Releasing James Harrison

Cant wait till he crushes Ben

 

He won't be crushing much of anyone these days.

 

Not the sentiment on these boards a month ago.

 

And maybe not. But if.... I would be giddy with joy. Thanks Santa

 

I've always been the outlier on Harrison. I don't really care that the Steelers cut him or that the Patriots signed him. It's clear that there's no need for Harrison on the Steelers anymore, which is something more Steelers fans should be excited about.

Of course, I've always been the kind of fan who is ready to cut bait with older players when the time is right. There hasn't been a release or retirement the Steelers have regretted in the Colbert era and I doubt this will be the first one.

 

Didn't the Steelers make it to the Superbowl the same year Ben was suspended? And yeah they lost, but there's no way to blame that on the refs or NFL. They players just faltered at the wrong time

 

May you please eloborate on your laughter and joy?

 

Look, first of all, let me go on record and say that I don't like the move. Even if he never played another snap for this team, I would have preferred Harrison stay on the team and win his Superbowl with the Steelers, then move on in the offseason.

However, the idea that he should be coming on exclusively to rush the passer is silly to me. Its not like Dupree and Watt aren't effective pass rushers. The sack numbers aren't there, but that's because they are being asked to play coverage on almost 75% of all pass plays. From a percentage of rush attempts standpoint, they have both been effective and disruptive. So why take them off the field? If they are better than Harrison in all aspects, including rushing the passer...and lets face it, other than a few plays against the Chiefs, Harrison has been invisible in the rare times he has been on the field...I don't understand why anyone would want him to take reps away from the best players? Is it just to give them a breather here and there? If so, Chickillo also seems to be more effective than Harrison and he's also better in coverage, giving the team more options when he's on the field.

Strictly from a football standpoint, I have absolutely no issue with this move.

As a fan and as someone who has loved James Harrison and everything he has accomplished with this team, I hate that he was released and I hate even more than he's a Patriot.

As for him making some key play in a potential AFCCG...if he does, good for him! I think its very unlikely he has any real impact for the Patriots. I think the move shows just how desperate the Pats are to improve their pass rush. He's probably better than most of the guys they currently have, but that doesn't mean he's still good.

 

I'm going to predict that the Steelers are a .500 team when Ben retires. The defense isn't the reason this team wins anymore, at least not against a team with a decent QB.

 

I recall us getting the short end of the calls and no calls as a general rule for many years and tons of us noticing / complaining. Regardless, in today’s climate even more pressure they might be feeling at NFL HQ to ensure Benny Boy is not the poster boy of the NFL this year. Just saying. Even more reason to hope for a title this year. Hope we can beat the Pats and the refs if we play them again.


Anyways I love the Steelers and Big Ben so they should have 8 super bowl wins already if not for NFLs shenanigans lol

 

If they don’t find another HOF caliber QB, your prediction could be prophetic

 

The defense did a pretty good job winning football games earlier in the season when Ben was playing like hot garbage and Bell looked slow and out of shape. The main reason why they struggled lately is because of injury to the two most important players in two of the three sections of the defense. One of those players is back, and even though they were playing the amazing T.J. Yates, the difference was immediately noticeable. I think the only issue the defense has (which should be corrected this offseason) is inability to continue operating without a hitch when one or two of its star players goes down. Then again, just about every team in the NFL would have that problem. The fact that the Steelers are so good a team that they will be in a position to consider bolstering their depth at key positions as a primary need is a testament to the scouting department and Mike Tomlin's influence.

Also, again, I can't exaggerate how bad a QB Landry Jones really is. He's DeShone Kizer on a talented roster without the supposed upside. Ben is literally the only decent QB who's taken snaps for this team since he took over as the starter, other than possibly circa 2006 Charlie Batch, so we're either flying high or sinking deep. We've had no vision of what a decent QB can do with this team, and somehow people blame the rest of the team when we have turds taking snaps from the center.

 

I think the league doesn't like Harrison and they are going to screw the Patriots for signing him.

 

That thought had crossed my mind, Gideon. However, the first time I see the NFL not lavishing calls and no call Xmas presents year round on the Patriots, I will believe it.

 

They randomly test him for PEDs every week.

 

True but that all ends starting today as he will probably get all the calls now and be allowed to take PEDs.

 

He’s finally going to get flags for tackles holding him every time he rushes the passer!!!!

 

It’s all starting to make sense .... based on DuPree and Pouncey’s comments today it sounds like for sure that Harrison left / the Steelers didn’t cut him. In other words, it sounds like he wanted to leave so badly that they released him to give him his way.

 

Here’s a thought:

People used to criticize Tomlin for using too many aging veterans at the expense of developing young guys.

People are now criticizing him for not using an aging veteran and instead developing the young players.

Guess it is what it is. Sounds like James wasn’t going to be happy unless he was in a starting type role and that just wasn’t going to happen here in this instance. Personally, I feel like Tomlin is making the right moves.

Call it a gut feeling but I have a feeling Pittsburgh’s going to the super bowl

 

#Prove#92Wrong