James Harrison wants to play one more year

Good article in the NYT

Tomlin laughed when asked if he had an exit interview with linebacker James Harrison, who is considering retirement. Harrison, who had five sacks at age 37, has one year left on his deal but is not sure whether to return. Tomlin called Harrison a “unique” player who would be given the time necessary to see how he wanted to proceed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/sports/football/with-steelers-falling-short-mike-tomlin-gets-right-to-work.html?ref=sports

Translation - "I will talk to Deebo when he wants to talk to me."

Tomlin has been around long enough now he knows it is rare you get the time or opportunity to know players like Harrison, Ben and (I bet) Heath who have been around for a long time - one of the knocks on Coach Noll was he could not bear to cut loose the 70s Steelers when it became the 80s

Tomlin knows it is a business but coming back this year and seeing players like Troy and Ike who were already here when you walked in were gone had to cause him to think about that

One more year....one more year.....one more year.....please, one more year.
James still adds a lot to our defense...on the field, in the locker room and of course in the weight room.
One more year....please.

James Harrison unsure whether he’ll retire or keep playing

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 22, 2016



Two years ago, Steelers linebacker James Harrison retired. This year he may do it again, for good.

Although Harrison came out of retirement in 2014 and has played the last two seasons for the Steelers, he now says he’s weighing his options and may retire permanently this year.

“I’m not ready to make any type of decision,” Harrison said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “If you were to ask me something like that right after a loss, nobody wants to go out with a loss. It’s going to be an immediate, ‘Yeah, I’m coming back,’ not taking into account everything else. Right now, I’m not ready to make that decision.”

Harrison played well last season, recording five sacks, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles and an interception. Although he’ll turn 38 in May, he still appears to have the physical ability to help the Steelers. He just has to decide if he wants to keep going, or call it a career.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/22/james-harrison-unsure-whether-hell-retire-or-keep-playing/

hopefully somewhere else

As long as he's able to do the job, I don't see a problem with having him play for another season.

Harrison has always impressed people as a hitter and made his living hurting people.
But what has impressed me more has been his ability to adapt to the new rules regarding contact.
It took him a while to get his head around the fact that he can't use his helmet as a weapon or that he can no longer pile-drive QB's into the ground, but once he figured it out, he came back as a much smarter and more tactical player (who can still hit plenty when needed).

But even though he can still hit, his biggest strength now seems to be his ability to quickly diagnose a play and then do what has to be done to either stop a ball carrier, hurry or sack a passer or just blow up a play altogether.

Some may miss his ability to KO players and his intimidation level may have dropped a bit, but what Harrison has gained in smarts and cunning is, in my opinion, worth more in the long run.

If he's still good to go, I'd be happy to see him out there!

The love affair Steelers fans have with their players clouds your judgment.

I like Harrison but its time we move on instead of holding onto aging, underperforming players year after year on defense because we cant develop our youth.

Not that many of you remember anything from the 70s teams but one thing Chuck Noll said was his biggest mistake was holding onto his aging players because of loyalty.

Do you think its a coincidence that our defense has been bad the last few years, even with the infusion of youth. Any time spent giving Harrison, Keisel, Foote, Polamalu or any other aging reps slows the development and progression of the defense as a whole.

what does chuck noll know though right guys?

steelers5895 wrote:

The love affair Steelers fans have with their players clouds your judgment.

I like Harrison but its time we move on instead of holding onto aging, underperforming players year after year on defense because we cant develop our youth.

Not that many of you remember anything from the 70s teams but one thing Chuck Noll said was his biggest mistake was holding onto his aging players because of loyalty.  

Do you think its a coincidence that our defense has been bad the last few years, even with the infusion of youth.  Any time spent giving Harrison, Keisel, Foote, Polamalu or any other aging reps slows the development and progression of the defense as a whole.

what does chuck noll know though right guys?

First of all, I think that Noll himself stayed around far longer than he should have.
He lost his edge around the mid 80's and his last five or six seasons were uninspired at best and rather painful to watch.

But to your point, yes, I'm just as guilty as any other fan in holding on to the past, but in Harrison's case I don't think that's the issue.
I don't expect Harrison to be an every-down player.  I think he still has some chops and if he's healthy enough to play I don't see him as a liability.
On the other hand I thought Troy became a liability his last few years both because of the rule changes as well as him losing his quickness and I was also one of the few people who practically had to don body armor in arguing that it was time to move on from LeBeau at least three years before we finally did.

So I'm not one of those people who get all misty-eyed over days-gone-by and if I happen to come across an old 70's Steeler piece on ESPN I don't end up locked in a room crying about how unfair it is that time moves on.

Yes, the defense overall leaves much to be desired, but our issues are primarily in the secondary.
The D-line, though no Steel Curtain, is still pretty solid against the run and our pass rush isn't terrible.  We need to improve the D-line but I don't think that Harrison alone is the reason why it needs work.  Don't forget too that a solid secondary makes the LB's jobs easier and allows them to be more aggressive while a weak secondary forces the LB's to have to worry about coverage more than they ought to.

Yeah, I know how many Steeler fans it takes to change a light bulb, but in Harrison's case, I'm not sure the bulb needs changing yet.

Oh and for the record, I've been a Steeler fan since Terry was in his second year and taking snaps from Ray Mansfield, so I've been to this rodeo a few times.

FanSince72 wrote:

steelers5895 wrote:

The love affair Steelers fans have with their players clouds your judgment.

I like Harrison but its time we move on instead of holding onto aging, underperforming players year after year on defense because we cant develop our youth.

Not that many of you remember anything from the 70s teams but one thing Chuck Noll said was his biggest mistake was holding onto his aging players because of loyalty.  

Do you think its a coincidence that our defense has been bad the last few years, even with the infusion of youth.  Any time spent giving Harrison, Keisel, Foote, Polamalu or any other aging reps slows the development and progression of the defense as a whole.

what does chuck noll know though right guys?

First of all, I think that Noll himself stayed around far longer than he should have.
He lost his edge around the mid 80's and his last five or six seasons were uninspired at best and rather painful to watch.

But to your point, yes, I'm just as guilty as any other fan in holding on to the past, but in Harrison's case I don't think that's the issue.
I don't expect Harrison to be an every-down player.  I think he still has some chops and if he's healthy enough to play I don't see him as a liability.
On the other hand I thought Troy became a liability his last few years both because of the rule changes as well as him losing his quickness and I was also one of the few people who practically had to don body armor in arguing that it was time to move on from LeBeau at least three years before we finally did.

So I'm not one of those people who get all misty-eyed over days-gone-by and if I happen to come across an old 70's Steeler piece on ESPN I don't end up locked in a room crying about how unfair it is that time moves on.

Yes, the defense overall leaves much to be desired, but our issues are primarily in the secondary.
The D-line, though no Steel Curtain, is still pretty solid against the run and our pass rush isn't terrible.  We need to improve the D-line but I don't think that Harrison alone is the reason why it needs work.  Don't forget too that a solid secondary makes the LB's jobs easier and allows them to be more aggressive while a weak secondary forces the LB's to have to worry about coverage more than they ought to.

Yeah, I know how many Steeler fans it takes to change a light bulb, but in Harrison's case, I'm not sure the bulb needs changing yet.

Oh and for the record, I've been a Steeler fan since Terry was in his second year and taking snaps from Ray Mansfield, so I've been to this rodeo a few times.

Noll was around too long? the core of our 90s team was drafted and developed by Noll and his staff....woodson, Lloyd, Foster, Evans, Lake, O Donnell, Nickerson, G. Williams, Eric Green, Dawson, John jackson, etc, etc, etc

To FS72's point, the game passed Noll. And towards the end of his career, the players were no longer responding to him as a coach. It doesn't minimize his contributions to the team during those times, but it shows the way the game changed.

In regards to Troy, I wish the Steelers would have moved him to FS. I think he could've finished out his career there and still be a viable asset to the team on the field and in the locker-room. But it would've required the defense to change some of it's game planning as well as bring in players to be able to play at higher levels than what was on the roster (at that time).

steelers5895 wrote:

FanSince72 wrote:

steelers5895 wrote:

The love affair Steelers fans have with their players clouds your judgment.

I like Harrison but its time we move on instead of holding onto aging, underperforming players year after year on defense because we cant develop our youth.

Not that many of you remember anything from the 70s teams but one thing Chuck Noll said was his biggest mistake was holding onto his aging players because of loyalty.  

Do you think its a coincidence that our defense has been bad the last few years, even with the infusion of youth.  Any time spent giving Harrison, Keisel, Foote, Polamalu or any other aging reps slows the development and progression of the defense as a whole.

what does chuck noll know though right guys?

First of all, I think that Noll himself stayed around far longer than he should have.
He lost his edge around the mid 80's and his last five or six seasons were uninspired at best and rather painful to watch.

But to your point, yes, I'm just as guilty as any other fan in holding on to the past, but in Harrison's case I don't think that's the issue.
I don't expect Harrison to be an every-down player.  I think he still has some chops and if he's healthy enough to play I don't see him as a liability.
On the other hand I thought Troy became a liability his last few years both because of the rule changes as well as him losing his quickness and I was also one of the few people who practically had to don body armor in arguing that it was time to move on from LeBeau at least three years before we finally did.

So I'm not one of those people who get all misty-eyed over days-gone-by and if I happen to come across an old 70's Steeler piece on ESPN I don't end up locked in a room crying about how unfair it is that time moves on.

Yes, the defense overall leaves much to be desired, but our issues are primarily in the secondary.
The D-line, though no Steel Curtain, is still pretty solid against the run and our pass rush isn't terrible.  We need to improve the D-line but I don't think that Harrison alone is the reason why it needs work.  Don't forget too that a solid secondary makes the LB's jobs easier and allows them to be more aggressive while a weak secondary forces the LB's to have to worry about coverage more than they ought to.

Yeah, I know how many Steeler fans it takes to change a light bulb, but in Harrison's case, I'm not sure the bulb needs changing yet.

Oh and for the record, I've been a Steeler fan since Terry was in his second year and taking snaps from Ray Mansfield, so I've been to this rodeo a few times.

Noll was around too long?  the core of our 90s team was drafted and developed by Noll and his staff....woodson, Lloyd, Foster, Evans, Lake, O Donnell, Nickerson, G. Williams, Eric Green, Dawson, John jackson, etc, etc, etc

Maybe so but Noll was obviously at a loss as to what to do with that talent.
From 1985 through 1991, Noll was .490.
Show me a coach today who can go .490 for 7 years and still have a job.

That's a far cry from what Noll did from '69 through '79 when he was .637 overall with 4 SB wins - and that's including the three "building years" from '69 to '72.
Take away those first three years and in the remaining seven years Noll was .662.

Yes, there were some bright spots in the '80's, but overall it was quite a forgettable decade for Steeler football and nothing close to what Noll accomplished in his first ten years.

FanSince72 wrote:

steelers5895 wrote:

FanSince72 wrote:

steelers5895 wrote:

The love affair Steelers fans have with their players clouds your judgment.

I like Harrison but its time we move on instead of holding onto aging, underperforming players year after year on defense because we cant develop our youth.

Not that many of you remember anything from the 70s teams but one thing Chuck Noll said was his biggest mistake was holding onto his aging players because of loyalty.  

Do you think its a coincidence that our defense has been bad the last few years, even with the infusion of youth.  Any time spent giving Harrison, Keisel, Foote, Polamalu or any other aging reps slows the development and progression of the defense as a whole.

what does chuck noll know though right guys?

First of all, I think that Noll himself stayed around far longer than he should have.
He lost his edge around the mid 80's and his last five or six seasons were uninspired at best and rather painful to watch.

But to your point, yes, I'm just as guilty as any other fan in holding on to the past, but in Harrison's case I don't think that's the issue.
I don't expect Harrison to be an every-down player.  I think he still has some chops and if he's healthy enough to play I don't see him as a liability.
On the other hand I thought Troy became a liability his last few years both because of the rule changes as well as him losing his quickness and I was also one of the few people who practically had to don body armor in arguing that it was time to move on from LeBeau at least three years before we finally did.

So I'm not one of those people who get all misty-eyed over days-gone-by and if I happen to come across an old 70's Steeler piece on ESPN I don't end up locked in a room crying about how unfair it is that time moves on.

Yes, the defense overall leaves much to be desired, but our issues are primarily in the secondary.
The D-line, though no Steel Curtain, is still pretty solid against the run and our pass rush isn't terrible.  We need to improve the D-line but I don't think that Harrison alone is the reason why it needs work.  Don't forget too that a solid secondary makes the LB's jobs easier and allows them to be more aggressive while a weak secondary forces the LB's to have to worry about coverage more than they ought to.

Yeah, I know how many Steeler fans it takes to change a light bulb, but in Harrison's case, I'm not sure the bulb needs changing yet.

Oh and for the record, I've been a Steeler fan since Terry was in his second year and taking snaps from Ray Mansfield, so I've been to this rodeo a few times.

Noll was around too long?  the core of our 90s team was drafted and developed by Noll and his staff....woodson, Lloyd, Foster, Evans, Lake, O Donnell, Nickerson, G. Williams, Eric Green, Dawson, John jackson, etc, etc, etc

Maybe so but Noll was obviously at a loss as to what to do with that talent.
From 1985 through 1991, Noll was .490.
Show me a coach today who can go .490 for 7 years and still have a job.

That's a far cry from what Noll did from '69 through '79 when he was .637 overall with 4 SB wins - and that's including the three "building years" from '69 to '72.
Take away those first three years and in the remaining seven years Noll was .662.

Yes, there were some bright spots in the '80's, but overall it was quite a forgettable decade for Steeler football and nothing close to what Noll accomplished in his first ten years.

I get it, that's part of the point, a contributing factor wasn't that he forgot how to coach but his holding onto players so long it effected the entire team. while Cincy and Cleveland were winning in that division, we fell behind as we didn't have talent. Also, add picking late in the draft for a decade when teams built through the draft (no free agency).

What he didn't lose, thankfully, was his eye for talent and if he left after 3 or 4 off years, we don't have the team we have in the 90s. so, him hanging on too long had a good impact.

other than 25 snaps a game at best, what is Harrison hanging on too long going to do? get us a sack a young OLB should be getting. what did we get by keeping keisel too long? or Troy? or Foote? or farrior? yeah Keisel is cool and his beard is great but at some point its a tired act when you are part of the reason our defense blew leads to bad teams over and over and over for years.

James Harrison, 38, will play out final year of his contract

Jeremy Fowler
ESPN Staff Writer

James Harrison, at age 38, is set to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 13th NFL season.

"He's under contract for one more year," said Bill Parise, Harrison's agent. "We plan to honor that."

Harrison still reserves the right to bow out, and after the season he expressed uncertainty about coming back because of the grind of another NFL offseason. But Harrison's postseason meeting with coach Mike Tomlin was productive, paving the way for a return that would satisfy both parties.

Harrison has one year left on a two-year extension he signed before the 2015 season. He's due $1.25 million in base salary.

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said Tuesday he anticipates Harrison wanting to play again. "He teaches guys how to be pros," said Colbert about Harrison's locker-room presence.

Harrison was productive in his Steelers return, registering 40 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception during the regular season despite playing slightly more than 50 percent of the defensive snaps. Harrison added two sacks in the playoffs, including three tackles for a loss in a divisional round loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver.

With 76.5 sacks for his career, Harrison ranks 37th in NFL history.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14787102/pittsburgh-steelers-linebacker-james-harrison-says-return-13th-season-2016

Woo! Haha.

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

James Harrison, 38, will play out final year of his contract

So, is the equipment manager in charge of holding onto Harrison's walker?

I'm not a fan of this but the fact we are a super bowl contender and sadly, he did the most damage of our OLBs, it doesn't hurt to have him in the rotation. if we were in rebuild or retool mode, I would hate the idea.

now the question is can he give us anything

JonM229 wrote:

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

James Harrison, 38, will play out final year of his contract

So, is the equipment manager in charge of holding onto Harrison's walker?

He doesn't need one. Lots of OT's holding onto him all the time, so he cant fall down.

Glad to hear Deebo will be back. He's a great veteran presence to have around for the young guys to learn from. He won't, and shouldn't, be a starter but he still brings something to the table and isn't going to half-ass it. Let's hope the team can send him into retirement next year like they did for Jerome... by winning it all.

JonM229 wrote:

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

James Harrison, 38, will play out final year of his contract

So, is the equipment manager in charge of holding onto Harrison's walker?

You'll have to ask Joe Flacco when Harrison sacks him. Just think, you could have had him and Suggs as your OLBs.

what deebo wants, he gets

steelers5895 wrote:

I'm not a fan of this but the fact we are a super bowl contender and sadly, he did the most damage of our OLBs, it doesn't hurt to have him in the rotation.  if we were in rebuild or retool mode, I would hate the idea.  

now the question is can he give us anything

Deebo provides us with both veteran leadership and depth. in addition, of all the Steelers OLBs only Anthony Chickillo has a lower cap hit for next year.

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

steelers5895 wrote:

I'm not a fan of this but the fact we are a super bowl contender and sadly, he did the most damage of our OLBs, it doesn't hurt to have him in the rotation.  if we were in rebuild or retool mode, I would hate the idea.  

now the question is can he give us anything

Deebo provides us with both veteran leadership and depth. in addition, of all the Steelers OLBs only Anthony Chickillo has a lower cap hit for next year.

There you go promoting my guy Chickillo again. I still think he has the tools of a Clark Haggans type guy, but is going to need to have a good offseason of learning how to play OLB to make the 53 this year.

If James does indeed come back, do they take an OLB high in the draft?

They usually keep 4 OLB. Harrison, Jones, Dupree & Moats are locks