My thoughts on preseason wk 3

Najee was Tomlin’s guy. A sub-4.0 yards-per-carry slug who was the opposite of explosive. It was Tomlin’s and the OC’s choice to start him over Warren a career 4.7 yards-per-carry back, a good receiver, and a fine blocker. Now he could be explosive at times. My belief was Warren should have had more snaps and more carries than Harris. But that did not happen.

 

Let me leave this for the people that can actually think beyond feelings.
Average carries per year.
Najee: 266
Bus: 308
Emmitt Smith: 332
D. Henry: 311

Its hard to have more yards of people you don't get as much carries as.
Especially since the guys Im showing were guys that got better as they got more carries in a game.
Again was Najee awesome, no, but was he as bad as some say, hell No

 

Najee Harris averaged 3.9 yards per carry (YPC) overall during his four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. [1, 2]

Yearly Breakdown with the Steelers

• 2021 Season: 3.9 YPC (3.909 average)
• 2022 Season: 3.8 YPC (3.801 average)
• 2023 Season: 4.1 YPC (4.059 average)
• 2024 Season: 4.0 YPC (3.966 average) [1]

These are good , better than good numbers per carry
I was just stating the total amount of yards rushing which was the topic
Edit
Topic of post that @Blast Furnace brought up






Skol Cole
@SkolSmith
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Joe Buck: "Najee Harris has rushed for 1,000 yards all four seasons in the league." Troy Aikman: "I can't tell you how little that impresses me."
8:45 PM · Jan 4, 2025

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Imagine if Najee had vision to find the hole
The hole that he constantly avoided
But
OL so bad there was never a hole
There was constant holes that Najee didn’t see but replays showed the holes
Maybe if someone put hair around them holes
Najee would’ve found the hole
Word of the day
HOLE
Or
HOLES

 

Why not both?!


Neither are mutually exclusive.

 

Dude posted that nonsense in his signature if McCarthy was so great why did Green Bay and Rodgers want him gone? And Dallas made no attempt to keep him; the only reason he got a job was because the Steelers are desperate to find a franchise QB.

 

They continued to start Harris after they chose to move on. They continued to give him more snaps. They continued to give him more touches. That tells us there were reasons beyond who they thought was the better back at play, such as the wear and tear on Harris's body. Warren never managed to overtake Harris. They projected him to have more left in the tank in the years that followed. They also knew Warren was more likely to sign for more than one year at a reasonable rate. You know this, but you are too stubborn to admit it.

(I will show you the courtesy of leaving out the personal dig.)

 

If you are going to take shots at other posters, at least dare to engage them directly rather than hiding behind the button.

 

Yeah I always considered Najee as an above average NFL running back. He wasn't All Pro but he wasn't a bust either.

 

Exactly. Maybe Warren would have finally overtaken him given another year to do it, or maybe the Steelers always thought they needed to limit his touches. Actually, with the signing of Dowdle, they still do.

 

I was reading on Steelers Depot that the plan is to have Dowdle as the "early down" back and Warren to be the third down back.

 

I have been asked to play nice, and I keep trying to do so, but others don't seem inclined to let it go that way.

I am sticking to my original argument, which is that the Steelers viewed Harris as the better back when they had both. That is why he started. That is why he got more snaps. That is why he got more carries. That was my argument. This argument goes back to around the time they passed on his fifth-year option, well before his final season as a Steeler.

That's the thing you refuse to see. They could both think Harris was the better option for that one season without wanting to keep him after that. They kept Warren, though he wasn't really a Harris replacement. Even with Harris gone, they still limited Warren's touches. I think the plan was for Johnson to eventually step into Harris's old role, with Warren playing a similar role to what he had with Harris around. That plan failed because Johnson was a bust, leaving them to pair up Warren and Gainwell.

I also never wanted to keep Harris past the 2025 season. I thought they should have exercised the option, then let him walk. Use him up, then let someone else pay for the decline. When they decided not to do that, I argued that things like wear and tear on Harris's body were the reason. You dismissed that until he got hurt last year, and then suddenly changed your tune.

My argument has been consistently about those things all along.

 

I agree they should’ve kept Harris and Warren together at the time
Apparently, either the Steelers lowballed Harris or they were just done with him
Dowdle is going to be our showcase running back
Warren can’t handle the carries of a showcased running back
But
Saying that
These 2 together will be a force to deal with
So in actuality
You are correct
Najee WAS our showcased running back
Something happened behind the scenes between Najee and the Steelers
Like I mentioned before
Interviews with Najee were Suspect
Najee wasn’t trustworthy with his cryptic comments

 

He’s kinda right @Blast Furnace

 

Imagine glazing FatCarthy this much when he hasn't coached one regular season game yet with the Steelers .

 

I should’ve worded this better
He is right on the point that Najee was the featured back when he was here
Keeping Najee not so much correct
Gainwell did fine
My point is
Warren is good as your second rb
Warren is not a starter
Like I posted earlier
Dowdle is our featured back

 

Willie Parker would likely have matched Harris' first four seasons with 1000+ yds if he was not sitting behind Bettis on the roster in his rookie season. He simply didn't get the chances because you are not going to sit a HOF RB.

 

This exactly.