Dunlap: James Harrison Deal Speaks Volumes About Jarvis Jones

[Lady Steel]

James Harrison will be a Steeler again.

James Harrison will be 37 in May.

James Harrison still — apparently — has some gas left in his tank.

That’s a good thing for James Harrison.

Is this all a good thing for the Pittsburgh Steelers? Maybe.

Is this all a good thing for Jarvis Jones? Absolutely, positively not. He has been a severe underachiever, there’s really not any other way to put it. This isn’t golf or bowling — guys in the upper reaches of their 30s aren’t supposed to be able to hang with a guy who is 25 at linebacking in the NFL.

But Jones is letting this happen.



http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/...-jarvis-jones/

[Butch]

If I remember right it took James a while to catch on, maybe he can coach up Jarvis and get his head on straight. I am not ready to right off Jones or Shazier just yet.

[BigNastyDefense]

Who do we have to play opposite of Jones right now? Moats? I don't see how this signing is an indictment of Jarvis Jones.

[Mojouw]

So Dunlap has Moats locked in as the other starter? He does know that there are TWO starting OLB positions in this defense?

[Devilsdancefloor]

Hojo i think will push for a OLBer job. plus i thinkhis is a great move harrison is a beast he can help all these LBers they are training together in AZ. this helps Peezy out a whole lot

[fansince'76]

No, actually, it speaks to the team's lack of depth at the position, but whatever...

Who do we have to play opposite of Jones right now? Moats? I don't see how this signing is an indictment of Jarvis Jones.

Exactly.

[LLT]

Im not entirely sure that Harrison will be the starter at EITHER side. I expect him to be in quite a bit as a rotational player, but not at the expense of either Jones OR Moats. Not unless one of them falls apart or gets hurt.

[Psycho Ward 86]

i dont have the greatest confidence in jones but this was a must sign even if jarvis jones looked like an all-pro last year. depth is absolutely damning

[Shoes]

If I remember right it took James a while to catch on, maybe he can coach up Jarvis and get his head on straight. I am not ready to right off Jones or Shazier just yet.

Exactly, Jone's needs to get stronger, even if he doesn't think so. Lets see where he's at after another year of injury free football. I think Shazier will make a big impact this season if he stays healthy. He's an athletic monster, but I still think about the comment of his teammates when they said he (Shazier) didn't work hard enough.

[Steelman]

I think the James Harrison effect of James working his ass off every single day is what we need more than anything at this point, regardless of whether he starts over Jones or not, or whatever controversy Dunlap is trying to stir up.

I personally think Jarvis was turning a corner before the injury and Shazier showed a lot of athletic promise in between his injuries. You sandwich those two between Harrison and Peezy for a full summer and training camp, I think that will reap major dividends in the long run.

[86WARD]

He should be a part time player...just like he was last year...

[Dwinsgames]

at this point I think its Moats job to lose in Worilds old spot , sure we will add a draft pick there as well but at this point in time I see nobody on the roster to unseat him , Hojo is not going to do it ( not yet anyways ) ... I also think we will see rotational play between Jones and Harrison at first anyways and see how it works out ...

[Steeldude]

Im not entirely sure that Harrison will be the starter at EITHER side. I expect him to be in quite a bit as a rotational player, but not at the expense of either Jones OR Moats. Not unless one of them falls apart or gets hurt.

No point in signing Harrison if he isn't the starting ROLB. Why give Jones the job? He has shown nothing.

[Mojouw]

At this point, I am more intrigued with how Harrison can help with the development of Howard Jones rather than Jarvis Jones.

Moats is likely a "finished" product at this point. He has been in the league for long enough that he is what he is going to be be - a versatile LB that won't get you beat, but won't win any awards either.

Jarvis just doesn't seem to have the tools to work with. Howard Jones does seem to. Maybe both JOnes's still have room for improvement. Should be a reason to watch preseason games for the first time in awhile!

[steelreserve]

What this really does is give us one less hole to fill and takes a bit of the pressure off. DB was/is a bigger problem, but what was available was a solution to our OLB depth. One less problem to worry about for now. We'll probably still get someone in the draft, because this isn't the answer for more than a year or two. But now I don't think we have to go crazy.

Moats being the way he is, is just fine. Everyone can't be a superstar. In fact, you absolutely NEED a few guys like that - effective but not flashy, but they don't cost you $8M a season or a first-round draft pick, because there aren't enough of either to go around. If he can be the Larry Foote of outside linebackers, which is basically the same as Clark Haggans of 2015, then good. It's better than spending $9M there on a guy who sucks.