Former Pittsburgh Steelers OLB James Harrison performed an integral half on a number of the workforce’s greatest defenses all through the 2000s. Harrison gained Defensive Participant of the 12 months and helped lead the Steelers to a win in Tremendous Bowl XLIII, and his former teammate thinks that in Harrison’s peak, he could have been probably the most dominant participant of all-time. In a characteristic on Harrison by The Athletic’s Dan Pompei, former Steelers S Troy Polamalu mentioned that Harrison is up there with Aaron Donald as probably the most dominant gamers within the “historical past of the sport” at his peak.
“At his peak, I don’t assume there was anyone extra dominant within the historical past of the sport,” Polamalu mentioned. “I may need to place Aaron Donald up there, too. However James was taking up generally 4 guys and nonetheless virtually making a sort out.”
From 2007, his first yr as a full-time starter, by means of 2011, Harrison was a first-team All-Professional twice, a second-team All-Professional twice and made the Professional Bowl 5 occasions whereas successful Defensive Participant of the 12 months in 2008 and ending third in voting in 2010, a yr the place Polamalu took house the award. In that five-season interval, Harrison additionally racked up 54 sacks, 437 complete tackles, 68 tackles for a loss, 27 compelled fumbles and 4 interceptions.
It’s some of the dominant stretches of play by a defender in NFL historical past. His play throughout that interval earned him a nod to the Steelers Corridor of Honor. Whereas he seemingly gained’t ever make the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame regardless of being named a semi-finalist thrice, his peak is actually up there as among the finest sustained stretches of play ever.
There have been occasions the place Harrison was downright unstoppable, like a Week 10 Monday Evening Soccer win in opposition to the Ravens when he had 10 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three compelled fumbles and an interception.
Harrison’s stage of dominance throughout his peak is difficult to match. He was a frontrunner on a number of the greatest defenses of all-time and in Steelers historical past. Having gamers like Polamalu actually helped, however Harrison was pretty much as good a go rusher as anybody throughout his peak and among the finest general gamers of his period.
Polamalu was capable of witness it up shut, which is why he believes Harrison to be some of the dominant gamers in league historical past. Whereas it’s powerful to match between eras and positions, James Harrison actually has a case for his unimaginable five-year run that made him a family title in Pittsburgh.
