DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Harrison NFL Def. Player of the Year

I know everyone is focused on a new coach but...player development has a great deal to do with success. Look at Cribbs. We wonder how Pitt does it with their defense but they do invest in players and sometimes get lucky. I saw this on Yahoo Sports and it confirms that the best rated players are not always the best.

Harrison 1st undrafted AP Defensive Player of Year
By ALAN ROBINSON, AP Sports Writer

AP - Jan 5, 12:15 pm EST 1 of 4 NFL Gallery PITTSBURGH (AP)—James Harrison wasn’t drafted out of Kent State, was cut four times before finally making it onto an NFL roster, yet is The Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year in only his second season as a Pittsburgh Steelers starter.

A tough road? For sure. Now, it gets even more difficult for Harrison, a self-made player who won an honor normally reserved for stars.

Joe Greene, Mel Blount and Jack Lambert, Defensive Players of the Year for the Steelers during the 1970s, are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Rod Woodson, the 1993 winner, could be enshrined in Canton as early as next year.

So all Harrison must do is play at a Hall of Fame level the rest of his career, right?

“I’ve got a whole bunch more to go to even be mentioned in the category of that group of guys,” Harrison said.

What Harrison has done in a brief time is remarkable enough.

Harrison earned 22 votes to 13 for Dallas linebacker DeMarcus Ware in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters. The award began in 1971 and, while a large percentage of the winners were first-round draft picks, Harrison is a different kind of first—the only non-drafted player to win.

“It couldn’t happen to a better guy,” wide receiver Hines Ward said. “He’s worked his tail off to get to where he is. You appreciate it more, considering where he came from and how he got here.”

Supposedly too short and not quite fast enough to play in the league, Harrison was helped along by two major breaks after not getting any for a couple of years.

A week before the Steelers went to camp in 2004, outside linebacker Clark Haggans was injured, causing coach Bill Cowher to bring back Harrison literally hours before camp began. Harrison had been cut three times previously by Pittsburgh. Later that season, Joey Porter got into a pregame fight in Cleveland, and Harrison unexpectedly made his first NFL start.

“Somebody else’s misfortune is somebody else’s fortune,” Harrison said. “It’s just hard work, perseverance and little blessings here and there.”

A lot of sacks, too—24 1/2 the last two seasons.

The intense, competitive Harrison began progressing after he quit fighting the structure and regimen of pro ball, so much so the Steelers released Porter after the 2006 season and made Harrison a starter. He was chosen by his teammates as their MVP in each of the two seasons since.

“It should have been unanimous,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said.

This season, Harrison had a team-record 16 sacks and led the league with seven forced fumbles as the Steelers allowed the fewest total yards, passing yards and points. They just missed—by about 60 yards—becoming the first defense since the 1970 NFL merger to lead the league in the four major defensive statistics.

“I do what the defense allows me to do and what my teammates allow me to do,” Harrison said. “If those other 10 guys do their job, I do my job and play within the confines of the defense and how coach (Dick) LeBeau teaches us, I make the plays I’m able to make.”

Teammate James Farrior said Harrison’s workouts remain the talk of the locker room. Harrison works out as many as three times daily during the offseason, adding an evening workout if he didn’t like one of his daytime sessions.

“He’s very tuned into what he has to do to make himself better,” Farrior said. “That’s all he strives for, to try to be better than anybody else, and you can see his determination when he’s out there on the field.”

Harrison still plays on special teams—he had 12 tackles there—and is so willing to take on extra roles that he filled in as a long snapper when Greg Warren was hurt Oct. 26 against the Giants. Even when Harrison’s bad snap led to a Giants safety, his teammates rushed to defend him.

While the Steelers had four Defensive Players of the Year from 1972-76 (Greene (1972, 1974), Blount (1975) and Lambert (1976), Harrison and Woodson are their only winners in the last 32 years.

What a coincidence that two of the best linebackers in their history came from the same school—Lambert also played at Kent State—and both were downgraded by some scouts for supposedly not being physically equipped to play in the league.

“Just to prove people wrong and I can do this,” Harrison said when asked what motivates him. “I can do this at this level.”

Posted Jan 4 2009

From AP News report on Yahoo

As much as I can't stand the Steelers, Harrison is a true beast. And, he's from Kent State, baby!!

I wonder if he grew up a Browns fan like Lambert did (Mantua). I know Harrison went to Coventry (Akron) HS.

Seems I remember hearing that when he was a free agent few years ago. I really wanted us to grab him up. Oh well...

Ha...I thought Rodney Harrison at first (by the title).

He deserves the award - a beast on the defense. What a story as well. A true diamond in the rough.

I don't think he really was any more deserving than any of the other candidates.......I guess it all depends on the definition of the MVP award......when I think Most Valuable Payer...I think of a player that is just that...that if you take him away from the team and plug someone else in, could they do the same...and in Harrison's case.....absolutely....It's lilke they breed LB's in Pittsburgh or something....take Porter or Ware for instance.....Porter played in Pittsburgh, and he is doing the exact same thing in Miami.....and he has no supporting cast either....could Harrison do the same thing in Miami......????....Look at Ware......his supposrting cast is average at best....but every year, he puts up big numbers, not 20 sacks..but double digit sacks at least.....and Reed.....he is alot like Harrison...his supporting cast is pretty good too.......but the thing with him is, once he touches the ball, he becomes a very dangerous play maker.....he can take it to the house every time....Congrats to Harrison, but I think it was a toss up......just my opinion though.....

I love Ed Reed,...wonder how close the vote was.

Props to Harrison, he is an amazing LB...I heard on Mike and Mike this morning that he was cut 4 times before finally sticking...not only that, but his first start came when Joey Porter was suspended for fighting with our own William Green before a Browns vs Steelers game...I wonder what would have happened if Porter was never suspended....the same goes for alot of players...look at Matt Cassel, if Brady never got hurt, Cassel would have never gotten his chance. Now Cassel is going to be paid 15 million dollars next season...amazing...

This doesn't make him any better than anyone else. He abused his girlfriend. Such a tough guy and yet the Steelers orginization and their fans still gives this punk a free pass.

I don't give anyone a free pass who is abusive to a woman, including Jim Brown.

Not to mention, most of "that" occurred after his playing days, and according to the post above, he was acquitted of the only charges that were brought while he was in the NFL,.....he may not be a choir boy, but he's no OJS.

It pains me to say this, but he is an animal that truly leaves nothing on the field after every game. Simply amazing.