Najee Harris sees something special in Steelers offense
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers rolled to another victory in their preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons, running up a 17-0 lead before their opponents picked up a first down without a penalty on the way to a 24-0 victory.
The Steelers went undefeated in the preseason last year, but not all 3-0 records are built the same and Harris has a different feeling about this undefeated start to the 2023 season.
“Last year we won all three preseason games and came out the way we did,” Harris said. “How we won those three preseason games last year was completely different from how we win them this year. We scored a lot more points, we’re more efficient this year. We scored on the first two drives of all three games this year. You see it meshing a lot better. … In the preseason last year, we didn’t accomplish the things we did now.”
Harris praises talent on Steelers offense
Harris thinks this is the best the Steelers offense arrived in 2021 because of the buy-in, continuity and, of course, the talent.
“I think this is the best offense I’ve been a part of here. And not just that, but the accountability and the way we’re bonding now and the way we’re all bought in.”
Harris added that during his first two years, he the Steelers offense didn’t have a good feel for its identity. Players now understand their roles and their positions better with coordinator Matt Canada’s system firmly in place and Canada agreed.
“I do think we’re better, we’re more experienced, we have an identity among our team,” Canada said. “I think we know who we are. I think Kenny’s being the quarterback and having the reps and having the timing - all those things … I think they’re all better.”
‘There’s so many weapons out there’
Harris feels that the improvements from the offense will make his life easier as defenses are forced to pay more attention to George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, Kenny Pickett and a drastically improved passing offense.
“There’s so many weapons out there,” Harris said. “They can’t focus just on one thing now. They’ve got to focus on the whole offense.”
The 3-0 start has been nice and the positive energy has resonated around the locker room, but it comes with a healthy amount of realism. The Steelers aren’t crowning themselves champions after three preseason games and are eager to prove that the hype is really deserved when the preseason starts.
Offense has looked really good, best since I’ve been here. But now we got to focus in on the regular season. That’s really what matters most. Not looking too much into the media and social media and how good they’re saying we are, staying focused and not buying the fools gold.”
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This story was originally published August 30, 2023 at 5:37 AM with the headline "Najee Harris sees something special in Steelers offense."