Teammates angry at ‘selfish’ Harrison after signing with Pats
PITTSBURGH 鈥� The Steelers aren鈥檛 happy about A.) answering questions about James Harrison signing with the New England Patriots, and B.) James Harrison signing with the New England Patriots.
Vince Williams tweeted his disgust about it on Tuesday but then deleted it.
Maurkice Pouncey said that Harrison ruined his legacy in Pittsburgh by signing there.
Bud Dupree became enraged while talking about it with a group of reporters before ending his interview.
Mike Mitchell wouldn鈥檛 talk directly about 鈥減layers that are not in Pittsburgh.鈥� But Mitchell knows what it鈥檚 like to switch teams.
鈥淏ut I didn鈥檛 switch to a team that was within conference,鈥� he said tersely. 鈥淎nd I went for life-changing money, and I STILL chose a team that wasn鈥檛 within the conference. That鈥檚 what teammates do.鈥�
Marcus Gilbert was more direct. He lockers next to rookie T.J. Watt, who didn鈥檛 want to talk about the departure of his veteran backup. But Gilbert did.
鈥淭he thing I hate,鈥� Gilbert started, 鈥渋f he鈥檚 as real as he says he is, why doesn鈥檛 he come out and tell his side of the story? His real side of the story? He didn鈥檛 want to be here at all.鈥�
Was Harrison disruptive?
鈥淎 distraction? Yeah,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淚 mean, if you don鈥檛 want to be here, if you don鈥檛 want to help the guys who are in front of you, like a rookie who鈥檚 pretty much learning on his own, and Bud, who鈥檚 a young guy, too, then there鈥檚 no place for that here. We鈥檙e all about winning. If you can鈥檛 respect that, well, his wishes were granted. He won鈥檛 tell you guys that, but those were his wishes.鈥�
Gilbert said he was aware Harrison wanted to leave 鈥渇rom the very beginning. It was one of these things where I feel like he needs to come out and say something. He knew he didn鈥檛 want to be here. You can鈥檛 tell your agent to go speak for him and say he wanted to be here, because that wasn鈥檛 the case. A lot of guys were giving up blood, sweat and tears every weekend and this guy was selfish enough to not give a damn about any of these guys. That was every single week from the beginning of the season.鈥�
鈥淗e wanted out,鈥� said Pouncey. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 like the team said 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to let go of James Harrison.鈥� James Harrison wanted out.
鈥淚t鈥檚 funny to read the stories. This is something that you wanted to do, it鈥檚 not like they got together and said we鈥檙e going to cut James. No, that鈥檚 not what happened. He needs to come out and admit that.鈥�
THE INFORMATION EXCHANGE
In attempting to downplay the effect of any information Harrison might relay to the Patriots, Ben Roethlisberger pointed back to the first game of the season.
鈥淭he first time we played Cleveland I think Sammie Coates had just got picked up by them,鈥� said Roethlisberger. 鈥淭hat was obviously a big concern of ours, knowing our offense.鈥�
Doesn鈥檛 Harrison know the plays better than Coates did?
鈥淥ffensively? Maybe,鈥� Roethlisberger joked. But Roethlisberger did reveal one concern.
鈥淢y wife and I were talking last night,鈥� he said Wednesday morning, 鈥渁nd she asked if he knew much of our no-huddle stuff. I don鈥檛 think he knows a lot of it. I鈥檓 sure he鈥檚 heard some of the same things for a lot of years now, so maybe some of it, but like I said, that鈥檚 a long way off.鈥�
Roethlisberger said that it鈥檚 an individual preference about how much information is exchanged.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 on James,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f they want to ask him every single piece of information he has, then that鈥檚 what this league does. I鈥檓 not worried about it. We don鈥檛 play them this week and we don鈥檛 play them next week, so we鈥檒l see.鈥�
AB MVP
Antonio Brown was named Steelers MVP for the fourth time in his seven seasons with the team. The five-time Pro Bowler leads the NFL in receiving yards (1,533) and is tied for second with 101 receptions, even though he missed the last 1.5 games with a calf injury. He鈥檚 expected back for the playoffs.
Roethlisberger, who鈥檚 been named team MVP only one time (2009) in his 14 seasons, was asked about his vote.
鈥淢aurkice Pouncey,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was a guy that voted a lot of years for Heath Miller, and to me MVP is the Most Valuable Player on this team, a guy that you just cannot do without, and to me it鈥檚 him. I could probably pick any of the linemen but he鈥檚 kind of the anchor of that group and the guy that means a lot to me, not just as a friend but for this team. Definitely deserves it in my book. I put a big 53 on my thing, too, and circled it, too.鈥�
SACKING ROETHLISBERGER
Roethlisberger added a new layer to the oft-told story of him being sacked four times by Harrison during a 2001 college game.
Harrison had 鈥渢hree fulls and two halves鈥� of a five-sack Kent State performance against Roethlisberger with the final two sacks ending Miami鈥檚 last threat in a 24-20 Kent State win. Roethlisberger鈥檚 rushing total in the game was 14 carries for negative 54 yards.
鈥淭hat was actually a makeup game from Sept. 11,鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淲e had played in Hawaii the week before so it was supposed to be the last game of the year and a lot of my senior linemen aren鈥檛 going to go on. They chose to stay out there, and James had a field day.鈥�
Roethlisberger was asked why he didn鈥檛 stay in Hawaii, but he misheard the question.
鈥淭hey stayed in Hawaii, yes,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t happens in the MAC, I think, and not coming back to playing at 鈥� where did James go to school?鈥�
When told Kent, Roethlisberger said that he knew and was joking.
STEVAN RIDLEY
What can you tell me about the exchange of info when players change teams?
It depends on where you鈥檙e at, it really does. It鈥檚 football. Everybody鈥檚 trying to get their advantage any way they can.
Would he bring Harrison in and grill him? The fans are happy you are here to provide Patriots information. Is there something there?
Man, I鈥檓 coming to play ball. That鈥檚 it. I鈥檓 coming to play ball. It鈥檚 a rivalry. It鈥檚 a competition. Like I said, we鈥檙e not in this thing to lose, we鈥檙e in this thing to win. Gaining every advantage.
Is Tomlin in it to win?
I think the play speaks for itself with this squad right here.
How much can it help?
You still have to go out there and execute on Sundays. You can have all the information that you want but at the end of the day it鈥檚 about execution. Like I said, you study, you prepare, you have your game plan and you have to have information to be prepared. Once you glean that information, once you prepare with it, it鈥檚 up to Sundays to go out there and put it on the field. That鈥檚 really the main thing. You can make it as hard or as easy as you want to. Different coaches, different philosophies.
One turnover can change any grand plan.
You鈥檙e talking football. You鈥檙e talking football. There you go.
Were you particularly sore after this past game? After not playing in a while?
I was. I was a little bit 鈥� I鈥檒l say knocking the rust off. That鈥檚 what it was. Getting off the couch and getting on the field, it鈥檚 a big jump. But that鈥檚 part of being a pro, also, is taking care of your body and knowing yourself, so I鈥檓 going to spend this week, four or five days, to get back, and that鈥檚 what you do to feel the best that you can. You never feel as good as you do after the first day. It doesn鈥檛 matter if it鈥檚 practice, games, whatever, you鈥檝e just got to come in there and prepare youself to go out and play and produce.
You looked good in practice. How much did fresh legs have to do with that?
It鈥檚 really finding your rhythm. I believe in that. Yeah I鈥檓 fresh. I鈥檓 a lot fresher than 90 percent of these guys who鈥檝e played 15 weeks in a row. But fresh isn鈥檛 always the best. It鈥檚 good, because your body hasn鈥檛 had the beating, but when guys have been in here and they have their rhythm and they have their timing, they鈥檝e been running, that鈥檚 when you realize you鈥檝e got some catching up to do. Being fresh isn鈥檛 the answer. I鈥檝e got work to do, and that鈥檚 how I鈥檓 approaching it.
You should be ready for the playoffs right?
That鈥檚 the goal.