing teams knew what was happening on offense, and he took a long pause before finally answering.
“Yeah, in some situations, to be honest with you,” Harris said.
This was among many statements he made during the media scrum. He also said that even though the Steelers have a good record, they won’t be able to continue winning the way they are playing.
Harris basically said the part out loud, a few weeks after George Pickens was taken aside in Week 9 to express his displeasure. Later that week, Pickens removed all of his Steelers content from his social media and posted “free me.” He would later deny that this activity had anything to do with his upset. However, Steelers players and coaches I told the media that he expressed concerns about his role in the offense.
Mike Tomlin has expertise in keeping an unhappy group together and getting the most out of it. However, making the most of less than ideal circumstances won’t be enough for a team. At the start of this season, Kenny Pickett was supposed to take a step forward. With 20/20 hindsight, no one should have believed it was possible.
In Matt Canada’s third season as offensive coordinator, the offense is receiving the same criticism as when Harris ran into a brick wall 307 times as a rookie in 2021. Canada’s offense is too basic and predictable. Fans, fuel bags and football enthusiasts everyone agrees on this point.
The Steelers have seven games left on their schedule and now their players are reaching, one by one, a boiling point. Harris is right when he says the way the Steelers go about winning is not the way to win in the NFL.
Unfortunately for him and his teammates, it’s the only way they can win this season. The Steelers don’t make changes quickly, and certainly not in season. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini previously reported that the team had No project separate from Canada during the season. It was mid-October, during the Steelers’ bye week. She said in her report that he had the support of Tomlin and the players.
Well, that kumbaya seems to be wearing out. First there was an outburst from Pickens, then a measured, but still pointed, critique from Harris.
It’s in these tense moments that Tomlin does some of his best work. He proved he could keep the ship from sinking and float it to shore during a 9-8 season. However, unless the Steelers do something completely contrary to the nature of their franchise by making a mid-season change at the offensive coordinator position, players will be left sitting on this shore unhappy that the ship didn’t have them taken to where they ultimately wanted to go.