MJD Ranks Najee Harris As No. 9 RB in the NFL

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Photo courtesy of TribLive

Former Jacksonville Jaguars standout and NFL analyst Maurice Jones-Drew expressed his “TOP 32 RUNNING BACKS” on Thursday, placing Pittsburgh Steelers 2nd year RB Najee Harris at number nine(9) on his list.

Harris, the 6 foot 1 inch..232 lb. back out of Alabama had a very impressive rookie season, rushing for 1,200 yards with 7 touchdowns. Tacking on an additional 74 receptions for 467 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns, all of this behind a makeshift offensive line.

With a player not named Ben Roethlisberger under center on a permanent basis for the first time since 2003, the Steelers’ offense is primed to go through No. 22. He had an outstanding rookie campaign with zero fumbles on 381 regular-season touches. He’s durable and poised to lead the unit in the run game while also providing a big boost in the pass game.

Maurice Jones-Drew via NFL.com

With the addition of veteran centers James Daniels and Mason Cole, the Steelers have definitely improved in the offensive line category and give Coach Mike Tomlin a lot more “wiggle room” than he had last season.

Not to mention the addition of offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. With that I see Harris surpassing his 1,200 yard rookie debut, especially since the 1st string quarterback position is still up for grabs.

RUNNING BACKS ABOVE NAJEE:

8) Austin Eckler (Los Angeles Chargers)*

7) Joe Mixon (Cincinnati Bengals)

6) Alvin Kamara (New Orleans Saints)

5) Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys)*

4) Dalvin Cook (Minnesota Vikings)

3) Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns)

2) Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts)

1) Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans)

* = Ranking I do not agree with

Trubisky Should And Will Be The Steelers Starter In Week 1

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Steelers quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett during OTA’s

The scenario is reminiscent of the 2004 NFL Season, when the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger in the first round to become the backup quarterback for Tommy Maddox. Now..18 years later, the past has come back to BLESS US once again.

Even after the acquisition of former Chicago Bears/Buffalo Bills free agent quarterback Mitch Trubisky, it was written in stone that Pittsburgh was definitely going to draft another QB. Basically because it had been very well documented that Mason Rudolph was not going to be Big Ben’s predecessor, even after the passing of Dwayne Haskins.

Mitch Trubisky embarrasses the Cincinnati Bengals

Enter Kenny Pickett, the 20th overall first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Pitt, and the next in line as the starting Steelers quarterback. That is after Trubisky gets to show his skills off of course.

Mitch Trubisky, a former first round pick  himself (2nd overall) in 2017 is more primed to take the reigns at the start of the season. Accumulating 10,652 yards, 64 touchdowns and only 38 interceptions, while rocking a 29-21 record. Might I also add that he is also 3-0 versus AFC North teams. Those 3 being the Baltimore Ravens, the  Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Pitt QB Kenny Pickett at NFL Combine

Like Roethlisberger, Pickett comes in with zero NFL experience but with the same major upsides as a rookie. He is mobile like Ben was..he can read a pro-style defense like Ben..and he has got an accurate canon of an arm like Ben did. Not to mention playing in the same stadium that he did in college doesn’t hurt either.

Hence the reminiscent of 2004. Trubisky is Maddox..Pickett is Roethlisberger. Mitch will start this season and continue to be the starter, barring some unforseen injury or lack of production. Until either of those come to fruition, Kenny Pickett will soak up all he can to be prepared to step in when need be.

In the 52 games Pickett played at Pitt University he went 32-20, including 11-2 in his 13 appearances in the 2021 NCAA Season, where the Panthers finished with an ACC Championship.

POLL: Steelers Starting Quarterback Week 1?

#HereWeGo

Steelers Flying Under The Radar..And We Should Love It

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Rich Eisen went on his “Rich Eisen Show” podcast recently and posed the question to his panel..

..“Who’s team is being talked about the absolute least in the AFC North?..”Yep, you guessed it, the Pittsburgh Steelers, I myself absolutely could not be happier.

Video courtesy of the Rich Eisen Show

The Baltimore Ravens are in the news due to the Lamar Jackson contract situation. The Cincinnati are in the news because they FINALLY made it to the Super Bowl after a 33 year drought.

Then you have the Cleveland Browns, who are mainly in the news due to their quarterback situation. With Deshuan Watson most likely facing a year long suspension, and Baker Mayfield basically on his way out the door is very news worthy.

As for the Steelers? Well, they drafted quarterback Kenny Pickett out of Pitt in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The first QB picked by Pittsburgh in the first round since Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.

They also hired Omar Khan as their General Manager, made Minkah Fitzpatrick the highest paid safety in the league, and bolstered up their defensive with the addition of DBs..LBs..and DLs..too many to name.

Long story short..I see that as a good thing. It’s better to be out of the publics eye..it takes the pressure off. While the others teams in the AFC North are being praised for last season, or being ridiculed for their quarterback situations the Pittsburgh Steelers are focusing on nothing but the upcoming NFL season. #HereWeGo

Tomlin Says No Chance In AB Returning To The Steelers

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Photo courtesy of Bleacher Report

As if I hadn’t already let this be known once former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Antonio Brown posted that infamous tweet about wanting retire in the Black & Gold. It turns out that head coach, Mike Tomlin feels the same way as a true Steelers fans should.

Coach Tomlin made an appearance on..”The Pivotal Podcast”..and when asked about the return of AB84 to Pittsburgh his response was short and to the point:

“Y’all know that ain’t happening.”

Although Tomlin didn’t necessarily state that a one-day contract was out of the conversation, he did insinuate that as being such without saying it.

“In terms of putting a helmet on and running out of the tunnel and playing ball and stuff like that, man, he’s moved on, we’ve moved on. We can sit around and chop that up and pretend like that’s a realistic conversation, but we all know that’s not realistic, man.“

Was Brown a very talented and intrical part of the Steelers offense? Yes indeed he was..’WAS!” But on his way out the door he burned s many bridges they can never be repaired. Not just with the Rooneys, but with the organization..the coaches..the players and the fans.

Personally I do not want Antonio Brown back..not even for one day to retire as a Pittsburgh Steeler. He disrespected the organization and every organization after us, so why should we re-cater to this Diva’s demands? Screw That! #HereWeGo

Steelers Sign DT Ogunjobi To One-Year Deal via Steelers.com

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The Pittsburgh Steelers signed defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Ogunjobi played in 76 games (63 starts) over his five-year career (Cleveland 2017-20, Cincinnati 2021). He has registered 229 tackles (123 solo), 21.5 sacks, one pass defensed and two forced fumbles. Ogunjobi played in 16 games, starting in all contests for the Bengals and recorded 49 tackles (23 solo) and 7.0 sacks.

Originally selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Browns, Ogunjobi played in 46 games at Charlotte (2012-16). He finished his career with the 49ers with 217 tackles (127 solo), 49.0 tackles for loss, 13.0 sacks, six passes defensed and one fumble recovery.