Does James Harrison fit in New England? He was just released from Pittsburgh



James Harrison has been terrorizing the NFL's quarterbacks for 10 seasons in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform. He won't be wearing one in 2013 though as he's just been added to the growning lost of veteran pass rushers on the market.

NFL.com
"We have informed James Harrison that we have released him," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said in a written statement. "James has been an integral part of our success during his years in Pittsburgh and has helped us win two Lombardi trophies during that time. We appreciate all of his efforts and wish him the best."

Harrison joins players like Dwight Freeney, Osi Umenyiora and John Abraham as established veterans looking for a place they can contend for a ring.

For a team like the Patriots, who are still desperately searching for a pass rush, this is great news. Finding players to get after the Quarterback is, in my opinion, the number one priority for the Patriots this off-season. A veteran who can get after the quarterback and also help mentor young Chandler Jones? Even better. Now, there's four big names to choose from.

James Harrison is the most recent one, and while it may seem appealing, it's possible he's not the best fit. The reason being that he's played as an outside linebacker in the Steelers' 3-4 scheme all these years, recently the Patriots have switched their base to more of a 4-3. The difference? Harrison would be playing defensive end instead of linebacker.

Of course, they don't play any one package exclusively in New England, and with the league's passing games getting more and more dangerous teams play their sub packages (designed to stop pass, extra DB on field) more and more than their base. Could Harrison fit as a sub-rusher? Sure. Would he want to play that role? Big question mark.

The other thing about Harrison is that, well, he just hasn't been that dynamic pass rusher he's famous for. Players get released for a reason, and just like Freeney and Abraham, there's a reason they were let go from their teams.


Still, that's probably an issue if you're paying Harrison big money to carry your pass rush. If you're going to bring him in cheap as a player to rush on passing downs, like the Patriots likely would, it's a different story.

Harrison, famous for his nastiness on and off the field, would bring an edge that the Patriots probably need more of. It's a move that I see as unlikely, but I wouldn't rule it out entirely. The Patriots wouldn't have much to lose bringing him in if the price was right. Of course, that's always a big if.

Post a Comment
Share