Harrison should just get it over with
This one seems like a no-brainer for James Harrison.
I mean, check out the help he鈥檚 getting from around the internet:
n 鈥淭he NFL鈥檚 desire to be all-powerful, to have inexorable and unreasonable domain over its players, has in fact left those players, every one of them, open to blackmail鈥� 鈥� a writer.
n 鈥淲hen the NFL doesn鈥檛 get its way they鈥檙e going to bully you鈥� 鈥� an agent.
n 鈥淛ames Harrison is all hard work. And he鈥檚 natural鈥� 鈥� a former teammate.
n 鈥淚 wonder if the union isn鈥檛 laying the ground work for a much bigger fight 鈥� (and) coming at Goodell for Hostile Work Environment. That would be interesting. I鈥檇 kind of like to see that鈥� 鈥� a Steelers fan.
There are plenty of reasons why Harrison should just say no to Roger Goodell and fight the good fight, the just fight, the fight everyone seemingly wants him to fight.
I鈥檝e given a few reasons myself since the NFL first wanted to interview Harrison about a since-recanted article in which a man threw Harrison鈥檚 name onto a pile of names that the man, in my opinion, was just guessing used PEDs.
I鈥檝e always championed those who wish to fight the power, and Harrison is a heavyweight in that regard. I mean, just look at the chip on his shoulder.
Oh, he鈥檚 a contrarian all right.
However, with so many allies right now, is saying no the contrarian position anymore?
In fact, I鈥檓 wondering now if Harrison should become a TRUE contrarian and disregard all of these reasons, all of this budding populism, and go in and do the interview.
It was someone else鈥檚 internet comment that moved me off my position:
n 鈥淗aha. Wexell how does it feel to have a cheater on your team?鈥� 鈥� twitter egghead.
So, why care about a Patriots fan with four followers?
Because this is Harrison鈥檚 last season. Because he鈥檚 navigated these waters for 14 of them and has been the most naturally strong athlete I鈥檝e ever watched.
He鈥檚 truly a special athlete, and I believe, as Steve McLendon does, that Harrison鈥檚 all natural. I saw that unnaturally natural strength at his very first camp, before he had $500,000 to spend on his body the way he now does 14 years later. So why hold out in the final year and let even a sliver of twitter egghead-ism shroud what he鈥檚 accomplished?
We all know that once Harrison starts this war, he鈥檚 not going to back off. Both sides will be too stubborn to give in. We know Harrison won鈥檛 give in, and we know that Goodell hates Harrison enough that Goodell would never give in. He didn鈥檛 give in on Tom Brady, and the NFL cares a lot more about handsome quarterbacks than it does the classic grim reaper of death on defense.
Of course, Harrison has gone out of his way to ensure Goodell鈥檚 hatred. Harrison once said he wouldn鈥檛 urinate on the man if he were on fire. There were other comments, and we all cheered them on, as sinful as they were.
And those were sins.
Yes, as much as I enjoyed Harrison鈥檚 hatred of the commissioner, he鈥檚 gone too far at times.
Now it鈥檚 time to pay for those sins. And, hey, we all have sins and we all pay for them in one way or another.
Taking a Rooney-backed day off to merely comply with an interview is a small price to pay for Harrison, for his sins, for his legacy, for his team. There鈥檚 too much at stake. He鈥檚 made his point and it鈥檚 a good one, too.
Let the writers, the agents, the former teammates and the fans fight this one to the death. James Harrison has done his part already.
Was camp worthwhile?
The Steelers went to Saint Vincent College looking for pass-rushers, cornerbacks and tight ends.
And just about everyone they had in mind for those spots has either struggled or gotten injured.
So was there any redeeming quality to these past three weeks?
鈥淎 LOT of good came out of this,鈥� said guard Ramon Foster.
The big man is the Chief Award winner not just because he鈥檚 helpful with the media but because he has a positive outlook. That鈥檚 why I went to him with my negativity.
鈥淧ouncey鈥檚 back,鈥� Foster said. 鈥淏en鈥檚 looking good. A.B.鈥檚 here and he鈥檚 got his contract thing coming on. David (DeCastro) is working on his. The guys who鈥檝e shown up have gotten work done. Yeah, we got a lot done.鈥�
Foster addressed the problems this way:
鈥淲e鈥檝e still got time,鈥� he said. 鈥淛esse (James) has looked good and so has X(avier Grimble), and they鈥檙e young guys. No, they鈥檙e not Heath (Miller) and they鈥檙e not (Matt) Spaeth. We鈥檝e just got to get used to who we have, and that鈥檚 X and Jesse.鈥�
And the secondary?
鈥淵oung guys,鈥� Foster said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got a steady guy in Will Gay who鈥檚 leading his troops. Again, it鈥檚 still early. If Artie (Burns) isn鈥檛 ready or Sean (Davis) isn鈥檛 ready, we鈥檝e just got to wait until we smooth 鈥檈m on into this process.鈥�
As for the pass-rushers, Foster has noticed and respects veteran Arthur Moats and figures one of either Jarvis Jones, Bud Dupree or Anthony Chickillo will get healthy in time, even if Harrison is suspended.
鈥淲hen Detroit came, we noticed we had a little bit of a tougher camp than most people,鈥� Foster added. 鈥淲e go hard, so us giving guys a couple days off, I think that鈥檚 good. I think most of the NFL is honestly doing it more than us. We play tackle football every day and guys that come from most teams never heard of it. So I think we鈥檙e set.鈥�
Tonight鈥檚 game
Speaking of internet commentary, even outrage, it鈥檚 Landry Jones season again.
No one, it seems, likes the Steelers鈥� backup QB after his 6-for-12, 55-yard first half last week against the Detroit Lions.
But Jones has looked sharp the last two days, perhaps more sharp than at any time in his four camps with the Steelers. He stands tall in the pocket, slides deftly, has touch on his short to intermediate passes and throws the deep ball with ease.
鈥淎 lot of confidence,鈥� said QB Coach Randy Fichtner. 鈥淵ou get that when you get to go with the first team, the line, A.B.鈥�
In watching Jones this week, the feeling is that he鈥檚 due for perhaps his finest preseason performance tonight against the Philadelphia Eagles. But Fichtner pulled in the reins on that a bit.
鈥淗e might,鈥� Fichtner said. 鈥淏ut again, we鈥檙e not going to game plan. We鈥檙e not going to necessarily put in things that will help him. We鈥檝e still got to evaluate everyone. It isn鈥檛, per se, a game plan we would use in the regular season. Next week will be more of an in-season game where you鈥檙e getting work with reps that are going to be exactly how we鈥檙e going to run a particular play. These are plays we鈥檝e been running since spring and we still need to see who can execute. (Cobi Hamilton)鈥檚 new, other receivers need to get their work, tight ends need work. It isn鈥檛 like we鈥檙e game-planning to see if 26 can get on their linebacker where we know we鈥檝e got a win.
鈥淭here鈥檒l be some good plays and there鈥檒l be some plays that probably aren鈥檛 so good. It鈥檚 about learning, for the players AND the coaches. Sometimes we learn the most about our quarterbacks when we鈥檝e got a bad play, a play we might not even like. But, man, what we learn from that rep is going to keep us from making that mistake in-season.
鈥淏ut, yeah, his confidence is much better. He鈥檚 throwing the ball very well.鈥�