Young players see run game as solution
Harris wants more chances in red zone
Five days after revealing his frustration that the Steelers had three shots on 1st-and-goal from the Lions 5 and he didn’t touch the ball, rookie running back Najee Harris doubled down that he would love to get more chances topunch it in.
Asked how the Steelers can be more successful in the red zone, Harris was, maybe, more candid thanhe intended to be.
“To improve in the red zone?” Harris replied. “Just run the ball, I guess. I guess that’d fix a lot of things.”
Harris later got the opportunity to clarify whether he was specifically pining for more carries, and whether that’s a situation when the first-round rookie can go to head coach Mike Tomlin and/or offensive coordinator Matt Canada to remind them he’ll fight for tough yards, even if the defense is geared up to stop him.
“It’s not my decision at the end of the day,” Harris admitted. “But I’ll say a little bit of stuff like, ‘Hey, even if they stack the box, we can at least chop down 2 or 3 yards, then it can be a shorter second or third down.’ But at the end of the day, it’s not mydecision.”
After the Lions game, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell insisted their defensive game plan didn’t change much from Ben Roethlisberger to Mason Rudolph because they knew the Steelers offense runs through Harris. Therein lies the delicate balance Canada must strike: His scheme has worked well when built around the running back, butopponents know that, too.
Canada joked Thursday that he’s fielding questions about why they aren’t committing to using the fullback and running the ball more, but also whether the Steelers need to be careful about how much they use Harris, who has the second-most carries in the league behind Derrick Henry.
“Najee is a guy that wants to goall the time,” Canada said. “As you look at that game, as it evolved in-game, you want him getting as many touches as he can. We don’t want to wear him out, so it’s a real fine line. But
every game, we’re just trying to get out of the game with a win.”
Harris isn’t the only rookie who wants the Steelers to pound the ball more ahead of a game in which they might be rolling with a backup quarterback again in Rudolph. The Chargers have the league’s second-worst run defense by yards per carry and rank dead last in rushing yards per game.
But if the Chargers load up to fix their deficiencies, will a still-inexperienced Steelers offensive line be capable of plowing forward anyway?
“We’d rather run the ball than pass the ball, for sure,” center Kendrick Green said Friday. “If people know that, they know it. It is what it is. We’ve still got to line up and run the ball, no matter what.”
Of course, that might mean fighting fire with fire. More tight ends, more fullback, maybe even more linemen, if reserve tackle and former eligible receiver Zach Banneris active again.
That just hasn’t been utilized in Canada’s offense, at least not yet. And there’s little reason to believe it will be dusted off Sunday night in Los Angeles, even if Rudolph is starting.
“You look at the game, we use those things when we can and when we think the matchup serves us,” Canada said. “We put 11 guys on the field, and then they’ve got 11 guys on the field, as well, and we’re trying to find those matchups. … Every game that doesn’t get the result we want, we can all look at those things and talk about them. We obviously ran the ball. Wehad a 100-yard rusher.”
That said, the Lions also have the worst passing defense in the NFL, so you can see why Canada found it wise to attack their secondary. Regardless of if it’s on the ground or through the air, the Steelers offense continues to struggle to put points on theboard.
“We’d rather run the ball than pass the ball, for sure. If people know that, they know it. It is what it is.”
— Kendrick Green, Steelers center