Tag Archives: Najee Harris

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

Should The Steelers Pursue RB Johnson?

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ANSWER: “Hell To The Effing YES!”

Why? The Pittsburgh Steelers have their obvious #1 running back in Najee Harris, entering his second year with 1,200 rushing yards..467 receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns. But..there is absolutely no solid backup for him this season.

With the 3rd year RB Benny Snell close to being on the chopping block, and Anthony McFarland being more of a short-burst playmaker, Harris has no one to take the load off of his shoulders. Because he will not be able to last long averaging 307 touches a season.

Now keep in mind, this is simply a hypothetical question when I ask if the Steelers should pursue running back David Johnson. But it also seems like Pittsburgh is a team he would be willing to join. This after not coming to an agreement with the New Orleans Saints recently.

“HIT THE STEELERS LINE”..tweeted PB @Boles on Twitter, basically a nobody but an obvious fan of the Black & Gold. Which led to this response from Johnson:

Running Back David Johnson on wanting to be a Steeler

The Steelers have about $22 million in cap space heading into July. They also have a roster spot available. 

Tannenbaum Is A Moron..Big Ben Is The Best QB in AFC North

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Well Pittsburgh Steelers fans, ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum is at it again. Hating on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger without a clue of what he is talking about. I mean, the dude did work for two of the worst organizations(Miami Dolphins and New York Jets) but lets stick to the subject at hand.

TANNENBAUM: “Ben Roethlisberger is going to be bad, and I expect him to be benched by the middle of the season. He’s had a great career. It’s over.”

First of all, thank you Deke for putting this video on your YouTube channel. But I would have loved to see/hear what your partner in crime, Arthur Moats would have said on the situation.

The facts is Tannenbaum is in fact an idiot. He is ridiculing Roethlisberger for playing the same “Dink & Dunk” as Tom Brady, but yet Brady is praised for that style of play. As far as calling Big Ben Old? He is going on 39..Brady is 43..so his argument makes no valid point.

Deke also made a tremendous point. LaMar Jackson is not going to surpass his 2019 season. Joe Burrow is an up or down individual, he hasn’t proven himself yet, and Baker Mayfield will be the downfall of the Cleveland Browns. His crappy, cocky attitude will see to that..trust me.

Dan Orlovsky, who understands what it takes to play quarterback in the National Football League hit the nail on the head with his rebuttal to Tannenbaum’s ridiculous statement. Roethlisberger is the Best QB in the AFC North. Going 11-0 with the dink and dunk proved that.

ORLOVSKY: “Big Ben is not the problem with the Steelers offense. The problem with the Steelers offense is that their offensive line stinks, and that they don’t have a schematic identity.”

That has all been corrected in the off-season so far. The offensive line is younger now..stronger now..hungrier now. Drafting Kendrick Green in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft, and adding five time Pro Bowler, Trai Turner vamped the offensive line alone. Plus veterans Zach Banner, Chukwuma Okorafor and Kevin Dotson with notches in their belts makes the line better.

Long story short..Big Ben finished the 2020/21 season with 3,803 yards, 33 touchdowns with on 10 interceptions. With the improved line, and the addition of a “TRUE” running back, Najee Harris..look for those stats to improve. Due to a solid 3 to 4 down RB and a young o-line. Mark my words. #HereWeGo

Big Ben Knows How To Rally His Offense Around Him

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Photo courtesy of USA Today

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger is doing all the right things when it comes to getting his rookies to rally around him. And that is giving them the confidence as well as the praise they need to pump them up. Something Big Ben has been accomplishing since the beginning of OTA’s last week.

“I think this offense is going to be completely different,” Roethlisberger said, via Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews. “You’re going to see nothing that you’ve seen in the past … it’s new and taking some extra studying, but it’s a fun new challenge.” 

“Something you’ve never seen in the past”..is a very strong comment to make, especially since the Steelers have had some high powered offenses in the past. But Ben went on to praise individual players as well.

Regardless of how it turned out for Dwayne Haskins with the Washington Football Team..or what these “so-called” NFL experts have to say about him, I will listen and believe Roethlisberger 10 times out of 10 over them all.

Keep in mind that the future Hall of Fame quarterback is not one to pass out compliments all Willy Nilly. But he did offer some high praise for new Steelers quarterback Haskins..along with rookie running back, Najee Harris.

“He doesn’t seem lost. It’s not too big for him. His head’s not spinning,” said Roethlisberger. “He’s asking questions, which is good, but he’s out there, and he’s playing fast.”

But like us as fans, Ben is also looking forward to Harris actually hitting the field in game mode.

“I think the most exciting part about Najee that we are all going to be excited to see is once he gets it and it clicks, and he goes full speed, man, it is going to be something to see.”

The 39 year old Roethlisberger is the epitome of a class act quarterback, getting his proverbial backup and his star running back ready to do work. And hopefully bring home that elusive 7th Super Bowl Championship. #HereWeGo

Najee Harris Will Prove Haters And “So-Called” NFL Experts Wrong

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Photo courtesy of The Draft Wire..USA Today

I honestly still don’t know why Pittsburgh Steelers fans and “so-called” NFL Experts can believe otherwise. Because Alabama running back, Najee Harris was meant to play for the Black & Gold. And Good Morning Football’s, Nate Burleson hit it out of the park explaining why.

The last time Pittsburgh’s head coach, Mike Tomlin drafted a running back in the first round of the NFL Draft was back in 2008 when he drafted Rashard Mendenhall with the 23rd pick. That season he went on to win Super Bowl XLIII with the Steelers.

In Mendenhall’s four(4) years in the league..three(3) with Pittsburgh, he accumulated 4,236 yards on 1,081 carries with 37 touchdowns. Racking up nearly 1,000 yards and 4 touchdowns a season. Yet he is considered a bust because he moved on with other aspects of his life?

But it goes further than the drafting of Mendenhall to Pittsburgh, especially when analysts claim that running backs picked in the first round usually don’t pan out. Tell that to Jerome Bettis, who may have been drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, but a first round pick nonetheless. Only to win a Super Bowl with what team?

“When you see him on the football field, he’s the modern NFL power back,” Bettis said via KDKA.com. “He has the speed, he’s got the power, but he also has the hands to get out of the backfield. And make plays outside of that offensive line. That’s going to really help the Steelers in terms of the passing game but, most importantly, I think that their commitment to running the football is going to return. I think that because they have to understand: if you don’t run the football, you’re not going to win.”

Now who are you going to believe? Some Facebook General Manager or NFL Analyst who never played the game of football..except on Madden, or the 8th All-Time Leading Rusher and NFL Hall of Famer, Jerome “THE BUS” Bettis?

Mark my words, Najee Harris will make and immediate impact for the Steelers as a versatile three(3) down back. With his strength, speed, vision plus pass catching abilities out of the backfield..my prediction is as such:

NAJEE HARRIS: 2021 NFL SEASON

987 Yards Rushing..11 Touchdowns

573 Yards Receiving..6 Touchdowns

So it is written. #HereWeGo