Harris’ first outing gets strong reviews
There weren’t any highlight-reel runs. Nothing on the stat sheet jumped out, either. Seven carries for 22 yards with the longest run going for 6 yards. Those aren’t numbers that are going to get the rookie of the year hype train moving for Najee Harris.
And yet there was a strong appreciation from head coach Mike Tomlin and his teammates for what Harris accomplished in his professional debut Thursday night against the Cowboys.
“Strong, physical runner,” quarterback Mason Rudolph said after the game. “He’s going to get you those extra yards after contact. And he’s just very comfortable out there. There weren’t any wide eyes. He was ready for prime time; he was ready for the action. He’s
mature and probably one of the most mature rookies I’ve been around.”
The idea behind the revamped running scheme is fairly simple. The Steelers want to eliminate the negative runs that plagued the offense last season, and they want to do it by employing an aggressive demeanor up front that focuses on firing off the ball and getting strong initial movement.
The new approach was evident on the Steelers’ first touchdown when Kalen Ballage scored on a 4-yard run. There was a good push from by the line and tight end Kevin Rader contributed with a strong block of his own.
“Good finish,” Tomlin said. “High-energy big men will be a catalyst for our running game. And really, our football team.”
That’s a fairly telling quote and illustrates what Tomlin expects from his offensive line this season.
Harris, Ballage and the other running backs were playing behind a makeshift line with only one projected starter in the starting lineup. That was rookie center Kendrick Green; the others in the lineup are expected to be reserves, if they make the 53-man roster.
“I thought that he showed some of the things that he’s been showing in a practice setting,” Tomlin said of Harris. “And that’s what we were looking for; we weren’t looking for the spectacular. I talked to him and others over the course of the week. We wanted to make routine plays routinely. We wanted the pile to fall forward and things of that nature, and he did all of the things that we’ve been watching him do, so it’s a really good start for him.”
Harris, the No. 24 overall pick in this year’s draft, also demonstrated his ability to pass protect. He stepped up and took on a blitzing linebacker on the second series of the game, which allowed Rudolph the time to make a good throw to Chase Claypool.
“It was good,” Harris said afterward. “I popped off a lot of 5-yard runs. Any 5- or more-yard runs are efficient. Us, as a team, and us as a line, we did a lot. Lot of stuff we’ve got to work on too, communication stuff. But as a whole, just getting the feet wet felt good.”
Jettison the jet sweep?
New offensive coordinator Matt Canada is a big proponent of the jet sweep. That has been evident since he arrived last season. He introduced the concept in the playbook, and it was successful at first before defenses began sniffing it out.
Once they did it all but disappeared from the Steelers offense.
“I think teams definitely caught onto it,” Claypool said earlier in camp.
They did, but the jet sweep is back and it’s evident the Steelers need to continue to work on it if it’s going to get back to a prominent place on Canada’s play sheet. The first drive of the game ended after a botched exchange between Rudolph and Claypool. Two plays earlier, a jet sweep to RayRay McCloud that had a clean exchange only netted 2 yards.
And yet, Canada continued to use jet-sweep motion throughout the game to help keep the Cowboys off balance. It might not be something the Steelers lean on for big plays, but there is a reason it remains.
“I think Coach Canada’s offense having some new schemes and some new run schemes and some misdirection stuff and jet motions, you see the defense a little uneasy,” Rudolph said. “And backers just kind of bouncing. They’re not able to fit in gaps as easily when you have a lot of motions going on pre-snap.”