Mark Madden's Hot Take: Steelers need to execute their prehistoric vision of running game, defense

If the Steelers are determined to win via running the ball and elite defense, they need to be able to run the ball and play elite defense. The Steelers did neither last season.

Najee Harris finished 15th in the NFL with a meager 1,034 yards rushing. He averaged just 3.8 yards per carry and had only one 100-yard game.

The Steelers defense was 10th in points allowed, 14th in yards allowed, 14th in takeaways and 14th in sacks.

Harris, a former first-round pick, was mediocre.

The defense, the NFL’s highest-paid, was mediocre.

If the Steelers insist on clinging to a prehistoric vision of football long since spurned by the better teams, at least excel in the ancient methods prioritized.

Here’s my formula for the Steelers doing better than 9-8 and perhaps winning a playoff game:

• Harris needs to finish among the NFL’s top five rushers, gaining at least 1,200 yards and averaging above 4 yards per carry.

• The defense needs to finish top five overall and finish top five in points, yards, takeaways and sacks.

If that’s your approach, do better at it. Execute your ideology.

I’d prefer they let quarterback Kenny Pickett take more risk and see if he was worth drafting in the first round.

Pickett won’t ever be Joe Burrow.

But see how close he can get. If there’s a huge gap, Pickett was a bad pick. If he’s made into a game manager, Pickett was a bad pick.