New England Patriots: James Harrison shows he has something left
New England Patriots linebacker James Harrison had quite the debut, showing that he still has something left in the tank.
The New England Patriots were handed a gift the final week of the regular season. They were able to find a pass rusher, one of the best in the history of the NFL nonetheless, to add to the playoff run.
The Patriots landed linebacker James Harrison after he cleared waivers. The Pittsburgh Steelers decided to waive their all-time sack leader, and he ended up with one of their AFC rivals. It was a move that irked fans and Steelers alike.
Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey ripped Harrison apart on his decision to sign with the rival Patriots. Fans burned his jersey. It was one of the things that Harrison addressed in his statement about departing Pittsburgh.
Harrison spent 14 seasons with the Steelers in his 17 season career. He has 80.5 sacks in his Steelers career and was one of the most vaunted pass rushers in the NFL. However, he found very little playing time this season in Pittsburgh.
It was one of the things Harrison touched on in his statement. He wanted to play, and the Steelers didn’t give him that opportunity.
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The Steelers have been transitioning to a younger group at linebacker headlined by Ryan Shazier, Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt. All three players are first round picks. Shazier was in 2014, Dupree in 2015 and Watt in 2017.
At 39-years old, maybe he was slowing down and the Steelers didn’t believe he could help them any longer. After one week with the Patriots, it looks like the Steelers may have made a mistake if they thought Harrison didn’t have anything left in the tank.
In his first game with the Patriots, Harrison made a big impact. After playing only 40 snaps with the Steelers through the first 16 weeks of the season, Harrison saw the field for 27 snaps against the New York Jets in Week 17. He made the most of the chance and wrecked havoc in the Jets backfield.
Harrison tied for second on the Patriots with five tackles despite playing fewer than half the snaps. He also registered two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, two total quarterback hits and forced a fumble.
2 sacks in @jharrison9292's @Patriots debut! #HaveADay #NYJvsNE pic.twitter.com/xMRSdJlH7H
— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2017
It was quite a debut for Harrison. It was a shrewd move by the Patriots, one that keeps them atop the NFL standings and makes fans of other teams loathe them even more.
With all of the injuries the Patriots have suffered, specifically at the linebacker spot and on the edge, the acquisition of Harrison was a huge one. He gives the Patriots a bonafide pass rusher that won’t shy away from the postseason spotlight.
Harrison has dominated in the playoffs in the past. Last season the Steelers unleashed Harrison for the postseason and he responded with 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and 15 tackles in three games.
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The Patriots are hoping that he can provide that type of production this postseason once again. If his debut was a sign of things to come, opposing offenses are going to have their hands full with a Patriots defense that has been underrated this season.