Steelers' Najee Harris Calls Out Critics, Supports Matt Canada
PITTSBURGH -- Running back Najee Harris doesn't view the on-field issues with the Pittsburgh Steelers offense the same way as many others.
"The coaches only can coach," Harris said. "At the end of the day, we’ve got to do what we have to do. I see everybody talking about this coaching stuff, about play calling, like bruh, do y’all know how football works? Coaches only can coach."
Harris, unprompted, opened up about the outside noise the Steelers offense has received throughout the season. While many in the media and fanbase are calling out offensive coordinator Matt Canada, Harris supported his coach and instead said it's the players' fault for the failures.
"We can’t just keep looking at the coaches as an outlet or whatever y’all are putting out there as an outlet," Harris said. "That’s just stupid what y’all doing, really."
Harris confirmed that the players held a meeting after their Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans to address the issues within the team. Through four games, the offense has only scored more than 20 points once and is tied as the second-worst team in the NFL in terms of scoring.
"We all had a talk as a team to kind of get that conversation going," Harris said. "Me as a person who wants to spark the offense. Sometimes, I don’t like saying it. I like showing it. I try to be that guy that can show it. That’s why in the game, we came out there and I just went to emphasize that right now we’re just playing soft.
"This game, it’s a challenge to see who else is going to be that person. It can just keep being one person. It has to be more people. It’s a challenge for the receiver room to have that guy, the 0-line room to have that guy, tight ends room to have that guy. We have to be that, especially in this conference."
The Steelers will look to find their groove much like they did at the end of the 2022 season, but unlike many on the outside, the team is looking at the players for better execution.
"We can say what we want, but like I said, players play; coaches coach. We just can’t keep looking and pointing fingers. We’ve got to point at ourselves. It’s the man in the mirror," Harris said. "This is the NFL. Everybody runs the same damn plays, you know what I mean? Everybody disguises it differently, but it’s just how are we going to play it? I think we’re just not playing right with that edge right now. We need to do better."
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