Pittsburgh Steelers RB Najee Harris created some shockwaves after the Wild Card round loss to the Buffalo Bills with his postgame comments. He called for some in-house changes to the rules and discipline structure. He specified that he was not calling for changes to Mike Tomlin’s coaching staff, just asking for more structure to help push the players to the next level.
When Steelers team president Art Rooney II spoke with the media Monday during his end-of-year availability, he was asked about his feelings on the need for more structure.
“We have some players that can grow like a lot of teams,” Rooney said, according to 93.7 The Fan. “We have players that need to grow, so that’s all part of it. But I think Mike certainly is capable of handling that side of the house for us.”
As provided by 93.7 The Fan, who aired the entire 20-plus minute interview with Rooney, here’s his full quote.
“I think that this is the time of year where a coach talks to the players and does exit interviews, let’s say, and gets that kind of feedback. I’d probably rather that feedback come to the coach than [the media] to be honest. But all-in-all, look, we won 10 games, made the playoffs.
“There were some ups and downs. We have some players that can grow, like a lot of teams. We have players that need to grow. That’s all part of it. I think Mike certainly is capable of handling that side of the house for us.”
One of the names that came up throughout the discipline discussions was WR George Pickens. A lot was expected out of him this season after a very successful rookie season despite the quarterback situation. However, he grew increasingly frustrated throughout the season and it all culminated in his blocking effort getting called out after a humbling loss to the Indianapolis Colts. So it would not be a surprise if Rooney was speaking about Pickens and others like him.
However, just as Rooney said, Tomlin seemingly handled those issues with Pickens. Despite pushback, Tomlin stuck with Pickett and did not bench him. The very next week after the Colts game, Pickens went off against the Cincinnati Bengals with four catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Evidently, Tomlin knew what was needed in that moment.
Continued buy-in from an incredibly talented player like Pickens will be vital for continued growth heading into 2024. Who the next offensive coordinator is could certainly play a big role on that side of the ball. Rooney also addressed that, affirming that Tomlin has the final say on the hire.
However, there will still need to be some sort of structural change in the locker room. After all, Harris wouldn’t have spoken up if there wasn’t some sort of tangible issue. Rooney does not disagree with Harris; he simply wishes it would have been handled differently.
“I’d probably rather the feedback come to the coach than you guys to be honest,” he told reporters, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko.
No surprise that the Steelers team president would prefer conversations about the locker room to stay in-house.
