Harrison underrated, period

[thumper]

I don't know why this guy isn't worshiped in Pgh and
by Steeler fans every where.

We supposedly value defense, LBs and hard hits.
He gives us all of that more than any player in
the entire league. I can't think of any player out there
who can provide more of that than 92 does. Lewis is
old and even in his prime, did he wreck people as
often as 92? LT in his prime was the best ever. I
will give him the edge, barely. LT didn't kill people
with hard hits the was 92 does though. Any time
you see 92 on a play, he is applying - legally - the hardest
shot imaginable. He never seems to miss an opportunity
to wreak havoc.

A Browns fan wrote to me that Harrison is a coward and
*****. Only a Browns fan could be that moronic. Seriously.
If there was on person on earth that I would say doesn't
deserve a coward label, it's 92. He is as bad @ss a person
that I have ever seen.

I love the guy, and I don't care what angry musings he has
to offer - the more angry he is, the better.

What _isn't_ this guy good at? He can hit better than anyone,
he is a monster pass rusher, he can cover and he can catch
the ball, and he can run it back after he does. The guy is great.

[BIGNASTY91]

Couldnt agree more. I love harrison and have no problem with his comments. Without harrison the defense would be missing a major link that makes them who they are!!!

[steelerchad]

Originally Posted by thumper

I don't know why this guy isn't worshiped in Pgh and
by Steeler fans every where.

We supposedly value defense, LBs and hard hits.
He gives us all of that more than any player in
the entire league. I can't think of any player out there
who can provide more of that than 92 does. Lewis is
old and even in his prime, did he wreck people as
often as 92? LT in his prime was the best ever. I
will give him the edge, barely. LT didn't kill people
with hard hits the was 92 does though. Any time
you see 92 on a play, he is applying - legally - the hardest
shot imaginable. He never seems to miss an opportunity
to wreak havoc.

A Browns fan wrote to me that Harrison is a coward and
*****. Only a Browns fan could be that moronic. Seriously.
If there was on person on earth that I would say doesn't
deserve a coward label, it's 92. He is as bad @ss a person
that I have ever seen.

I love the guy, and I don't care what angry musings he has
to offer - the more angry he is, the better.

What _isn't_ this guy good at? He can hit better than anyone,
he is a monster pass rusher, he can cover and he can catch
the ball, and he can run it back after he does. The guy is great.

I think James is a great player, but I think you're overating him a little by saying he is a close 2nd to LT. He is suppossed to make all the plays in our defense. Almost all the players we've had in the recent past have put up big numbers playing outside LB for the Steelers. Name the worst starting outside backer the Steelers have had in the last 15 years. Probably Clark Haggans. But he was pretty average in our system. Lloyd, Green, Gildon, Porter, Woodley have all had great numbers but some of that is system. When ranking the all time greats, I just don't know where to put him. He's gone from camp fodder most of his career to being one of the dominant defensive players the last 4 years, but it's only been a 4 year career really.

[thumper]

Originally Posted by steelerchad

I think James is a great player, but I think you're overating him a little by saying he is a close 2nd to LT. He is suppossed to make all the plays in our defense. Almost all the players we've had in the recent past have put up big numbers playing outside LB for the Steelers. Name the worst starting outside backer the Steelers have had in the last 15 years. Probably Clark Haggans. But he was pretty average in our system. Lloyd, Green, Gildon, Porter, Woodley have all had great numbers but some of that is system. When ranking the all time greats, I just don't know where to put him. He's gone from camp fodder most of his career to being one of the dominant defensive players the last 4 years, but it's only been a 4 year career really.

Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Did the LBs make
the system or did the system make the LBs? Yes, OLBs kick
@ss for Pgh, but they also happen to be kick @ss players.
Haggans is not great but the rest of that list are, except for
Gildon in his last few seasons. I disagree that I am overrating
JH. As good as those other LBs are, none of them ever won
DMVP. But Lloyd, Green, Porter and Woodley would be great
any where, not just in Pgh. And JH is nastier than all of them.
He doesn't just get sacks, he gets tons of forced fumbles AND
he hurts opponents all game long - more so than any of the LBs
on that list. He won't have the longevity as others, but for the time
he is in his prime, he is a bigger difference maker than any of
those past LBs. Pgh puts a premium on the OLB position - we
know that. Great LBs are the key to the 3-4, as well as having a
great nose tackle. We know that, by how many draft picks they
use on OLB alone. They don't usually use a first rounder on
them, but they certainly use lots of volume for LB picks.

[Steelerfreak58]

He needs to just shut his mouth and play football.

[steelerchad]

Originally Posted by thumper

Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Did the LBs make
the system or did the system make the LBs? Yes, OLBs kick
@ss for Pgh, but they also happen to be kick @ss players.
Haggans is not great but the rest of that list are, except for
Gildon in his last few seasons. I disagree that I am overrating
JH. As good as those other LBs are, none of them ever won
DMVP. But Lloyd, Green, Porter and Woodley would be great
any where, not just in Pgh. And JH is nastier than all of them.
He doesn't just get sacks, he gets tons of forced fumbles AND
he hurts opponents all game long - more so than any of the LBs
on that list. He won't have the longevity as others, but for the time
he is in his prime, he is a bigger difference maker than any of
those past LBs. Pgh puts a premium on the OLB position - we
know that. Great LBs are the key to the 3-4, as well as having a
great nose tackle. We know that, by how many draft picks they
use on OLB alone. They don't usually use a first rounder on
them, but they certainly use lots of volume for LB picks.

To answer your question, I think you have to give the edge to system based on the fact that almost all of the Steeler LBers have been productive in this system. However, when they have gone elsewhere that production has declined. Some slightly such as Porter and others more drastically such as Gildon, Lloyd.

I wasn't arguing that Harrison is not better than the recent Steeler LBers. For these 4 years he has been the most productive. Comparing him favorably to LT in his prime, I have issue with. I'm just not sure where he stacks up all time. His body of work is short. I just think it's kind of crazy to think that this guy was cut a few times by 2 different teams and then voila, he's one of the greatest of all time. I don't think he's this good in any other system. And when you look at our LBers that have left for other teams, there was a dropoff in just about every case.

I think the guys an absolute beast on the field and probably the most feared defender in the NFL right now. But he won't make the HOF for longevity reasons, and I'm not sure why nobody thought this guy could play for the first half of his career. But the fact remains that when his peers were racking up stats, he was riding the pine, playing special teams, and slamming Browns fans to the turf. Those lost years can't be recovered and he's too old to play long enough to be considered an all-time great imo.

[steeltheone]

Originally Posted by steelerchad

I think James is a great player, but I think you're overating him a little by saying he is a close 2nd to LT. He is suppossed to make all the plays in our defense. Almost all the players we've had in the recent past have put up big numbers playing outside LB for the Steelers. Name the worst starting outside backer the Steelers have had in the last 15 years. Probably Clark Haggans. But he was pretty average in our system. Lloyd, Green, Gildon, Porter, Woodley have all had great numbers but some of that is system. When ranking the all time greats, I just don't know where to put him. He's gone from camp fodder most of his career to being one of the dominant defensive players the last 4 years, but it's only been a 4 year career really.

Good post...Greg Lloyd was one mean sob and the others played more productive longer.

[thumper]

Gildon was a worthless bum for 2 years BEFORE he left. Cowher
was just being a dumb ass and kept him around even though he
sucked because Cowher can be slow, mentally. Lloyd was only
unproductive after he left because he had a SEVERE staff infection
the year before and it had eaten half his ligaments and tendons in
that wheel. That was the only reason he was washed up.

[harrison'samonster]

I think Harrison's a draw with Lloyd. But other than that, I'd take Harrison over all the other linebackers the Steelers have had for the past 25 years.

[steeltheone]

Originally Posted by harrison'samonster

I think Harrison's a draw with Lloyd. But other than that, I'd take Harrison over all the other linebackers the Steelers have had for the past 25 years.

Thats a strong statement on 4 years...