As rookie season nears finish, Steelers' Najee Harris not basking in personal success

Najee Harris believes all rookies enter the NFL with expectations, and he’s no exception.

And as he prepares to finish a season in which he leads all first-year running backs in virtually every statistical category, one would think he exceeded any realistic goals.

Harris, though, quit caring about personal success during the season and focused on cementing the foundation of a Pittsburgh Steelers offense that includes three other rookie starters.

“The way the year played out and the way I just viewed everything of how young our team is, some of those goals shifted more to how can we improve as a team?” Harris said this week after being named the team’s rookie of the year. “It was getting other rookies going. I think my goals shifted to how I can help the team more and improve and get better each game.”

It’s safe to say Harris has done his part. In three of the past four games, he has topped 90 yards rushing, and he enjoyed a breakout performance Monday night in a 26-14 victory against the Cleveland Browns when he rushed for a season-high 188 yards on 28 carries.

In the process, Harris set the franchise single-season rookie rushing total, eclipsing Franco Harris’ 1,055 yards from 1972. Najee Harris increased his total to 1,172 yards heading into the final game of the regular season Sunday at Baltimore.

The strong finishing kick contradicts the so-called rookie wall that is supposed to hit first-year players sometime around December. In college, players are used to a 12-game schedule that typically ends after Thanksgiving. In the NFL, players face a 20-game grind, including preseason.

Harris said he is fanatical about taking care of his 6-foot-1, 230-pound build. He also is a fan of inspirational quotes and saw enough compiled by author Miyamoto Musashi that Harris was inspired to read “The Book of Five Rings,” which was written in the 1600s.

Harris saw Steelers quarterbacks receive the book as a Christmas gift and asked for a copy.

“It talks about how taking care of your body is important for a warrior,” Harris said. “I think that’s true and just in life. I think that has helped me a lot.”

Not only has Harris rewritten many team rookie records, he is fourth in the NFL in rushing and scrimmage yards, and the next time he fumbles will be his first. He has taken 296 carries and 366 touches without putting the ball on the ground.

“It’s his whole makeup: mentally, physically, his knowledge of the game,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. “He’s such a great competitor. Everything that encompasses Najee is built for it, not just his physical body. He’s so competitive. As you watch him push the pile, he makes sure he gets the first down. Those last extra inches are so critical to a drive continuing. He does everything he can possibly do and knows where he has to get to.

“We’ve watched that grow exponentially from the start of the year to now, and he continues to do that. A lot of that comes from 11 men doing their job right.”

According to fellow rookie Pat Freiermuth, Harris has made sure to stay in tune with the other players on offense, particularly those doing the blocking. It’s a group that included two other rookies in left tackle Dan Moore and center Kendrick Green.

“He’s always doing the extra things,” Freiermuth said. “That’s something a lot of us can learn from him. At such a young age, he’s been able to act like a vet in that way.”

Ben Roethlisberger was appreciative of Harris’ performance against the Browns because it helped the 39-year-old quarterback win his final game at Heinz Field. It reminded Roethlisberger of how, in his second season, he helped Jerome Bettis get a Super Bowl ring in his final season.

“He’s going to be a lot of fun to watch here for a long time,” Roethlisberger said. “I told him when he got here: This town loves its defense and loves running backs. He’s got a chance to really embrace this town and for this town to embrace him. I think he loves that challenge.”