Najee Harris: There’s no discord inside Steelers offense, it’s media ‘who are breaking us up’

Chris Adamski
Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 1:54 p.m. | Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 1:54 p.m.

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Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Pittsburgh Steelers running Najee Harris stands with running backs coach Eddie Faulkner on the sideline after a training-camp practice last month at Saint Vincent College.

Some say the players are blaming the offensive coordinator. Some interpret comments from the wide receivers that they blame the quarterback. Seemingly everyone has, at one point, blamed the offensive line.

But one of the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive captains strongly asserted Friday that there is no internal discord among those who comprise the Steelers’ struggling offense. The angst, instead, only is coming from the outside.

“We are really comfortable (with the offense),” running back Najee Harris said Friday. “I think it’s just social media and (media) interviewers. You (reporters) are just making it kind of breaking us apart in a way because you’re asking us questions like this.

“Because we are at a point where we were building, and you (reporters) come in here and ask questions to all the receivers and all the guys, (quarterback Mitch Trubisky and others), about what’s not working. That’s not how you build. That’s not how you how you get better. You (reporters) are breaking us up. We need to find a way that we can just stay together and come together as at ream and focus on what matters most.”

As the noise for a move grows louder, #Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky said he believes his offensive teammates have faith in him as their leader.https://t.co/Tmts23nTb9

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) September 28, 2022

Through three weeks of the season, the Steelers (1-2) rank 31^st in the 32-team NFL in total yardage (818), 31^st in yards per play (4.7) and have scored four offensive touchdowns in three games.

Who’s to blame? It probably is spread among many. But fan ire is most often directed at the two most obvious targets: Trubisky and offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

Harris had Canada’s back Friday.

“Play-calling is fine; it’s just us executing,” said Harris, whose 3.2-yard per-carry average ranks 45^th among the top 50 NFL ball-carries. “You (reporters) just keep blaming other people; it’s us in this locker room.

“As long as we still have the trajectory going forward, that’s all that matters.”

Matt Canada, told that Mike Tomlin said the offense is making progress thru 3 weeks pic.twitter.com/SeugBAXEpr

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) September 29, 2022

The 17 points the offense scored during last week’s loss at the Cleveland Browns was a season high (the Steelers’ 23 points in a Week 1 win at Cincinnati were aided by a defensive touchdown and overtime).

“This is the NFL, so outside distractions of course are part of this and part of the game that we are in,” Harris said. “We need to find a way to continue to keep everything together because when we break apart, that’s not good. But when we come together and focus on certain goals that’s how we get better.”

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