Steelers Aggressive Practice Leads Najee Harris To Taunt The Entire Defensive Unit

The Pittsburgh Steelers are well in to training camp. It has been full of highlight plays and skirmishes, but the coaching staff let the players take the pads off for practice on Thursday. This is normal, as the team will play in their annual scrimmage on Friday night. There hasn't been one side of the ball that has completely dominated the other, unlike recent years. The offense seems able to compete, which has caused tempers to flare up and intensity to reach a high.

The Steelers first day of pads was on Tuesday, so they spent their last two practices bringing one another to the ground and trying to take heads off. It's hard to go from that to just wrapping each other up. Thursday, the defense had a few instances where they were playing as if the pads were still on. Patrick Queen brought a few ball carriers to the ground, as did Miles Killebrew. Steelers writer Christopher Carter noticed clear agitation on both sides of the football.

Najee Harris has been vocal throughout the entirety of training camp. He has been yelling at the running backs to make sure they each finish their repetition in a strong manner and he had things to say during backs on backers. It's almost as if he is playing with a clear chip on his shoulder after having his fifth-year option declined. 

It's unclear what Harris' motivations are, but the way he has been acting in training camp seems like it has to be recipe for success. He should be set up for the best season of his career. He will likely be running behind the best offensive line that he has seen, while operating Arthur Smith's run-heavy offense.

The physicality in these training camp practices seems to be coming from the linebackers. Queen took a few players to the ground during practice on Thursday, while Elandon Roberts laid a late hit on Justin Fields on Wednesday. Thankfully, much of the offensive line came to Fields' defense. Leading the charge were rookies Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick, which was great to see and probably reminded many fans of Maurkice Pouncey.

This isn't the same team that was seen in 2023. Sure, there's new faces. However, there also seems to be a new attitude. Every player seems to want to set the tone, everyone seems motivated, and this team seems to be set to do some damage once the regular season kicks off.

Steelers' Arthur Smith Has Already Made An Impact On The Offense

Smith had a few questionable years as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, but there is no doubting that he was one of the best coordinators in league before that time. He ran one of the most successful offenses in the NFL while his offense was being ran by Ryan Tannehill. The offense should be set up for success better than they have been in recent years.

The new offensive coordinator is also making an impact on players mentally. He is forcing them to run laps whenever they mess up. It has been seen from players who commit pre-snap penalties, and it likely is also done for getting assignments wrong or dropping passes. The offense seems to know their identity going into 2024. They have a motivation to be better, and possess a certain physicality that the Steelers have been missing.

What do you think about the physicality and aggression that has been seen at training camp? Let us know in the comments below!

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