One thing stood out during new Lions pass rusher Charles Harris’ introductory press conference on Monday. Harris has a great appreciation for the passion and dedication of Detroit owner Sheila Ford Hamp.
Harris noted that Hamp directly talked to him when he arrived to sign his contract. That’s not something every owner does, certainly not for a one-year contract for a journeyman player who might not even make the team. It’s something Harris waxed poetically about during his engaging and erudite press conference.
“Yeah it had an effect that’s, um, how can I say it? It’s laugh and giggles like, haha, just go get the quarterback. But there’s a seriousness to it, you know what I mean? Because it’s true. It’s, really, that’s my only job. That’s all you have to do, that all you have to do for us or that’s all you have to do for me, in her words,” Harris said of the Lions owner.’
He continued,
“With that comes a sense of responsibility that’s deeper than just ‘I understand’. It’s more so, I’ll get it done for you. It almost personalizes it, if that makes sense, because she personally said that … when someone asks for something and they ask for you to do it, they bring you on board, the bring you onto their team, to their home, to their city, their franchise, whatever you want to call it, and they make a request of you, it’s up to you, as an individual, to get it done. I think that’s … going to bring more of a sense of seriousness and personalness behind it.”
The former Dolphins first-round flop is hoping to keep his career ascending after a redemptive 2020 season in Atlanta where he was used more in a stand-up pass rushing role that took better advantage of his speed and athleticism.