For a long stretch of James Harrison’s NFL career, if you can even call it that, he was an afterthought. Undrafted from Kent State, he bounced on and off rosters, cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers multiple times, played in NFL Europe. He was a backup, a special teamer, and barely hanging onto the roster.
Until he turned into one of the most dominant defensive players of his era. His career arc surprised those who watched him, including his defensive coordinator. Monday, Dick LeBeau joined Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson on the All Things Covered podcast and was asked to name the most surprising player of LeBeau’s lengthy coaching career. His answer? James Harrison.
“I thought I knew about him,” LeBeau told the show. “I did know that I think he’d been released from five different NFL rosters and he’d been failed five times. And we got on the practice field and I was watching number 92. I watched everybody. I watched all the drills every night before I go to bed, I looked at everything every player did. And I said, ‘Nobody’s blocking this 92.’ And I said, ‘Who is this guy?’ Next day, same thing. And I said to, [LBs Coach Keith Butler], ‘Who’s this 92?’ He said, ‘Well, that’s James Harrison.'”
Harrison bounced between the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens for the first several years of his career. A self-admitted hard-head, Harrison was talented but stubborn and had to adjust to the more demanding schemes of the NFL that asked him to do more.
As LeBeau gave him more practice reps, Harrison found some stability and was seeing semi-regular playing time by 2004, including his first start when Joey Porter got ejected against Cleveland for a pre-game fight. In the ’04 finale with Pittsburgh resting most of its starters, Harrison saw extensive action and returned a fumble for a touchdown. In 2005, he picked up three sacks. But he didn’t become a full-time until 2007, his age-29 season. He busted out for an 8.5-sack, seven-forced fumble season and was named to his first Pro Bowl.
His 2008 season was historic, named our best single-season performance in team history. That year’s Defensive Player of the Year, he racked up 16 sacks, seven forced fumbles, an interception, and 101 total tackles. He capped things off with the greatest defensive play in Super Bowl history, ad-libbing and dropping into coverage for a 100-yard pick-six of Kurt Warner to end the first half.
LeBeau watched Harrison go from unblockable in practice and preseason to being unblockable in the regular season to the Super Bowl.
“I said, ‘Let’s make sure that we get in plenty of reps and plenty of plays when we get into these preseason games, because I ain’t seen anybody block him yet. And you know something, I still haven’t seen anybody block him’…and I’m always very quick and proud to say I was never on any of those staffs that turned Harrison loose and cut him. Because I would’ve never let that guy go.”
Indeed, LeBeau didn’t circle back to the Steelers until 2004, after Harrison had bounced on and off the team’s roster. With LeBeau at the helm, Harrison stuck on the roster and turned into a superstar player and potential future Hall of Famer. He ended his career as the franchise’s all-time sack leader, though that record will almost certainly be broken by Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt this season. Still, Harrison’s dominance was unparalleled and it didn’t even start until he was nearly 30.
Be sure to check out the whole conversation in the link below.
