This news will certainly not be as big of a shocker as the Pittsburgh Steelers firing special teams coach Al Everest on Thursday evening.
Pro Football Talk reports on Friday that linebacker James Harrison was the runaway winner in an ESPN poll of NFL players that asked, “Who is the most violent, dangerous player in the NFL?”
The site reports that Harrison received 67.5 percent of the vote with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis coming in second place with 10 percent of the vote.
There is no word where Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh finished in the voting, or more importantly, how many NFL players took part in the poll. Are we talking 15, 150, or 1,500 players polled here? I am willing to bet there weren\’t any Steelers players that voted in this poll.
It is well documented that Harrison has received multiple fines over the last few seasons and he was hit with a one game suspension last year for his hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy last year in addition. His perception around the league easily made him the winner in this poll. Due to all of the media attention that the hits have received over the years, it would have been shocking had he not received the heaviest amount of votes.
If you think Harrison cares about this, you are wrong. He plays the game the way he was taught to play it. While he might be forced to lower his target now for fear of being suspended again, he will remain under heavy scrutiny should he tear up an opposing players\’ knee like he almost did last year in the AFC Wild Card game against the Denver Broncos.
For the rest of his playing career Harrison is in a no-win situation when it comes to every hit he makes moving forward, as each and every one will be highly scrutinized.
He won a poll of NFL players and all I can say is, big deal. Does he get any money or a trophy for it? If anyone ask him about it winning this poll, don\’t be surprised if that is his answer as well.
