Sometimes all an athlete needs is an opportunity.
For Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Josh Harris, he very well could get the opportunity of a lifetime as the undrafted rookie likely will get his first NFL start and see his most action as a professional when the Steelers play host to the Baltimore Ravens Saturday night at Heinz Field in the opening round of the NFL Playoffs.
That opportunity is something that Harris relishes.
“You hate to be in this situation because a teammate gets hurt,” said Harris. “But at the end of the day I’m here to do a certain job and you have to make sure that you are on it and you don’t let your teammates down.”
Harris likely will get the opportunity on Saturday because starter Le’Veon Bell will likely be inactive after suffering a knee injury late in the Steelers AFC North clinching win over the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday night.
The rookie knows he won’t be able to fill Bell shoes, but welcomes the opportunity to show his teammates what he is capable of.
Since being promoted from the practice squad on November 18 following the release of LeGarrette Blount, he has rarely seen the field as the Steelers have leaned on Bell heavily for four quarters.
But Harris has made the most of his opportunities in practice to give the coaching staff and his teammate’s confidence in him.
“I feel like I have shown that I can be that guy,” said Harris. “Le’Veon is the best back in the league so it is hard to take him out. I see what the coaching staff sees in him. I’m just ready for any chance I get. If they call my name and say Josh we need you to have a few more carries then I will totally be ready for that. ”
The road for Harris from undrafted free agent to potential starter in a playoff game has been a long one.
At Wake Forest, he rushed for 720 yards and five touchdowns in just four starts as a redshirt freshman before a slew of different injuries limited him to a total 1,510 yards and 12 touchdowns in his final three years.
Harris ended up leaving college on a sour note as well, by accusing his college coaches of bad-mouthing him and costing him a chance at being drafted.
That worked out well for the Steelers though as many in the organization would say they were surprised that Harris went undrafted.
Harris is only 5’11”, but he is a solid 220 pounds and has the ability to hit the hole aggressively and fall forward after contact.
Spending the first 12 weeks of the season on the practice squad, Harris hopes he if anything has earned the respect of his teammates.
“I think they do,” added Harris. “I just hope they see me as a guy who can make our jobs easier. We have maybe the best offensive line in the league and they certainly make it easy on me. I just want to be able to make it easy on them as a running back.”
How easy Harris can make things for the Steelers remains to be seen.
He’s still a guy who has been on the practice squad for most of the season and saw a career-high of only 11 snaps on Sunday.
The bottom line is that Harris has only gained 16 yards on nine NFL carries, so while many may feel confident in him heading into Saturday, truthfully no one knows what to expect.
Harris did give Steelers fans a glimpse of hope though when he broke loose on a 53-yard run against the Bengals that was ultimately called back because of a holding penalty.
“Everyone saw what he was capable of on that long run,” said fellow running back Dri Archer. “I pretty confident in both of us if Le’Veon can’t go.”
The likely scenario for the Steelers is that while Harris likely will get the start on Saturday, you will likely see a game plan from Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley that is focused very heavy on attacking the poor Baltimore secondary.
I would also expect to see more of Archer and possibly newcomer Ben Tate in passing situations.
There’s no doubting that if Bell can’t play the Steelers are going to have their work cut out for them, especially considering that Harris and Archer have a combined 56 yards rushing between them.
Don’t tell that to Harris though as if anything he will be prepared to answer the bell against the Ravens if called upon.
“I will do everything I have to do all week to prepare,” said Harris. “As soon as they need me I will be ready.”
Sometimes all you need is an opportunity.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
