Tag: Rodney Harrison

Rodney Harrison shares Patriots offseason to-do list for Drake Maye

Rodney Harrison shared his offseason to-do list for the Patriots

Now that the New England Patriots have Drake Maye at quarterback, former legendary safety Rodney Harrison has a to-do list in mind for the team in the offseason.

Harrison believes the Patriots’ No. 1 priority should be surrounding Maye with the necessary talent in 2025.

“The main thing I see is they don’t have enough talent around him,” Harrison said, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “They have to work on building that offensive line, and you have to get a No. 1 receiver. The tight end situation is solid. I would bring in another running back.

“And quite frankly, I would look at some of the contracts on the defensive side of the ball and say, ‘Hey, do we need this guy making ‘X’ amount of dollars or do we need to reallocate those resources to the offensive line?'”

Maye has been able to perform at a high level despite serious deficiencies at multiple offensive positions. So far this season, he has recorded 1,696 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Last season, the Patriots went into the offseason not knowing what they were going to have at the quarterback position. This season, it’s evident that they have a signal-caller they can build around. Now, it’s about surrounding him with the proper talent and weapons.

Maye’s development is going to be important for the future success of the franchise. Failure to do so could result in the Patriots falling even further behind in the AFC.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Patriots legend admits opposing fans laugh at him about the team

Rodney Harrison admits opposing fans laugh at him about the current state of the Patriots

It’s no secret the New England Patriots have had a difficult season, as they currently sit at 3-10 on the year.

Everyone is feeling the heat, from players and coaches to even Patriots alumni, such as legendary safety Rodney Harrison.

The two-time Super Bowl champion was an integral part of the early Patriots teams of the 2000s. He was a cornerstone of the successful defensive units that were crucial in creating the first dynasty.

For years, the Patriots have been viewed as the gold standard for NFL teams, but things have changed in recent years. Harrison spoke about the unfortunate reality of being connected with the Patriots these days, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

“I get reminded every week I go to stadiums. Coming from the fans’ perspective, they laugh. ‘Hey what about your Patriots?’ It hurts,” Harrison said in a phone interview. “You go from being looked at as so well-respected, and being such a dominating force, to all of a sudden people are joking about your team being at the bottom.”

The Patriots are in the middle of a rebuild and trying to return to respectability. They have a promising young quarterback in Drake Maye and some pieces to build around defensively.

Even still, they are far away from the perenially contending dynasty they used to be.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Patriots legend reverses course on initial opinion of Drake Maye

Rodney Harrison admits Drake Maye is better than he initially thought

Former New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison is reversing course when it comes to his opinion of Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

Harrison wasn’t previously high on the quarterback, saying there was ‘no way’  he would spend the No. 3 overall pick on Maye leading up to the 2024 NFL draft.

Understandably, there was a lot of hesitancy in selecting a quarterback with the third overall selection. Nevertheless, Maye has proven to be a solid quarterback option and a legitimate building block for the future of the organization.

“The first thing is that I’ve seen some things from Drake Maye that have surprised me. He’s better than I anticipated,” Harrison said, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I like the kid’s personality. I like his demeanor. He has this quiet competitiveness about him. He’s a lot better athlete than I thought.”

Maye has impressed many this season with his ability to do more with less. We’ll see if he can continue to drive that point home in the last four remaining games on the regular season schedule.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Four Patriots legends named as Hall of Fame semifinalists

Four former Patriots players made the list of 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Four New England Patriots legends have made it to the semifinal round for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Safety Rodney Harrison, kicker Adam Vinatieri, defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and running back Fred Taylor have all made it to the next round

Harrison was one of the most dominant safeties in the Patriots’ franchise history. He recorded 446 tackles and nine sacks throughout six seasons with New England. He had 125 tackles in his first year with the team in 2003. He followed that up with 141 tackles in 2004.

Vinatieri, who played in the league for 24 years, was one of the greatest kickers in NFL history. He played in 160 games with the Patriots and made 263-of-321 field goals. He also made 367-of-374 extra points.

The game-winning kicks in Super Bowl XXXVI and XXXVIII cemented him as both an NFL and Patriots legend.

Wilfork was a staple of the Patriots’ defensive line for many seasons. He was a playmaker on the interior and amassed 517 tackles and 16 sacks in 11 years with the team. He made the Pro Bowl five times as a member of the organization and was a fan favorite.

Taylor was a part of Patriots history as well. He joined the team for two seasons in 2009-2010. He carried the ball 106 times for 424 yards and four touchdowns during his run in New England.

However, the Florida legend is best known for his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had 11,271 rushing yards and 62 touchdowns in his 11-year run in Jacksonville.

The next step in the Hall of Fame process will be cutting the list of 25 semifinalists down to 15 finalists. We’ll see how many, if any, Patriots players make the cut this time around.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Mike Florio says Broncos remain remain ‘in the mix’ after ‘TNF’ win

“The Broncos have figured something out,” Mike Florio said.

After the Denver Broncos‘ beatdown of the New Orleans Saints in Week 7, ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio and former defensive end Rodney Harrison broke down the win together on their Thursday Night Football Recap. 

“We saw what the Broncos were able to do (against the Saints): 225 rushing yards by the Broncos, the most they’ve had in a game since 2013,” Florio said. “Seventy-five of them came from rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who matched John Elway and Drew Lock with four wins as a rookie, most in franchise history.

“The Broncos have figured something out, Rodney, and even though we expected Sean Payton to come in and wave a magic wand on offense, Vance Joseph and the defense have also been a big part of this story.”

It was a convincing victory for Denver.

“One of the reasons the Saints looked bad was the Broncos looked pretty good; they got it together and recovered quickly from the loss to the Chargers that dropped them to 3-3,” Florio said later in the interview. “That’s a veteran coach. That’s a guy in Sean Payton who knows how — he’s been there, he’s done that. You lose a game, you flush it, you refocus.”

The Broncos have won four of the last five games, three of them on the road, putting them second in the AFC West prior to Week 8, when they face the Carolina Panthers.

You can watch the entire 10-minute clip below, or on YouTube.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Rodney Harrison took issue with portrayal of Bill Belichick in new Patriots docuseries

Rodney Harrison was not a fan of how “The Dynasty: New England Patriots” treated Bill Belichick

Former New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison was not pleased with how much was left out of “The Dynasty: New England Patriots,” which is the docuseries that is making quite a wave on Apple TV+.

He sat down for an interview with fellow safety Devin McCourty, who was also not pleased with the documentary in his own right.

“It didn’t tell the stories of like me coming and Corey Dillon,” Harrison told McCourty, per a video via Pro Football Talk. “I interviewed for five or six hours when I was in New York, and all they had me saying was, ‘(Expletive) them all. (Expletive) them all.’ That’s it.”

Harrison, who is a Patriots Hall of Famer, signed with the team as a free agent back in 2003 and ended up spending six seasons with the organization. He tallied 446 combined tackles during his run in New England and was a part of three Super Bowl-winning teams.

However, judging by the docuseries, you would not have known how Harrison even came to New England. He told McCourty that him coming to New England was left out of the documentary.

Harrison also stood up for coach Bill Belichick. Many are claiming the docuseries is one-sided, and Harrison’s statements certainly added credence to that feeling.

“He gives guys who are the underdog an opportunity. No one talks about that,” Harrison said. “When everybody else is done with a guy, he brings in a Corey Dillion, he brings in a Randy Moss, he brings in a Rodney Harrison. And I just don’t think he got enough credit, enough respect, enough props. This dude is the greatest coach of all-time.”

The docuseries has been creating a bit of a stir ever since its debut. Even those connected with that timeframe do not approve of it.  At the very least, it has made for compelling television and an even greater conversation.

Devin McCourty feels ‘kinda duped’ by new ‘Dynasty’ docuseries

Devin McCourty admitted he felt “duped” by all of the negativity in the new docuseries “The Dynasty: New England Patriots”

Devin McCourty did not have a rave review of “The Dynasty: New England Patriots” docuseries on Apple TV+. The former New England Patriots safety opened up about his feelings toward the documentary.

“I felt like I got kinda duped,” McCourty said in an interview with former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, via Pro Football Talk. “I was like, ‘Man, this is gonna be great. Like the storytelling, we’re talking about this and we’re talking about that.’ Everything that we all gave to the 20 years that it encompassed, it only hit anything that was negative.”

The Rutgers product had a big hand in several of the Patriots’ best seasons. He was a three-time Super Bowl champion that helped the organization fully cement itself among the best in NFL history. He was there for most of it and was ultimately named a member of the Patriots All-Dynasty Team.

It’s no secret that everything wasn’t perfect behind closed doors for the Patriots throughout their dynasty run, but McCourty still feels like the docuseries left a lot of the key positive details out.

If anything, it’s a good reminder that things may not always be what they seem.

Bill Belichick lauds Rodney Harrison as best safety he has coached

Bill Belichick had high praise for Rodney Harrison on Friday.

Former New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison was named a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist earlier this week. His former coach, Bill Belichick, had high praise for him on Friday afternoon.

Harrison had a stellar career with the Patriots. In six seasons with the team, he recorded 446 tackles and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2003. He also helped the team win two Super Bowls.

Belichick was not shy on praise for Harrison on Friday, as his team gets set to take on the Buffalo Bills.

“Best safety I’ve ever coached. There’s a couple other ones that I’ve coached that are in the Hall of Fame. Fantastic player, person, great competitor. Could do it all, one of the most versatile players I’ve ever coached. He could cover, he really could play corner.  He was a great blitzer, he was a great tackler. He was really, really hard to block.”

Harrison was an integral part of the Patriots defense for six years, before hanging up the cleats following the 2008 season. Now, he will get a chance to be part of more than just Patriots history.

The Patriots currently have 11 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Harrison will have the opportunity to be the 12th entry in 2024.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison named HOF finalist

Former Patriots S Rodney Harrison is one step closer to being immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison was named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 on Wednesday.

Harrison began his career with the San Diego Chargers and played with the organization from 1994-2002. He came to New England as a free agent, signing a six-year deal in 2003. He was thought of highly immediately, being named a defensive captain before the start of the 2003 season.

Harrison would go on to become one of the most beloved defensive players in Patriots’ history. He would finish his New England career with 446 tackles and nine sacks in six seasons with the team. He was a key part of two New England Super Bowl wins, including clinching the game-winning interception in Super Bowl XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Patriots currently have 11 Pro football Hall of Famers.  Here’s to hoping Harrison is the 12th member.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Two Patriots legends listed as semifinalists for 2024 Hall of Fame class

Four former Patriots players, including two longtime legends, are semifinalists for the Pro Football of Fame in 2024.

Multiple former New England Patriots players, including two longtime legends, have been voted in as two of the 25 semifinalists for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

For Patriots fans, the two names that immediately jump off on the list are former defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and safety Rodney Harrison.

Both are Patriots Hall of Famers and two-time Super Bowl winners with the franchise. Wilfork, who was drafted by the Patriots in 2004, was one of the most dominant defenders in team history, while Harrison completely reshaped the defensive backfield with his elite talent and leadership.

Linebacker James Harrison and running back Fred Taylor, two players that had quick pit stops in New England in their careers, were also listed among the semifinalists.

The next hurdle will be making it to the top-15 of the upcoming cutdown vote to be one step closer to becoming one of the five finalists for permanent enshrinement in Canton.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]