James Harrison came back to Pittsburgh Tuesday in a move the Steelers hope will boost a defense maligned by injuries. USA TODAY Sports’ Tom Pelissero noted parallels between Ray Rice and Harrison, who admitted to police he broke down a door and slapped his wife in the face during an argument in 2008. In his brief retirement, Harrison took the opportunity to dig at NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his handling of Rice’s suspension.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin dismissed concerns about Harrison’s signing, saying the linebacker has grown significantly in that time and he doesn’t expect an issue. The incident happened nearly seven years ago, and people certainly can grow and learn from their mistakes. There’s no reason to think Harrison couldn’t change.
However, there are some things the Steelers or Harrison can’t change. Like the fact that he’s 36-years-old, or that he retired three weeks ago, or that he had an awful 2013 with the Cincinnati Bengals that ended with his release last March with a year left on his contract.
Why bring in an unproductive, aging player with a history of domestic violence in the current climate? What has changed in three weeks that would make anyone think Harrison is capable of a meaningful contribution on the field?
Take away the personal dimension of this equation and look only at Harrison’s on-field ability and it is evident that the Steelers’ logic is old and slow might be better than injured – at least on paper. Without starting linebackers Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier for the foreseeable future, Pittsburgh needed someone to step in. Harrison doesn’t have to learn schemes and playbooks. He can fill a void immediately.
However, this isn’t 2008 James Harrison of 16 sacks and 101 tackles. Harrison had 30 tackles in 2013. This is a player who used to be great. He isn’t any more. He isn’t even average. So why bother?
Hopefully Tomlin isn’t asking himself that question in a few weeks.
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