Is Warren Better Than Najee?

[LakecrestSteeler]

Najee being injured is almost a blessing in disguise from the snapshots today.

Harris looked awful and slow. Warren looks so much faster and he blocks like a mad man! He threw some terrific locking blocks today at full speed. I was impressed with his speed and blocking…he was getting 3 yards on many broken plays.

Najee just looked like something was wrong with him. Running into the line. No vision to bust off the line. Slow. Not powerful. Was he not 100%? Maybe he just needs the touches to turn into a gamer, which he did not get today.

So difficult to evaluate talent in this Canada offense!

[Orangesteel]

Our RB room is bottom three maybe league worst. And it just got really bad if Najee is gonna miss time

[Jizz Mop]

Ben Tate plz, should be on the “emergency playoff Rolodex” in Tomlin’s think tank.

[langer]

I am thinking he was hurt last year, he was super gimpy in the last game, and it hasn't healed, and possibly a terminal injury.

That said, he kinda got twisted up and over, looked painful. But him not being on the field very much prior to that was very curious.

Trending to huge bust, maybe one of the biggest ever for the Steelers.

Nice guy though. I mean, I was expecting Dickerson or George Rogers, even Ricky Williams...he's not even close. Running right into the back of Derek Watt on the goal line for some reason. Crazy.

[fractalsteel]

Warren had a few nice pickups in Pass Pro and a really nice block on the Claypool reverse late that got good yardage.

[Jizz Mop]

Warren had a few nice pickups in Pass Pro and a really nice block on the Claypool reverse late that got good yardage.

And long Gentry reception right?

[LakecrestSteeler]

I am thinking he was hurt last year, he was super gimpy in the last game, and it hasn't healed, and possibly a terminal injury.

That said, he kinda got twisted up and over, looked painful. But him not being on the field very much prior to that was very curious.

Trending to huge bust, maybe one of the biggest ever for the Steelers.

Nice guy though. I mean, I was expecting Dickerson or George Rogers, even Ricky Williams...he's not even close. Running right into the back of Derek Watt on the goal line for some reason. Crazy.

Running into Watt’s back was straight out of high school vision on a college team. Maybe he doesn’t like using fullbacks. There was nothing there, but the O-line won on that play and he could have bounced it either way I suspect.

[fractalsteel]

Warren had a few nice pickups in Pass Pro and a really nice block on the Claypool reverse late that got good yardage.

And long Gentry reception right?

I don't know or remember. And I don't think I can rewatch this game. Maybe it will be on a mash up later. Certainly was a nice run by the big fuck.

[LakecrestSteeler]

Warren had a few nice pickups in Pass Pro and a really nice block on the Claypool reverse late that got good yardage.

And long Gentry reception right?

Negative. That was all linemen on that play. 3 guys were out there with Gentry, all OL. Was impressive that they were all out that far and all 3 engaged!

[cop1211]

And this is why you don't draft a RB in the first round.

[Orangesteel]

And this is why you don't draft a RB in the first round.

They should have drafted Elijah Mitchell in the 5th round.

[Ice]

And this is why you don't draft a RB in the first round.

Sad to say it, because I really do like the guy, but you (and the conventional wisdom) are probably right. Hopefully he can get it together. Going to need everybody we can get. Warren was impressive today, though, and when the inevitable comes, he and Kenny already have some decent chemistry from the preseason.

[langer]

But does Warren have better character and a better back story than Najee, because that's extremely important.

This is yet another case of NFL PR BS overwhelming the actual reality, which is that Najee in his second year is currently no better than a dude off the street and might well be used up already.

There's a reason. Chasepool was the leading rusher yesterday. The Pgh media won't be asking why.

[zeke5123]

And this is why you don't draft a RB in the first round.

Yep. Had a meltdown on the draft discord when Harris was drafted. I know many cheered the pick. But a first round pick on a RB has such a low likelihood of being good value because:

1. RB is a commodity position — it is easy enough to find a competent RB without spending major resources.

2. RB is not a long-term position. Players often have a four-five year shelf life; maybe less if injuries take hold.

3. Therefore to get value you need the RB to be a superstar from day 1 (ie top 3-5 back in the NFL).

It was clear early on that Harris was not a superstar. Competent RB? Sure. He was starter caliber but he wasn’t elite. He was maxed out physically but wasn’t Derick Henry strong nor all that fast. So I called him a bust early on. Many mocked me (eg KC). But it seems at this point I am vindicated.

[bradshaw2ben]

And this is why you don't draft a RB in the first round.

They should have drafted Elijah Mitchell in the 5th round.

I feel pretty good about drafting him at 140 in the board draft.

[tbsteel]

How dare you even hint that Najee isn't an absolute beast. We all know if the '82 hogs were blocking for him he'd be getting like 4.3 yards a carry instead of like 3.8 and then everyone would see his amazing, elite skill set. Like how he can, uh, hurdle dudes for meaningless half yard gains that don't really accomplish nothing, or how he can run into a pile of defenders instead of taking obvious cutback lanes which he's too slow to take advantage of anyway, and how when he runs straight at a defender he takes another half second or so of standing up before he's considered down like some guys... I mean, it's obvious why this guy is such a stud. Have you seen his quads? Man he's so great.

[Steeldrama]

And this is why you don't draft a RB in the first round.

They should have drafted Elijah Mitchell in the 5th round.

I feel pretty good about drafting him at 140 in the board draft.

Why?
Kid’s made of glass
Missed 7 full games last year and parts of others including yesterday due to a myriad of injuries
Has some talent but how many more injuries would he and others of his ilk suffer in the dysfunctional Steelers offense

[Steeldrama]

How dare you even hint that Najee isn't an absolute beast. We all know if the '82 hogs were blocking for him he'd be getting like 4.3 yards a carry instead of like 3.8 and then everyone would see his amazing, elite skill set. Like how he can, uh, hurdle dudes for meaningless half yard gains that don't really accomplish nothing, or how he can run into a pile of defenders instead of taking obvious cutback lanes which he's too slow to take advantage of anyway, and how when he runs straight at a defender he takes another half second or so of standing up before he's considered down like some guys... I mean, it's obvious why this guy is such a stud. Have you seen his quads? Man he's so great.

Wow at this point your disdain for Najee has rolled over to full on trolling toward those few of us left who actually like the kid and have a basic understanding that he’s just one part of the problem on a highly dysfunctional offense

[langer]

How dare you even hint that Najee isn't an absolute beast. We all know if the '82 hogs were blocking for him he'd be getting like 4.3 yards a carry instead of like 3.8 and then everyone would see his amazing, elite skill set. Like how he can, uh, hurdle dudes for meaningless half yard gains that don't really accomplish nothing, or how he can run into a pile of defenders instead of taking obvious cutback lanes which he's too slow to take advantage of anyway, and how when he runs straight at a defender he takes another half second or so of standing up before he's considered down like some guys... I mean, it's obvious why this guy is such a stud. Have you seen his quads? Man he's so great.

See, this guy gets it.

"The mark of a great running back is:.....his eyes." Has Najee ever had his vision checked? Serious question.

Here's some incredible running by a big white guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6qe_7sK-6Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLSn9hR5j0s

[zeke5123]

How dare you even hint that Najee isn't an absolute beast. We all know if the '82 hogs were blocking for him he'd be getting like 4.3 yards a carry instead of like 3.8 and then everyone would see his amazing, elite skill set. Like how he can, uh, hurdle dudes for meaningless half yard gains that don't really accomplish nothing, or how he can run into a pile of defenders instead of taking obvious cutback lanes which he's too slow to take advantage of anyway, and how when he runs straight at a defender he takes another half second or so of standing up before he's considered down like some guys... I mean, it's obvious why this guy is such a stud. Have you seen his quads? Man he's so great.

Wow at this point your disdain for Najee has rolled over to full on trolling toward those few of us left who actually like the kid and have a basic understanding that he’s just one part of the problem on a highly dysfunctional offense

I don’t think anyone hates Harris specifically. The hate is directed at the thought process of using a first round pick on an overaged RB when there are serious holes up and down the roster.

[tbsteel]

How dare you even hint that Najee isn't an absolute beast. We all know if the '82 hogs were blocking for him he'd be getting like 4.3 yards a carry instead of like 3.8 and then everyone would see his amazing, elite skill set. Like how he can, uh, hurdle dudes for meaningless half yard gains that don't really accomplish nothing, or how he can run into a pile of defenders instead of taking obvious cutback lanes which he's too slow to take advantage of anyway, and how when he runs straight at a defender he takes another half second or so of standing up before he's considered down like some guys... I mean, it's obvious why this guy is such a stud. Have you seen his quads? Man he's so great.

Wow at this point your disdain for Najee has rolled over to full on trolling toward those few of us left who actually like the kid and have a basic understanding that he’s just one part of the problem on a highly dysfunctional offense

I don’t think anyone hates Harris specifically. The hate is directed at the thought process of using a first round pick on an overaged RB when there are serious holes up and down the roster.

Exactly.

He comes across as a genuinely great kid and I can see why he's already looked at as a leader in the locker room. He's confident, an extremely hard worker, and a great interview.

But he's not a very good RB. Vision, decisiveness, burst. Three absolutely critical traits you need to be a difference maker at RB. He has none of those at a level that makes any real difference in the NFL level. We will never have a great running game handing the rock to this guy 20+ times a game unless we have a top 3 o-line, which isn't happening anytime soon.

[Deebo]

How dare you even hint that Najee isn't an absolute beast. We all know if the '82 hogs were blocking for him he'd be getting like 4.3 yards a carry instead of like 3.8 and then everyone would see his amazing, elite skill set. Like how he can, uh, hurdle dudes for meaningless half yard gains that don't really accomplish nothing, or how he can run into a pile of defenders instead of taking obvious cutback lanes which he's too slow to take advantage of anyway, and how when he runs straight at a defender he takes another half second or so of standing up before he's considered down like some guys... I mean, it's obvious why this guy is such a stud. Have you seen his quads? Man he's so great.

Wow at this point your disdain for Najee has rolled over to full on trolling toward those few of us left who actually like the kid and have a basic understanding that he’s just one part of the problem on a highly dysfunctional offense

I don’t think anyone hates Harris specifically. The hate is directed at the thought process of using a first round pick on an overaged RB when there are serious holes up and down the roster.

Ding ding

[langer]

disdain for Najee

He's outplayed by UDFAs all across the league with varying o-line effectiveness.

He is just not that good. If you think high-character good-looking photogenic players who dress well and have great smiles and great backstories are how games are won, he's good for a billion points in those categories.

But UDFAs bagging groceries on Saturday can play better NFL football and not run directly into the back of a slow plodding blocking FB who's the brother of TJ.

They haven't even updated Warren's bio on the official Steelers site and he's most likely the new starting RB. LOL.

https://www.steelers.com/team/players-r ... en-warren/

PRO CAREER
Has yet to make NFL debut

[Steelcody7]

Some of you are fools, haha. Najee may not be an all-pro but the guy produced last year with a terrible OL and way past his prime Roethlisberger. He had a documented foot injury going into the game yesterday and probably shouldn't have played.

[COR-TEN]

Some of you are fools, haha. Najee may not be an all-pro but the guy produced last year with a terrible OL and way past his prime Roethlisberger. He had a documented foot injury going into the game yesterday and probably shouldn't have played.

Najee is a solid player. Long term, as long as he stay's healthy.

It's an equalizer in a sound system. All levels are above average. Yeah, he's not elite, or isn't going to bust out as the next coming of barry sanders, but he'll fill the need admirably. Is that not enough? Apparently not.

No, I'm not mentioning the O line, which sucks.

[LakecrestSteeler]

Warren had a few nice pickups in Pass Pro and a really nice block on the Claypool reverse late that got good yardage.

This was like a video game block by Warren!

https://twitter.com/renegadeadam/status ... xT-KBNcMDA

[Steeldrama]

They should have drafted Elijah Mitchell in the 5th round.

I feel pretty good about drafting him at 140 in the board draft.

Why?
Kid’s made of glass
Missed 7 full games last year and parts of others including yesterday due to a myriad of injuries
Has some talent but how many more injuries would he and others of his ilk suffer in the dysfunctional Steelers offense

….and now Mitchell out the next 2 months
Yep
Major durability issues
Can’t help your team in the tub

[Orangesteel]

Mitchell is more of an example. There are a shitload of RBs, very good RBs, in between Najee in RD1 and Mitchell in RD6.

I think we are all rooting for Najee. Can’t not root for the dude. But he has to, HAS TO, hit for us. Him and Bush just being OK will be a massive failure, and Bush is very much trending in that direction.

[Jobu]

Take this for what it’s worth…
https://www.si.com/nfl/steelers/.amp/ne ... jor-injury

[langer]

Defenders are going to be going after that foot, feel bad for the guy, he's under the gun and needs to get on with showing his stuff. Can protecting him with limited reps and only in for passing downs for the entire season be justified. He does have a great smile.