It’s never a good thing to hear a football opponent call one soft. But Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris didn’t seem to care all that much about the derogatory descriptive word on October 3.
Reporters asked Harris if he had any reaction to Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin calling him soft after Week 4. Harris smiled and responded, “No.”
“He’s a great player, man. Great player. We were going back and forth at it all game,” Harris said to the media, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “Competition man. It is what it is. Tip my hat off in victories, tip my hat off in defeats. So when I saw the comment, I was just laughing.”
“You can talk whatever you want. It is what it is. You can’t win them all.”
Najee Harris on Zaire Franklin’s post about him after the Indy game, “He’s a great player … I was laughing, like ‘hey man, you won, you can say whatever you want.’”
Franklin’s “soft” comment describing Harris came on his X (formerly Twitter) in response to a Colts fan writing the Indianapolis defense “owned” Harris on September 29. Franklin wrote, “Kid is soft. 84 run harder.”
The No. 84 referred to fellow Steelers running back Cordarrelle Patterson.
Patterson ran for 43 yards on just six carries, averaging 7.2 yards per rush against the Colts. In the same game, Harris averaged under 1.5 yards per carry, running for 19 yards on 13 attempts.
Steelers’ Najee Harris Laughs Off Major Diss
There’s probably two different ways to view Harris’ clap back, or lack thereof, to Franklin after the Colts linebacker called him soft.
In the past, the veteran running back has supported the idea of winners get to brag while losers have to take it. So, after gaining only 19 yards and the Steelers losing 27-24 to the Colts, Franklin earned the bragging rights.
And maybe what Harris said about him and Franklin “giving it” to each other throughout Week 4 was true. Franklin’s tweet was just a continuation of that.
Furthermore, Harris showed good sportsmanship not engaging in public trash talk through the media.
On the other hand, one NFL player calling another soft in a conversation with a fan on social media isn’t going to come across as friendly trash to a lot of people. It’s actually a pretty big dig, and some Steelers fans may not care that Harris finds it funny.
It was no laughing matter that Harris posted the worst yards per carry average since December 2021 versus the Colts. Harris is averaging 3.4 yards per rush through the first four weeks this season.
He’s never been a particularly efficient running back. But last year, he averaged 4.1 yards per carry.
Will Harris Break Out Against the Cowboys?
Harris has a matchup in Week 5 that could help him look much stronger. The Dallas Cowboys will enter Sunday Night Football with the sixth-worst run defense in the NFL.
Three of Dallas’ first four opponents averaged at least 4.9 yards per rush.
But last week, the Cowboys run defense greatly improved, as the unit held the New York Giants to 26 rushing yards on 24 attempts. Dallas also last played on Thursday, September 26, so the Cowboys defense will have extra time to prepare for Harris.
So, it’s hardly a guarantee Harris experiences a breakout performance Sunday night. In fact, the Colts are the No. 31-ranked run defense in the league, and they had no issues stopping Harris.
The Steelers hope the same doesn’t happen against the Cowboys.
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Steelers’ Najee Harris Responds to Major Diss From Colts LB