Pittsburgh Steelers star running back, Najee Harris joined The Rich Eisen Show Wednesday afternoon. Harris was scheduled to appear on Monday July 18th, 2022, but he was rescheduled and appeared later on the program. Harris, who was drafted in the first round by the Steelers in the 2021 NFL Draft, set a rookie Pittsburgh record for rushing last season to help the Steelers make the playoffs in Ben Roethlisberger’s final season.
A 9-7-1 record is a little different from his college experience at Alabama. Harris has had the good fortune of playing for two of the best coaches in football. He spent his college experience with Nick Saban and his young NFL career to date with Mike Tomlin. Eisen asked Harris if there were any similarities between the two:
“No. I’ll tell you right now, no. Saban is strictly business, no matter what. Mike T gets to know you more, he is like more of a people person. He will come in the locker room and crack jokes. The only similarity they have is a knack for winning. But how they win, and their formula is completely different, but they do know how to win.”
The two coaches on the surface don’t seem to have anything in common besides results. Harris confirms that the two men go about the business of coaching differently, but he has tremendous respect for both coaches. His tongue sounds like it is firmly in his cheek when discussing that Saban is 70 years old and Harris does give him credit for being "old man" funny, but he thinks Tomlin at age 50 is just hipper.
@najee_harris Twitter
Harris clearly enjoys his role as an ambassador for the game of football, and the veteran radio host Eisen noticed the vibe and asked him, "What was bigger? The sombrero he wore in Mexico? Or the ketchup bottle being removed from Acrisure Stadium?"
“I had a good time in Mexico. Just the culture,” Harris gushed. “Man, I wanted to do more. I wanted to wrestle, 'cause they had a wrestling thing going on. I swear to God, I wanted to go off the ropes and do like a DDT or the Randy Orton thing an RKO, but I had security with me, and they said no you don’t want to go down there.”
Football players traditionally are huge fans of professional wrestling and the Steelers legacy of producing players who moonlighted as wrestlers stretches back to Eugene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb and all the way to James Harrison’s sensational turn last year in the Starz drama series Heels detailing life in a struggling, small wrestling promotion. It is doubtful that the Steelers are willing to risk Harris to the injuries that often occur in the squared circle. Based on his obvious enthusiasm and already appearing in an AEW Dynamite show, if Monday Night Raw comes to town, the front office may want to assign someone to keep him away from the show.
AEW Dynamite
Harris has been tapped by Tomlin as a natural leader, who seems comfortable in his role as the voice of the offense. He has a natural charisma that people just gravitate towards and based on the history of the franchise, if the Steelers return to smash mouth football this fall, the running back could fast become one of the most popular players in recent memory. Pittsburgh fans traditionally would rather see a physical seven-yard run for a first down on offense and Harris is just the man for the job.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Does the Madden snub and his desire to be physical make you root harder for Harris? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
