Two-year extension for Jaylen Warren

Yeah, that choice just looked brilliant as they faltered badly against two of the worst defenses in the NFL the last two weeks.

You're moving the goalposts again. I'm talking about how I was right in most of my concerns about Warren being the lead back. He is less durable than Harris was over the last four seasons. That became fact the moment Warren missed a game. I was right in arguing that Warren can't carry as heavy a workload as Harris. I backed that up with numbers as well. I was right in pointing out that flaws in the offense held Harris back. You are the one who has been telling us that it is holding Warren back, too.

That you keep having to move the goalposts suggests to me that you know I'm right about all that.

 

It is a lot easier to make sure running backs get touches than tight ends. If they wanted Warren to get more touches, he would have them. Also, there have been games in which Gainwell got more snaps than Warren. That speaks to a team knowing that they can't overwork Warren.

 

Overwork? Is that the problem with Muth as well when they give more snaps and targets to Smith?

I'm not trusting much of anything this OC is doing right now with regards to player usage. A lot doesn't make sense.

 

I am ignoring your implication that Warren's touches and carries are limited by Smith's incompetence rather than concerns regarding his durability because that is you presenting an assumption as fact. Yes, there is a history of Smith misusing players. There is also a history of Warren getting limited snaps and touches, far fewer than Harris. There is also the fact that Warren failed to finish two games and didn't play at all in another this season.

You keep ignoring Harris's strengths over the last four seasons in these discussions. He was more durable in that role than Warren has been this season. That is a fact. The rest is you trying to twist things to fit your chosen narrative.

What happened to Harris this year is not relevant to my comparison of what Harris did as a lead back here to what Warren is doing now. The point is the Steelers have a less durable lead back now just as I predicted.

I didn't ignore that Warren has a slightly better average per carry this season, but you are ignoring that it dropped from his previous numbers exactly as I thought it would. You are also ignoring that the season isn't over yet. Warren's average per carry is headed in the wrong direction. It was low against two of the league's worst run defenses the last two weeks. That is not a good sign.

Your last line is subjective. Your biases affect your eye test evaluation.

 

I understand the logic of that, but you also have to look at Warren's history. He had never averaged more than 8.8 carries per game in his NFL career before this season. That number has jumped to 13.7, which is still low for a lead back, and he seems to be having trouble holding up under that increased workload, missing one start and leaving two games early.

I also wonder if the knee injury he recently suffered is part of why he averaged only 3.5 yards per carry against the Bills.

 

There is nothing to rub in. Warren has been almost exactly what I predicted. I write almost because he has improved his ball security. He isn't a lead back. He has had fewer touches or snaps than Gainwell multiple times even when he wasn't hurt. No matter how desperately you shove your head in the sand to avoid seeing it, he is significantly less durable than Harris was for the Steelers. He can't handle as much of a workload as Harris.

The worst of it is these last two games. The Bears and Bills are among the league's worst run defenses. They both give up 5.2 yards per carry. Warren managed only 3.8 yards against the Bears and 3.5 against the Bills. Is he waring down? Is it the recent injury slowing him down? Both support my thought that he is not a good fit for the lead back role. Even though he can't handle a workload like what Harris did the last four years, he has seen an increase in carries and his body isn't responding well to that.

Warren is a great weapon, but replacing Harris with Gainwell pushed him into a role that doesn't suit him as well, which is exactly what I tried to tell you all along. I don't know if you really can't see this or you are just stubbornly refusing to acknowledge it, but neither option makes you look good. I love that you are laughing even though I'm the one who was right.

 

I wrote that Warren is arguably their best weapon this season, mostly because they were stupid enough to trade Pickens, but somehow I'm slandering the guy by pointing out the facts.

Funny how Harris managed to carry that heavy workload despite having Smith as his offensive coordinator last year, but it's an excuse to keep you from admitting that the Steelers just don't think Warren can handle as much work as Harris did.

Harris played through that injury in 2022 well enough that he was still their best option. You are so desperate to slander Harris that you falsely claimed that he was useless the first 10 games or so in 2022. In the Steelers' fourth game, he ran for 74 yards, averaging 4.1 yards per carry. In the Steelers ninth game, he ran for 99 yards on 20 carries. The following week, he ran for 90 on 20 carries. Keep in mind that he was playing behind a ****ty line with lousy quarterback play during those first 10 games, too.

If we're going to be manipulative about numbers, I could point out that Warren has been greatly boosted by the Bengals this season. Take away those two games, and he has 450 yards on 128 carries, 3.5 per attempt. (I'm sure you could do this with Harris, too, but man, the Bengals' defense sucks.)

The bottom line is that Warren has not been as durable a lead back as Harris was during his four years here. He has not been able to handle the sort of workload Harris carried. That you can't admit those two things, even though they are facts backed up by the numbers, clearly demonstrates that you are the one who is desperate.

 

Where did I call him fragile? I didn't. What I wrote is that they lost durability when they went from Harris to Warren as their lead back, which is undeniably true. Please stop making strawman arguments. Thank you.

Yes, Warren's carries have gone up, and as predicted, his average per carry has come down. It is slightly better than what Harris did last season, but the season isn't over yet, and the current trend for Warren is not good. He doesn't get to face the Bengals anymore, and he is averaging 3.5 yards per carry against everyone else.

I also didn't claim that Harris was healthy during the first half of 2022. What I wrote is that, despite the injury, it turned out that he was the best option. I'm not the one who claimed he was useless the first 10 weeks while he was leading the team in rushing, including a game in which he ran for 99 yards on 20 carries. That was you on this very thread.

 

Warren is clearly the better RB. Warren will be a starting RB next year, Harris will never be a starting back again in his life. He is the Terrell Edmunds of RB's. Start all games in Pitt, never be a full time starter again.

 

Its almost as if Najee played 4 years of no injuries and they always catch up... Its nearly impossible for backs to not miss games. The NFL players are just too big and fast.

 

I love that the Steelers won today. I love that Warren took advantage of a blown coverage on a catch-and-run touchdown. I do not like the direction of the running game. It went from disappointing against terrible defenses the last two weeks to worthless today. The only good run the Steelers had all day was Gainwell's touchdown. Warren carried the ball eight times for 13 yards, dropping his average per carry to 4.1 for the season. He didn't get much help up front, but I wonder if that knee injury from a few weeks ago is slowing him down.

 

I’m not gonna get into the debate whether Warren or Harris is better. Who cares. All I know is Warren is not cutting it as the lead back. IMO Gainwell has been better. Warren is great if you get him in open space, but he can’t pick up the tough yards.

 

That is my point, that it was a mistake to count on Warren as a lead back. He was great as a third-down/No. 2 back, but he is struggling with the heavier workload, and now they have two backs who are best in the same role with no thumper. I expressed those concerns all along, and what we have seen this season demonstrates that I was correct.

 

I'm not a fan of them using Gainwell in some of those short yardage situations like against Buffalo 4th and short near the goal line, try Warren there the rookie isn't ready for those situations.

 

Ok they both suck.