Steelers continuous bitching about James Harrison shows how mentally weak they are

Philip G. Pavley/USA Today Sports

I really can't get enough of this. I've watched clips of Steelers players talking about James Harrison's exit more than a few times and I laugh like it's the first time I've heard them say anything. I could drink this stuff like it's water.

They are some of the biggest crybabies I've ever seen and it is truly incredible. When your focus is talking about a guy that is no longer on your team in the middle of a game week, that tells me your head isn't in the right place.

Let's recap some of what the players said recently.

Maurkice Pouncey:



The idea that Pouncey seems shocked that Harrison went to New England is probably the funniest thing about all of this. Where did you think he was going to go, Cleveland? He wants a chance to play and win a title. The Patriots had a need at linebacker. It makes all the sense in the world that he'd go there.

And the whole legacy thing? That's like saying Brett Favre ruined his Green Bay legacy by going to Minnesota for two years. Sure, people were pissed. But the Packers still wound up retiring his jersey. Sorry to break it to you, Maurkice, but you can't wipe the record books. Harrison is still a Pittsburgh legend whether you like it or not.

Bud Dupree via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“It feels like he went to the Patriots just to spit in Coach Tomlin and Mr. Rooney’s face. That’s all it was to us,” Dupree said. “Like basically you spit on your teammates, you spit on us because the whole season you’ve been shown as someone different than what you were supposed to, so-called, be to us — other than a leader.”

Dupree also said that Harrison slept during meetings and would leave games when he found out he wasn't playing, which is obviously not a great look for Harrison. But if I'm on a team that tells me they have a role for me and they end up not using me at all, I'd be pissed and would want out too. I can't say I'd have done the same things Harrison did to force his way out, but I'd have a hard time trying to stay professional. What makes it worse is that Harrison had reportedly been asking the Steelers to release him since after Week 1 and it took them until just a few days ago to finally do it.

Dupree is also definitely now terrified of Harrison giving the Pats more info.

“If he did that, that’d be real fugazi, lame, L-12, pull-up-on-’em type … you can’t just take the whole playbook. Now you’re going too far. But he may have did that. You never know. He may be at that point where he’s so mad, he probably just said, ‘All right, I don’t really know the playbook this year, but I’m finna take the whole playbook to Bill and let him do what he does.’ ”


This is the epitome of another team being in your head. Dupree is scared of the Patriots whether he admits it or not. The whole team is. If they're going to talk this openly about legacies being ruined and being upset about Harrison taking plays to Bill Belichick, just put the Patriots in the Super Bowl already. Pittsburgh has no chance.

Le'Veon Bell is the only one on the team who spoke to the media about this and seemed to be in the right frame of mind.


Maybe I'm just jaded, but that's the kind of response I'd expect from a veteran. Even though Pittsburgh is almost guaranteed to be locked in to the No. 2 seed, there is still a very, very, very, very slim chance they can still get the No. 1 seed. That's where the focus should be.

And this is what makes it so great to be a Patriots fan. You will never hear them say anything like this, and they had to live through questions about Aaron Hernandez. They'll continue to play up the Jets and talk about winning the game this Sunday and you won't hear anyone say anything about the Steelers that would give them a reason to get fired up.

That's the difference between a team that knows how to act vs. a team that doesn't. And now Harrison is much better off.

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