It came in mid-January from Art Rooney II, who admonished all concerned inside the Steelers' headquarters, "Everybody in the building agrees you can’t finish 32nd in the league in running and feel like you’re going to have a successful season.”

It then came from Kevin Colbert. From Mike Tomlin. From Matt Canada.

By springtime, it came, too, from Adrian Klemm, the newly promoted offensive line coach. A month before the drafting of Najee Harris, Klemm spoke this in a video interview with the team's official website: "One of the things we really want to focus on is just being physical, on bringing the physical aspect to the game back, on playing with passion."

It's now autumn, as of a couple days ago, and not a solitary syllable of that's played out with this sorry offense that's yet to carve out any semblance of identity.

Look, no one needs me to break down how bad it's been. Three total touchdowns. Average total yards of 291.5, fifth-lowest in the NFL. Average rushing yards of 57, still stuck at 32nd in the league. Najee himself has accounted for only 83 yards on only 26 carries. And maybe most maddening, beyond the data, there's been no real rhythm. All three of those touchdowns were set up by flash-in-the-pan splash, and otherwise it's been a sickly string of first-and-10, second-and-8, third-and-8, and boot the ball away.

Or, as occurred five times in the 26-17 loss to the Raiders, the Steelers turned a first-and-10 into a cumulative gain of one or zero yards.

Five times!

Stretch your right arm in front of you as far as possible, and then picture that an NFL offense, built on some of the planet's largest, strongest and/or fastest humans, covered that same distance on three consecutive plays ... five times!

Seems like it shouldn't be that hard, huh?

Well, maybe it shouldn't.

Here's what Najee had to say Friday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex following the week's final practice leading into the game Sunday against the Bengals at Heinz Field: "We're getting some chemistry. It's Week 3. Hopefully, we can keep building, keep improving. We are improving. It might not seem like a lot to the fans and stuff, but it does when we watch film. As long as we keep improving, we're gonna find our identity and capitalize on that."

Here's what Trai Turner, the starting right guard on Klemm's line, had to say on the same subject: "I think it's a continuous learning curve that we're in right now. It's not a bad thing at all. It's just something we need to keep on pushing through. It means that you're fixing old problems and finding new problems. It's always gonna be that way in the NFL. Now, it's about how fast we can correct things."

Now, here's what I say: Pound away.

Not because Cincinnati's defense is bad. Through two games, actually, the Bengals rank 11th in rushing yards allowed at 3.4 yards per carry, right behind the Steelers at 10th. They've got bona fide players on that side of the ball, not least of whom is now noted run-stopper Mike Hilton.

No, I'm referring to nothing more than the Steelers' offense being physical. And that can mean so much more in this divergently violent game than just handing off to the back snap after snap after snap. Which, actually, wouldn't fix a blessed thing given how opponents have stacked the box against the Steelers ever since The Great John Harbaugh Exposé midway through last season.

I'm talking all forms of physical.

Take these offensive linemen, three of whom are relative children at this level, and push pause on all the zone-blocking and any sophisticated scheming, and tell them, as James Harrison once condensed the entire sport into a phrase, "Beat the man across from you." Let that represent a return of the "focus" Klemm had pledged for his group months earlier. And let, in turn, these players feel a little good about themselves. 

Think of it this way: Dan Moore, Kevin Dotson and Kendrick Green are new here, but they're hardly new to their positions, having been multiple-year starters at major colleges. And the one language learned among all offensive lines at all levels is that run-blocking is ... awesome. They love it. They assert themselves. They gain confidence. I've seen few athletes in any walk of life wear wider smiles than a blocker who just steamrolled some other dude all day long.

Imagine this O-line with confidence, and suddenly the entire picture brightens, doesn't it?

Now keep it going ...

Diontae Johnson's knee injury will keep him out Sunday -- see full report below -- so seize the chance to limit the wideouts to a couple, or occasionally a third with James Washington. And emphasize to Chase Claypool fighting -- again, physically -- to make catches. He had that rep at Notre Dame, but he sure left it in South Bend. He's got every tool to be 11 times more physical as a receiver than he's been. And he needs only to watch JuJu Smith-Schuster to see how that works.

But stick with two wideouts most often. Not just because Ben Roethlisberger publicly -- and rightly -- complained about all of Canada's three-wide and four-wide formations, but also because Pat Freiermuth, who catches everything in his radius, can help with blocking, with being more physical to catch the ball and, never to be forgotten, in venturing into the middle of the field that's become forgotten ground since the Harbaugh Expose planted that single-high safety out there like a scarecrow.

Talk about living in one's fears:

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NFL NEXT GEN STATS

It's as if Randy Fichtner never left.

Utilize not one tight end but both. Freiermuth should never leave the field and, from there, go with Eric Ebron when catches are needed, Zach Gentry for additional blocking. Just like that, the offense has more weight, and its greatest uncertainty -- the line -- gains support. 

I mean, I could toss in dispatching Derek Watt as a fullback, but that'd be purely for comic relief.

The point stands: Put into practice what's been preached. It might not work Sunday and, even if it does, it won't be pretty. But good luck conceiving any other formula for this offense, with this personnel, to succeed on any broader scale. Which, I'm guessing, is what the owner had in mind.

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS

Najee Harris stretches before the Steelers begin practice Friday morning at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

• I've referenced a few times since Najee's arrival how he does so much of his on-field work alone. Not quite sure what to make of it, but I've found it fascinating, so I snapped it again before this session, seen just above.

He's a different dude. Not in any bad way.

Afterward, he told the tale of a buddy calling to complain he wasn't doing enough for his fantasy team.

"I mean," he'd conclude with a grin, "I hung up on him, of course."

T.J. Watt, a limited participant in this practice, and Devin Bush and Joe Haden, both full participants, all appear set to play Sunday. 

The week's final injury report:

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T.J. didn't exactly elaborate on his status after practice, saying only that he felt "pretty good" and that, "I always feel comfortable going into a game. It doesn't really matter how many reps you get during the week. I was able to do a lot of things running around here that I need to be able to keep the door open for Sunday. I'm excited to get the rest of today and tomorrow to improve my body and see where I am Sunday."

There's no suspense. He'll play.

But what might his percentage be?

"That'll never be a question for me. If I'm gonna play, I'm gonna play like I always do."

Alex Highsmith's out, but Melvin Ingram, who's been among the defense's most dynamic performers, will replace him. And the D-line, which is missing Stephon Tuitt, Tyson Alualu and now Carlos Davis, has boasted some of the summer's most impressive depth with Chris Wormley, Isaiah Buggs and Isaiahh Loudermilk.

I'm not seeing an excuse in there.

Same goes for the offense, which will replace Johnson with James Washington, and which plainly avoided the worst-case scenario with Ben, as anticipated, returning to full participation on this day.

 Turner spoke for the first time since the spitting exchange with the Raiders' Marquel Lee, confirming that someone spit at him -- without naming Lee -- and adding, "Really, with that situation, I'd just like to say thanks to Coach T, and thanks to my teammates for having my back. Looking back, maybe I could keep my cool better. But when you're presented with circumstances that you're not familiar with, when you're in foreign territory ... that can happen. Moving forward, I'm putting it behind me."

OK.

• Just a gorgeous day for a football practice. Spirits soaring, too. Lots of fun to go with the business. Loved to see and hear it.

And this, too:

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CAITLYN EPES / STEELERS

Cam Heyward walks onto the practice field wearing Mean Joe Greene's No. 75 Friday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

Amazing to see Cam Heyward walk through that door on this day wearing No. 75 as a tribute to the greatest player in franchise history, on the occasion of his 75th birthday.

Never, ever let anyone cite anyone else in that category, by the way. Mean Joe Greene is to the Steelers what Mario Lemieux is to the Penguins and Honus Wagner is to the Pirates. All three have elite company, obviously, but all three belong right at the top with their respective teams.

In all my years in journalism, I've trembled out of respect exactly twice when interviewing people. Once was during a phone call with Colin Moulding, bassist for XTC -- which I still can't believe happened -- and the other was a face-to-face with Mr. Greene in Latrobe.

• The rest of the football world notices the Steelers' O-line issues, too, in the aftermath of losing the venerable core of Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, Alejandro Villanueva and Ramon Foster.

The Bengals' veteran defensive tackle, Larry Ogunjobi, told Cincinnati reporters this week, "They've always had the backs, but it's their offensive line that's been together for a long time. They knew how to play with each other. Pouncey, DeCastro, Villaneuva. They had some young troops and they had to rotate when they lost Ramon, but you had guys that had been in the league a long time. One of the best things you can have is experience."

Only one way to rewrite the script.

• Not a hot take, I swear, just an honest question: Which team has a stronger skill group on offense, the Steelers or the Bengals with Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins?

Not talking potential, either. Right now.

Now compare that same group to those in Cleveland and Baltimore, and it's easy to see why Cincinnati's not being laughed off anymore.

Higgins will be listed as doubtful for Sunday, incidentally, because of a shoulder injury.

• Do not miss what Ramon has to say on the O-line today:

""

No, I'm not paraphrasing it here. Watch it. It's outstanding.

• The Nation's reaction to the loss to the Raiders, at least from this perspective, was akin to that of a playoff loss. And I get that. The most predictable pattern in sports fandom is that people hate having their hopes built up, then blown up. And the loss to the Raiders was, in so many ways, precisely what the victory over the Bills wasn't.

The truth, as with most of life, lies somewhere in the middle. The Steelers aren't one of the AFC's top two teams, as the Bills were in 2020, but they also don't have the worst offense in the world. There's too much talent, too much will.

Just need to get it together.

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