Kenny Pickett and the offense won’t benefit from the Steelers’ strategy for Najee Harris
It’s awful news for Kenny Pickett and the whole Pittsburgh Steelers offense to keep the ball out of Najee Harris’ hands.
Najee Harris’ touches will be restricted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is bad news for Kenny Pickett and the rest of the offense.
Last spring, Pittsburgh selected the former Doak Walker champion out of Alabama with a first-round choice.
The Steelers need Harris to be the center of their attack right now, even though he did lead the NFL in touches and offensive snaps last season.
What are they doing, unless they think Pickett is capable of bearing the weight of the entire world on his shoulders or that Mitch Trubisky can once again compete in the Pro Bowl?
The following is what Harris had to say about it on Tuesday, before Steelers minicamp began.
“We are doing that a lot this year (where) I will not be on the field, I guess, (as much),” said Harris on Tuesday before day one of Steelers minicamp. “I will be on the field a lot — but on certain downs, I will not be on the field. Just (pick my spots), I guess. Extra rest.”
Even though Harris comes across as a team player, he grudgingly approves of this statement.
“I am taking time off,” continued Harris. “I will not be on the field for certain plays. We’re still going to talk about that, though. I do want to play. A lot. … Any time I can. But at the same time, it’s all about being smart. So I understand where (Steelers offensive coaches) are coming from.”
The Steelers have every right to have a poor year, but this year they have very little room for error.
According to the plan, fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t like Najee Harris’ strategy
The Steelers compete in a division that is probably the fiercest in football. If you need evidence of that, consider the AFC North champion from the previous season (the Cincinnati Bengals) and the team that placed fourth (the Baltimore Ravens).
All four divisional opponents may compete for postseason positions this season, depending on how the Deshaun Watson scenario with the Cleveland Browns plays out.
During his four years with the Chicago Bears, Trubisky did assist the squad in twice making it to the playoffs, but once there, the team did not have much success. In other words, Trubisky’s club lacked the offensive firepower necessary to prevail in playoff games against other teams led by their defense.
He has been on three teams in as many years because of this. Pittsburgh’s only hope is Pickett’s rise to fame.
The faster Pickett can resume his past season’s form at Pitt, the better for the Steelers. The Dirty Birds were led to the postseason by Matty Ice in his debut season with Atlanta, despite the fact that he may merely be a slightly more athletic version of Matt Ryan.
We need to find out as soon as possible if he is the suspect. It is a wonderful way to squander everyone’s time to not lean on Harris, who is still very much in his NFL peak.
Pittsburgh, it must be said, is a weak playoff club right now. The Steelers’ chances of winning the AFC North this season are higher than their chances of finishing last.
Even if their defense is outstanding, they will be unable to score enough points offensively. You don’t need to be scared, Yinz! Allow Harris and Pickett to succeed as a team by opening things up.
The Steelers will only be lowering their potential as a team this season by limiting Harris’ snaps.
