Comments on: On Rodney Harrison, and the Big Picture

By: Dryheave

Dryheave — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:45:29 +0000

looking back to when the Pats signed Rodney….. My initial reaction was, decent veteran pickup. Maybe he’ll backup Milloy, help out in certain situations, ….ok, whatever…….WOW…… was I WAY OFF…..The guy ended being one of, if not my favorite Patriots player of all time (and I’ve been watching the Pats for almost 40 years)……Total commitment, total dedication, total effort…..Rodney was everything you look for in a player…….Thanks for the memories Rodney!

By: BRadyMOssWELker

BRadyMOssWELker — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:56:10 +0000

The heart and soul of the team is now retired. Rodney was the kind of player I would want my kid to be. Make nice after game but right “imma make everyone pay” attitude. He’ll be missed in the huddle, I know that. He is ,the last of a dying breed. Good luck and be harsh on NBC! Hold nothing back

By: Terry Fields

Terry Fields — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:05:39 +0000

Scott

I remember when he went down with the injury the last time. He said to Bruschi on the field, as he was lying there, “I’m finished.” Do you remember that? He knew in his mind that it was all over then. A great football player and wonderful personality. I really enjoyed him.

By: Timbuk3

Timbuk3 — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:55:49 +0000

One of my favorite off the field moments is that blowhard Felger telling (not asking) Rodney that the bolts were going down hard in Indy in the playoffs and asking “what will it be like to face the colts again in the playoffs?” Rodney, in his humble way, says that the Pats are not guaranteed to play the colts, the chargers may win. This elicits scoffs and “pfffftt….” from Felger who responds “Done deal, no chance, c’mon…!”.

Of course, the Chargers did win the game and then the Pats beat SD.

Harrison was a respectful and hard hitting professional. A great representative of the team who leaves with dignity and grace. Best of luck to him.

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:23:03 +0000

Nice job, Scott.

I think there’s a parallel between Harrison taking Lawyer Milloy’s place and Brady taking Drew Bledsoe’s place. In both instances, we as Patriot fans were fooling ourselves in our thinking of how good the previous player was. In both instances, when the new player came in something just clicked. The team’s winning percentage with Harrison vs. without him wasn’t a coincidence. He was a difference-maker.

This isn’t to diss Milloy; he had some great moments as a Patriot. But as a player, he paled in comparison to Harrison.

Among the biggest surprises with Harrison was his coverage ability. Broadcasters long labeled him as weak in coverage, but that just wasn’t the case. So good was Harrison that the team on occasion would have him matched up on the receiver at the line, with Ty Law back in the safety position for the passoff.