Things are going from bad to worse for the Pittsburgh Steelers after a disastrous 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns Sunday on the road that dropped the Black and Gold to 6-4 on the season.
If the loss to a rookie fifth-round quarterback in Cleveland’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson making his second career start wasn’t frustrating enough, things are seemingly starting to boil over in the locker room, too, which has running back Najee Harris quite frustrated.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Harris stated that there are things going on around the Steelers that aren’t seen publicly, and that he’s “tired of the shit” following an offensive performance that saw the Steelers gain just 239 yards.
According to tweets via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Joe Rutter, Harris was rather frustrated after the loss and stated that he can’t say what he wants to say, but that the team is going to have a talk, especially offensively.
“I want to say what I really want to say, but it’s difficult,” Harris said after the loss, according to a tweet from Rutter. “…We’re going to have a talk as a team. That’s the best way to say it. …All of us, offensively, I think.
“…There is a lot of stuff that goes around that you guys don’t see. I’m just at a point where I’m tired of this shit.”
What the “shit” is that he’s tired of remains unclear. Could it be attitudes offensively, guys not buying into the plan consistently, guys worried more about their individual stats than winning? Harris remained rather vague.
The tweets might sound bad, but here’s Harris in video form, via the Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski.
One thing is clear though: Harris is fed up, especially after the offensive performance that was one of the worst of the season and one of the worst of the Matt Canada era.
Harris had just 35 rushing yards on 12 carries and added one catch for one yard, taking a big hit on the play, too, while he was largely in a defenseless position.
Though the Steelers are 6-4 and still in the playoff picture, Harris is concerned with the offense’s performance.
“You can do one of two things. You can look at the record and say, ‘Ok we’re still good right now’ or you can look at the record and say ‘If we keep playing this football how long is that shit going to last?’
“I look at it like how long is that shit going to last?”
Over the last two weeks the offense was good enough, especially running the football. There was the 166-yard output against the Tennessee Titans in Week Nine, and then 205-yard output against the Green Bay Packers last week. But then, things really fell flat on Sunday against Cleveland, outside of Jaylen Warren’s showing.
The offense couldn’t consistently move the football, couldn’t block things up well enough on a consistent basis, and there was no real passing attack to even build off of to create some running room or play-action opportunities.
Yes, the Steelers are 6-4, but it’s a fair question from Harris: How long is this going to last? How long will this be sustainable?
Harris also raised eyebrows after the game by stating that in some instances defenses know what is coming from the Steelers’ offense, hitting again on the predictability under Canada, which has been an issue all three seasons that he has been the offensive coordinator.
Things are not well after the loss to the Browns. It’s going to be a long week in the Steel City ahead of the Week 12 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
