I love this stat line in the new ESPN article on Watt:
Watt was the only NFL linebacker with at least 50 tackles, five sacks, five passes defended and an interception last season.
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
I love this stat line in the new ESPN article on Watt:
Watt was the only NFL linebacker with at least 50 tackles, five sacks, five passes defended and an interception last season.
Yeah. Surely not the coach/gm who has traded, cut, benched, and whatever players left, right, and center over his entire tenure in a constant attempt to maximize his "assets". Not that dude.Originally Posted by Born2Steel
I remember Harrison claiming he had a back injury, and being allowed to sit out of camp drills... and people lambasting Tomlin as being “soft” on Harrison. Some insinuated that Harrison had “pulled one over” on Tomlin, because (again) Tomlin is too “soft”.
In the meantime, Watt was taking a firm grasp of the starting spot... and whether James was faking or had a real injury, it allowed Watt to be the opening game starter.
Then, as I’ve said before, Harrison responded (by his own admission) by being disruptive during team meetings. Discipline ensued, followed by heel-digging... into a downward spiral.
Will T.J. Watt start? James Harrison doesn't know
James Harrison is not participating in training camp, maybe not even for another two weeks. But he is not standing around, watching.
He is in the gym at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe in the early morning, doing those maniacal workouts he posts on social media. In the afternoon, while his teammates are practicing on one of the grass fields, he is on another, wearing a sweatsuit with long sleeves and pants and doing cone drills, sprints and grunting as though he is doing a 600-pound squat. Perspiration has darkened the gray color of his sweats.
“Practicing would be a lot easier than the stuff I’m doing,” Harrison said, nodding toward the practice field.
Harrison is getting antsy, not just for the start of what will be his 15th season with the Steelers, but to get on the practice field with his teammates. At age 39, he is ready to go for another year, thankful the Steelers still want him around at right outside linebacker.
But the process is going to have to wait a little longer.
“As long as everyone stays healthy, I don’t see doing anything for at least 10 to 14 days,” Harrison said.
That is the Steelers plan for Harrison, who, despite his age, played in 18 of the 19 games in 2016 and still led the team with five sacks — the ninth time in his career he has had at least five in a season. That was the most games he has played in a season since 2010, when he appeared in all 16 regular-season games and three postseason games.
For now, they will give all the first-team snaps to rookie T.J. Watt, their No. 1 draft choice, and get him ready to split time with Harrison, the team’s all-time sack leader with 79½. Who starts will be determined at a later date, but Harrison showed in 2016 he got better as the season wore on.
“We’ll see how it works,” Harrison said. “I don’t know what they’re going to do.
“That’s something you will have to ask them. I mean, who don’t want to start?”
Harrison began 2016 splitting time with former No. 1 pick Jarvis Jones, but, as the games became more important Harrison spent more time on the field. He started the final seven of the regular season and all three postseason games, registering 5½ sacks in those 10 games. That included 1½ sacks along with 10 tackles and a forced fumble in the wild-card playoff game against the Miami Dolphins.
“I think my numbers showed the more I played the better I played,” Harrison said.
Harrison’s strong finish convinced the Steelers to bring him back for at least one more season. Harrison, though, didn’t need any more proof. Unlike the previous season, when he said he wanted to take a six-week conditioning period to determine if he wanted to come back in 2016, the one-time NFL defensive player of the year made no such declaration this year.
“I didn’t need to be convinced,” Harrison said. “I was convinced once I started the year, back when I came to training camp.”
Meantime, he waits. And trains. And grunts, putting his body through workouts that marvel even his teammates. He said he feels fine, though he concedes it’s not getting any easier.
“It does get tougher,” Harrison said. “You just find ways to try and cope and do what you can with what you got left.”
Harrison always seems to have plenty left.
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. Eagles problem now
Right.
Harrison claimed he had a back injury. Tomlin allows Harrison to do his own thing... and Harrison responds by doing those crazy workouts. (NOTE: Being able to work out does not equal being able to participate in practices.)
Insert the rhetoric about Tomlin being “soft”.
Yet, if Tomlin had forced Harrison to participate, Tomlin would be seen as an a$$hole.
Using DesertSteel’s 8-year-old analogy:
The 8-year-old refuses to get out of bed, saying that he has a stomach ache. The parents had planned a trip to Disneyland... but, due to the “stomach ache”, it now has to be cancelled. Suddenly, the 8-year-old is up doing chores (trying to show that he’s all better now). And, grandma tsk-tsk’s the parents.
grandma is a real bitch
James Harrison reveals unsuspected source of communication breakdowns
By: James Kelly
After laying bare his thoughts about Mike Tomlin’s coaching style concerning team discipline and accountability on Undisputed, James Harrison delved more deeply into defensive issues that have undermined Steelers’ efforts to return to the Super Bowl since 2010.
“To be honest with you, we need to play better defense,” Harrison said, “[We] need to get better on the defensive side of the ball. Like I said, you have the best offense in the NFL, in my opinion, over there with the offensive side. So to me, you gotta get better on defense and, you know, just do everything better.”
Asked Thursday on The Herd with Colin Cowherd whether Mike Tomlin is ‘a little loose’ in managing specific details during games, Harrison replied:
“I feel like it needs to be more disciplined, some of the things that they do coaching wise. I feel like some of the situations we were in…as far as time management, calling of defenses. We had a situation where we had double-called defenses because, you know, one thing was said and then someone said something else. You’ve got half the defense playing one defense, the other half playing something else. So, you get situations out there where it looks bad, like this guy doesn’t know what he’s doing. Well, he’s just playing a different defense possibly on that play than what the other half of the defense was playing.”
to read rest of article:
https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/20...on-breakdowns/
Yeah it is a legitimate debate. As far as specifically Steelers it would have been nice if he finished his career with us but regardless he was a great LB and more or less on par with Harrison. Like I said, Porter was the better cover guy and Harrison was better against the run. As far as pass rush it is pretty close. So it isn't as if this discussion is so cut and dry. Particularly if we are talking todays NFL I think you definitely take Porter because he is better in space.
On top of that the majority of Porters career was with the Steelers and they were all good years for us. And as far as him being an all-time Steeler well, the fans thought he belonged in 07. He was voted to the all-time Steelers team as an LB along with Ham, Lambert, Lloyd, and Russel.
Heck, I am not even trying to take a side here but I think it is crazy to just automatically say Deebo was better. It is definitely worth a discussion.
Harrison wants to continue to run his mouth. I guess he knows his legacy is tainted by his selfish antics and figures might as well continue to run his mouth
In a perfect world, a 3-4 team would always have a Porter and a Harrison style OLB to deploy as bookends. Overlapping but complementary skill sets. I think they are different enough that they can both be put on the same level.
In m ty lifetime it has been Lloyd, Greene, Porter, and Harrison that set the benchmarks for all other Steelers OLB to be evaluated. Who is the best? No idea. Not even sure what method to use. I guess if we went by league wide terror instilled it would be Harrison and Greene and then the other two?
Interesting take. Because of his demeanor I would have guessed Lloyd was more feared than Greene (unless you mean tougher to stop?) but my memory of those days are a bit more fuzzy than of the more recent guys. What is funny is you say "overlapping but complimentary skillsets" and I think you could add in personality to that. Harrison was all intimidation through silence and Porter was an absolute loudmouth who tried to get in your head.
Also I agree with your list of 4. Those are the 4 guys for me that would be the measuring sticks.
This isn't surprising at all. At times, the defense does look like its playing two totally different defenses. Communication, time management and "on field discipline" have been shaky at best at times for Pittsburgh.
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SID (Shot in Denver) - JP 1 > JH 0
Or he's looking for a job on TV.
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These stats are all good and fun. But when you talk with Steeler fans, Harrison is far ahead of Porter as the more beloved player. In Steelers lore Harrison ranks higher. That is what I meant by "it's no debate". Deebo was the hard hat, lunch pail, put in the work and let your play do the talking Steeler LB. Porter was awesome in his own right. But as a Steeler, it's James hands down.
James Harrison’s 100-yard pick-six is one of the greatest plays in NFL history.
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Two of the greatest plays in NFL history in the same game, by Steelers! Still incredible to think about.
As Al Michael’s has avered for years: Best. Super Bowl. Ever!!!
fixed it for you
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. Eagles problem now
Oh yeah if we are talking popularity I don't doubt Harrison would win. He has one of the great plays in NFL history to his name, there is a recency bias because he is the more current player, and on top of that Porter is a coach now and with the LB's not producing at a high level that doesn't make him too popular a guy around town either.
I was mainly talking about a pure talent perspective.
No doubt. Hard to believe it was (arguably) topped by a play later in that same game.
I understand your reasoning but I'll still go with the Immaculate Reception over the Immaculate Interception...
I can recall far to many times Porter getting tangled up with a long armed tackle and not being able to shrug him ...
I can count on 1 hand how many times I witnessed that happening to Harrison ......................................
for me personally now way Holmes TD catch was anything near as spectacular as the INT return for a TD , it may have been more decisive ( game winning catch ) but one could easily argue without Harrison's its nothing more than garbage time keep it interesting score ... again thats just my perspective
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touche ....
that debate could be one for the ages
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. Eagles problem now
And yet Porter still had more sacks in less games.
I think some of it is just perception and style of play. Harrison is 6'0 feet and just pure power. One of the strongest bull rushers to ever play the game. He could get low easily on taller tackles and basically just bench press them backward. Porter was 6'3 and had more finesse. Of course he also had power but not like Harrison does/did.
No way of knowing really. Even without the INT do they just end up with a FG? What happens after? Way too many what ifs to ever know. Harrison made the tougher play given his position and athleticism requirements but ultimately Holmes play was more significant. Just glad we got both in the same game.for me personally now way Holmes TD catch was anything near as spectacular as the INT return for a TD , it may have been more decisive ( game winning catch ) but one could easily argue without Harrison's its nothing more than garbage time keep it interesting score ... again thats just my perspective
sacks are great and the thing most look at ... but hits take their toll ... would be interesting to know those numbers
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. Eagles problem now
If James doesn't drop back in coverage instead of rushing the Warner (which is what he was supposed to do), that would have been a Touchdown easily. So James not only intercepted but he read the play and acted on what he thought was about to take place.
I am not saying one play was better than the other. We don't win without either of them. I would argue that the MVP should have been 3 players who were very clutch. Ben, James and Santonio.
I agree with Harrison. A lot of what he said confirms my previous beliefs on Tomlin.
Harrison’s 100-yard INT/TD vs. Santonio’s game-winning TD:
Santonio’s catch won the game, which should give it the advantage. That said, my visceral reaction to Harrison’s INT/TD was like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. I lost my effing mind!!!My heart still pounds just thinking about it.
NOTE: I wasn’t around for the Immaculate Reception. I acknowledge it’s significance, but for me, it’s Harrison’s INT/TD “all the way” (literally and figuratively).
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Could you imagine if Harrison's INT/TD was at the end of the game to to win it? It would be hands down the greatest play in NFL history.Harrison’s 100-yard INT/TD vs. Santonio’s game-winning TD:
Santonio’s catch won the game, which should give it the advantage. That said, my visceral reaction to Harrison’s INT/TD was like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. I lost my effing mind!!!
NOTE: I wasn’t around for the Immaculate Reception. I acknowledge it’s significance, but for me, it’s Harrison’s INT/TD “all the way” (literally and figuratively).
It is a tough call but I have to go with the catch. Put it like this, Harrisons play was fantastic to watch and experience but if we lose the game it is ultimately meaningless. It is only because of the catch that it has the meaning it does. That catch got us our 6th SB ring.
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