Tag: Rodney Harrison

Rodney Harrison makes case for Patriots to draft an LB with 1st-round pick

“I just need a young, fast, athletic linebacker that’s an excellent playmaker that can run sideline to sideline.”

Rodney Harrison may not be a proponent for the popular opinion that the New England Patriots should draft a receiver or, if the team can’t retain J.C. Jackson, a cornerback. Harrison, a retired Patriots safety and current NFL analyst, thinks coach Bill Belichick should go in another direction.

“I would go linebacker,” Harrison said during an appearance on WEEI sports radio. “Defense.”

Harrison added: “I just need a young, fast, athletic linebacker that’s an excellent playmaker that can run sideline to sideline. A guy that can play on every single down. A difference-maker. A guy that can blitz. A guy that can drop into coverage.

“You can find that guy in the first and second rounds. But definitely [draft a player] on the defensive side of the ball.”

New England’s inside linebacker position is looking thin, particularly with Dont’a Hightower and Ja’Whaun Bentley set to hit free agency. Even if both players come back, the Patriots probably need more speed and smarts in the middle of their defense. Both players have been good. Neither were truly great — and that showed late in the season when the Patriots struggled to defend the run. So that makes sense, particularly from the perspective of Harrison, who was a part of the defensive-focused era of New England’s dynasty. But offense seems to be king now.

How important is a WR1?

“It’s very important,” Harrison said. “You think about Nelson Agholor and those guys — I felt like he was going to have more of an impact. I thought Jonnu Smith was going to have more of an impact. But you can’t always go out and find those guys in free agency.

“Sometimes, you have to go out and go draft a guy to see if you can have that impact player. It’d be nice to see if Hunter Henry continues to stay healthy and continue to just get better. Obviously, they’re going to have to go out and find some receivers.”

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Bill Belichick strongly vouches for three former Patriots in Hall of Fame discussion

“Since there’s no criteria for the Hall of Fame, it’s really hard to even have a conversation about it.”

Bill Belichick should be considered a decent judge of NFL talent at this point in his career.

The New England Patriots head coach, who’s been in the league since 1975, has eight collective Super Bowl wins and he’s arguably the greatest coach ever. He’s seen a thing or two around the league and he has a pretty good understanding of which players should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former Patriots defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork were recently named semifinalists for the Hall of Fame, while safety Rodney Harrison was left off the list — he was a semifinalist last year.

Belichick discussed the topic on Friday morning and began with some endorsement for Seymour and Wilfork.

“For me, those are the two best defensive linemen that I’ve coached,” Belichick said. “… In my Hall of Fame, those two guys are there. Without a doubt.”

When it comes to Harrison, Belichick was very precise in his praise.

“I think that Rodney Harrison 100% [belongs] in that conversation,” he said. “And I have coached some of the other safeties that have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and not taking anything away from them, but certainly Rodney Harrison belongs in that conversation. He certainly belongs in the conversation with other players who are already there.”

Belichick continued by discussing the confusing criteria to get into the Hall of Fame.

“Since there’s no criteria for the Hall of Fame, it’s really hard to even have a conversation about it because we’re not basing it on anything,” he said. “Your opinion of a great player, my opinion of a great player, somebody else’s opinion of a great player — like, I don’t know what that. means. Is it how many year’s they played? Is it how many All-Pro’s they had? Is it how many championships they won? Is it individual stats? You can make it whatever you want to make it. With no criteria, you can make a case for anybody.”

Due to this lack of criteria, maybe Belichick will make a push for Julian Edelman at some point in the future.

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Rodney Harrison offers sound advice for Jonnu Smith amid early struggles

“He’s finally got the financial security he’s looking for, this is the time just to relax and go out there and play.”

Jonnu Smith isn’t playing up to the expectations the New England Patriots had for him when dishing out a four-year, $50 million deal.

The veteran tight end was ascending as a key playmaker for the Tennessee Titans and his 2020 season was the best of his career — totaling 41 catches for 448 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s only had 16 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown through six games thus far in New England.

There appears to be a mental block in place and it likely could’ve stemmed from the loss to the New Orleans Saints. Smith’s day was riddled with mistakes and drops — spotlighted by the pass he dropped that turned into a pick-six for New Orleans.

Former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison joined WEEI’s “Merloni & Fauria” Thursday and gave the tight end some solid advice.

“I remember him when he was with the Titans,” he said. “Before I would see flashes of him as he made his way and kind of became a veteran player in this league and I used to always say, ‘The Titans don’t use him enough. The Titans don’t use him enough.’ What he’s going to have to do is he’s going to have to get to a point, forget about all the expectations and the big contract and just go out there and play. He seems like he’s fighting the ball, he’s not relaxed. The kid has so much talent and so much ability that it’s like he’s putting added pressure on himself. He’s finally got the financial security he’s looking for, this is the time just to relax and go out there and play. He doesn’t have to play scared or anything like that.

“I am looking for him to really step up because the expectations when he came here was that this dude could do a lot of different things — [create] mismatches for linebackers, safeties and even cornerbacks because he’s a very, very talented kid. He just needs to relax and play football.”

Smith has the support of his team and there’s still a long season of football ahead. If he can shake the mental block — the days of Smith taking over games could be right around the corner.

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Rodney Harrison hesitant to buy into ‘slow’ Patriots linebackers, Jamie Collins

“It doesn’t seem like they’re slow, and I love those guys and have so much respect for those guys, but yeah, they are slow.”

The ‘Boogeymen’ are back for the New England Patriots, right?

With the re-signing of Jamie Collins and the current roster of Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Chase Winovich — it seems like it.

Former Patriots safety and NBC analyst Rodney Harrison is still unsure of this defense and doesn’t think the linebacker group will be the same as they were in 2019.

“You’re spot on. It doesn’t seem like they’re slow, and I love those guys and have so much respect for those guys, but yeah, they are slow,” Harrison said on WEEI’s “Merloni & Fauria” on Thursday. “When you start watching LaVonte David, you start watching Devin White move and blitz and move from sideline to sideline, it’s night and day difference.

“And that was the thing that really stood out to me. I’m like, ‘Look how fast and athletic Tampa Bay linebackers look.’ And the Patriots linebackers, the defense just looks slow. It’s always kind of looked like that, and it starts with those backers, man. Those guys have experience and things like that, but that’s something the Patriots definitely need to upgrade a little bit moving forward. That’s speed.”

Collins has been known for his speed throughout his time in the league, but Harrison even believes the newest addition won’t be the same as before.

“I don’t think it’s anything that — it didn’t move me any when they said they were signing Jamie Collins,” he said. “Maybe [Bill] Belichick can get that fire back in him and he’s probably the only coach that knows how to really utilize him. I don’t know, man. This might be it for Jamie. He needs to show that he can still play, that he still wants to play.”

The biggest downfall of this defense going forward will be the absence of Stephon Gilmore — which will put real pressure on J.C. Jackson to hold his group together.

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NFL fans had jokes about Rodney Harrison not holding his own umbrella on TV

The internet roasted Rodney Harrison — and, of course, he didn’t deserve.

Retired New England Patriots safety and NFL analyst Rodney Harrison required some help from an assistant during the NBC Sports broadcast on Sunday night. Someone had to hold an umbrella for him.

It seems as if Harrison decided not to use an umbrella, which backfired. The rain picked up and, rather than take the umbrella from an assistant, Harrison decided to simply let that individual take care of the rain coverage. It made for a hilarious scene, with the other three broadcasters holding their own umbrella. Here’s a look at the still frame that made for endless jokes on Twitter from media members, former players and fans.

Pretty silly, right? Here’s how everyone reacted.

6 former Chargers among modern-era nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Find out who is representing the Chargers.

Six former Chargers have made the list of 122 modern-era players eligible for the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame.

They are as follows:

DB Antonio Cromartie

NT Lorenzo Neal

DL Leslie O’Neal

LB Takeo Spikes

DB Rodney Harrison

DB Bob Sanders 

It will be trimmed to a list of 25 semifinalists in November and then to 15 finalists in January.

The selection committee will meet after that to select the 2022 class, which will be enshrined next August.

Rodney Harrison ‘stunned’ by Patriots’ ‘average’ front seven vs. Dolphins

“I was just really stunned by the Patriots’ front seven.”

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The New England Patriots’ front seven is much stronger in 2021 than it was last season.

But, there’s still room for improvement.

Former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison noted this during an NBC Sports segment.

“I look at their defensive front seven — which is supposed to be stout, which is really supposed to be the strength of their team — and it was average,” Harrison said, transcribed by WEEI. “It wasn’t very good. I just didn’t see the consistent pressure. I didn’t see them stopping the run. I didn’t see those guys flying around. They looked slow, they didn’t really look energetic.

“This is supposed to be a faster, more athletic defense. I was just really stunned by the Patriots’ front seven.”

The Patriots did manage to hold the Dolphins to only 74 rushing yards on 23 carries, which is a vast improvement in the rush defense compared to last season. But, Tua Tagovailoa had too much freedom in the 17-16 win and the lethal group of edge rushers didn’t pose the threat they were expected to.

Things will likely change in Week 2, though.

New England will hit the road to take on the New York Jets and they’ll face rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. Bill Belichick’s teams are historically dominant against rookie quarterbacks and it’ll be an opportunity to get the front seven fired up.

If Harrison still feels this way after Week 2, the Patriots may have an issue defensively going forward.

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Rodney Harrison reveals how Bill Belichick takes analysts’ criticism

Rodney Harrison revealed how Bill Belichick takes criticism from analysts.

In the middle of Rodney Harrison’s first season as an NFL analyst on NBC, he was tested, as he offered his thoughts on the Patriots’ controversial 4th -and-2 play against the Indianapolis Colts that year. Yup, the former Patriots safety has been on NBC’s “Football Night in America” since 2009.

With Harrison maintaining relationships with Patriots players and Bill Belichick, he was put in a tough spot, with criticism of the coach he once played for.

Harrison was uncomfortable to say the least, yet still managed to give his opinion. Now in his 13 season at the position, he has shown he is not afraid to criticize New England. With that being said, Harrison revealed Belichick’s reaction to his former player offering criticism.

“I was just up there for the Patriots Hall of Fame [in 2019], and Belichick told me and Willie McGinest, ‘Look, if you guys have to criticize me, I understand it. You have a job to do,’” Harrison told ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I was like, ‘Coach, I have no problem with that!’ It was nice for him to say that, because somebody that gave me an opportunity, who really believed in you, the last thing you want to do is criticize him. But I had to do my job.”

If anything, Harrison’s story just goes to show that Belichick is not afraid to take everything in stride.

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Rodney Harrison discusses his role in Kyle Dugger’s development

Rodney Harrison is optimistic about Kyle Dugger’s future.

One of the brightest young players on the New England Patriots’ roster is Kyle Dugger.

It was clear he had sky-high potential when the Patriots used their first pick in the 2020 draft on a DII safety. The Lenoir-Rhyne product was dominant within his realm, but played at a lower level than most of the top prospects. It’s possible he could’ve dropped to the Patriots at a lower pick, but Bill Belichick knew who he wanted and didn’t risk losing him.

Dugger dealt with an ankle injury last year, but he stilled played in 14 games and seamlessly worked his way into an NFL setting with little offseason reps. Patriots legend Rodney Harrison was a part of that development, as he told ESPN’s Mike Reiss on Sunday.

“Right after the draft, they gave me his number and I just called him. I reached out and talked to him,” Harrison said. “Even this offseason, I text him and say, ‘Hey, send me some clips you want me to look over of you in coverage.'”

[Coach] Belichick told me that he’s been looking for a young kid who can come in and do a lot of the things that he basically asked me to do. Kyle can be that.”

Harrison believes in Dugger’s potential and he reiterated that to him with positive reinforcement.

“I’ve been telling him ‘You can cover. You just have to believe in yourself a little bit more. Don’t give those tight ends free releases. Get up there and jam them — you’re a big kid, you’re strong, so get up there and challenge them and don’t make it easy for them,'” Harrison said. “In the pass game, I just want to see him play with more confidence. He just has to believe what he sees. I tell him, ‘Believe what you see and go get it! Don’t second-guess yourself! Be aggressive! You don’t need to play careful.’

“In the run game, I think he’s tough and he’s starting to really see the line-block combinations; when the tight end blocks down and the tackle pulls, where he needs to go, where his proper fit is.”

Overall, Harrison is optimistic about Dugger’s future.

“I love the kid, his attitude,” he said. “He’s such a humble kid, and he wants to be really good. He asks questions.”

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7 Chargers appear in Sports Illustrated’s ‘Greatest Draft of All-Time’

Find out which players represented the Chargers.

The Chargers have seen some elite players walk through the doors since the franchise originally started up.

Sports Illustrated selected the best player taken at each of the 259 picks in the modern seven-round draft, which dates back to as early as 1942.

The Bolts were represented with seven players.

Here’s who made the list:

9. Lance Alworth, WR, San Diego, 1962. (11, 136) Hall of Fame. NFL’s 100th anniversary team. All-decade. 7 Pro Bowls. 2 championship rings. 3-time AFL receiving champion.

32. Drew Brees, QB, San Diego, 2001. (20, 287) 13 Pro Bowls. 2006 NFL Man of the Year. 1 Super Bowl ring. 2010 Super Bowl MVP. 2-time NFL passing champion. 2008 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. NFL’s all-time leading passer with 80,358 yards – only QB with 80,000. Only 12 5,000-yard passing seasons in NFL history and Brees has five of them. No one else has more than one.

64. Dan Fouts, QB, San Diego, 1973. (15, 181) Hall of Fame. All-decade. 1982 NFL MVP. 6 Pro Bowls. 1982 NFL passing champion. His jersey number 14 retired by the Chargers.

145. Rodney Harrison, S, San Diego, 1994. (15, 186) 3 Pro Bowls. 2 Super Bowl rings. 1,206 career tackles, 34 interceptions. Named to the 50th anniversary teams of both the Chargers and Patriots.

164. Rickey Young, HB, San Diego, 1975. (9, 131) 1978 NFL receiving champion. 408 career receptions, 16 touchdowns. 3,666 career rushing yards, 23 touchdowns.

202. Earnest Jackson, HB, San Diego, 1983. (6, 81) 2 Pro Bowls. 1984 AFC rushing champion. 4,167 career rushing yards, 22 touchdowns.

222. Trent Green, QB, San Diego, 1993. (11, 120) 2 Pro Bowls. 1 Super Bowl ring. Quarterbacked the NFL’s top-ranked offense at Kansas City in both 2004 and 2005. 28,475 career passing yards, 162 touchdowns.