Mike Tomlin: Steelers RB Najee Harris had a ‘in actuality honest originate up’ in HOF recreation
Najee Harris’ field come by from Thursday’s Corridor of Reputation Game would possibly maybe maybe additionally now not stand out, however the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running again confirmed why he’ll be the membership’s workhorse in 2021.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin loved what he saw from Harris in the 16-3 exhaust over the Dallas Cowboys.
“I believed that he confirmed one of the important things that he’s been showing in prepare settings,” Tomlin acknowledged, per the team’s official site. “That’s what we were procuring for. We weren’t procuring for the spectacular. I talked to him and others all the contrivance thru the path of the week. We wished to invent routine performs, automatically. We wished the pile to tumble forward and things of that nature. He did the total things we were gazing him invent. It be a terribly honest originate up for him.”
Taking half in into the second quarter, Harris toted the rock seven times for 22 yards and added a reception on a masks that went for three yards. Harris’ 3.1 yards per lift will now not be peep-popping, however the rookie displayed the capability, capability to catch to the threshold, and paddle-recreation acumen to be a 3-down RB honest out of the gate.
“He wasn’t huge-eyed. He was as soon as appealing for prime time, appealing for action,” backup QB Mason Rudolph acknowledged of Harris, by task of Brooke Pryor of ESPN.
Harris’ future went for six, but he confirmed the power to set aside a shoulder into a defender and grind out extra yards after contact, something the Steelers sorely neglected from their backs closing season. He additionally owns enough tempo to catch to the threshold, displayed persistence to the line of scrimmage, and honest steadiness. One other key was as soon as the shortage of opposed performs from the RB. Appropriate one of Harris’ runs misplaced yardage. If Pittsburgh can steer clear of the misplaced-yardage opposed performs that plagued it closing 12 months, off the bat, they’re in better shape.
Having a understand admire a Steven Jackson replica, Harris would possibly maybe maybe additionally now not possess blasted off a huge jog Thursday evening, but he displayed the qualities that will invent him a incompatibility-maker in Pittsburgh. For the duration of preseason action, we’re now not procuring for enormous stats from of us that play, but whether they pronounce the traits that will lift over as soon as the valid games originate up. Harris suits that invoice for the Steelers.