Things have not been going well for the Pittsburgh Steelers on the offensive side of the ball thus far in 2023. The team currently ranks 25th in points scored and 29th in yardage gained as they have failed to consistently find success moving the ball.
A lot of the blame has been placed on the coaching staff, namely offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Fans have been clamoring for him to be fired for a long time now and with good reason. He isn’t putting the players in a position to succeed with poor play calling and scheme design.
But, there are some people who firmly believe in the coaching staff and the job they are doing. One of those people is Steelers running back Najee Harris. He spoke out in support of head coach Mike Tomlin, Canada and the entire coaching staff, saying the issue doesn’t lie with them. Instead, the blame should be placed on the players.
“It has nothing to do with coaches. It’s players,” Harris said, via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, in response to the media narrative blaming coaches for Pittsburgh’s slow offensive start. “We have to play better.
“We just can’t keep looking at the coaches or whatever you guys keep putting out there. It’s just stupid what you all are doing. Players play, coaches coach.”
In many regards, Harris is correct. While the game plan may leave a lot to be desired, it is still up to the players to perform to the best of their abilities. To this point, they have fallen woefully short in several areas.
For things to start turning around in Pittsburgh, Harris believes the players need to start taking accountability. Instead of placing the blame, they need to look in the mirror and accept they have to do a better job on the field.
“We can’t just keep pointing fingers. We’ve got to point at ourselves. It’s the man in the mirror, really.”
There are a lot of areas on the Steelers which need to be improved. They are currently 28th in the NFL in overall PFF grade and last in offensive grade. Pittsburgh is the worst pass-blocking team in the NFL currently and 28th in run-blocking.
Until that gets turned around, it will be impossible for this offense to find any sustained success. If the job isn’t getting done in the trenches, the rest of the unit will crumble around that.
