Tag: Rodney Harrison

Rodney Harrison is strongly opposed to Bill Belichick re-signing Cam Newton

“That would be the worst decision [Bill Belichick] has ever made.”

As the New England Patriots search for a quarterback this offseason, the speculation leads to any name that isn’t Cam Newton.

The 31-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Patriots last year and finished the season with a 7-8 record, which is impressive considering the team around him. Although he had 12 rushing touchdowns and carried the squad with his energy and enthusiasm, it was clear he isn’t the same passer as before. Newton threw for 2,657 yards with eight touchdowns and ten interceptions over 15 games.

But, is it worth bringing him back for a second chance? Rodney Harrison strongly disagrees with that idea.

“That would be the worst decision [Bill Belichick] has ever made,” Harrison said, via NBC Sports Boston . “Because now you’re not being fair to your team. When I saw what I saw with Cam, every time I saw Cam pretty much I was hurt. Because I was a guy that believed in Cam, and when you see him drop back and he continues to throw the ball into the ground, throw it five feet or 5 yards above somebody else, you’re like ‘What are you doing, Cam?’ …

“You have to find a quarterback. It would be a terrible mistake for Bill Belichick to bring Cam back because Cam can’t play football anymore. He just can’t play quarterback in the National Football League.”

Harsh, but maybe true.

The Patriots have been linked to Alabama’s Mac Jones and they have the No. 15 overall pick to potentially snag him. There’s other veterans out there who could fit with the team — including Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr and Jacoby Brissett.

As for a potential future with Newton, Harrison clearly isn’t a fan.

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Matthew Stafford isn’t a ‘winner’, leaving Tedy Bruschi skeptical about his fit with Patriots

“He is a star, but, yes, he is not a winner.”

Similar to the 2020 offseason, there’s going to be endless debates on the New England Patriots’ quarterback situation going into 2021.

There isn’t much information coming from Bill Belichick and the team, but speculation is leading to the fact that Cam Newton is on his way out in free agency. Whether or not the Patriots seek out a veteran or find their guy with the No. 15 pick is an absolute mystery.

One quarterback that does stand out is the 32-year-old Matthew Stafford, who’s mutually parting ways with the Detroit Lions this offseason. Because Stafford still has two years remaining on his contract, the money situation will be tricky and the Patriots are one of the few teams who can afford him. Former Patriots executive Michael Lombardi laid out the financial scenario and explained why the Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts are front-runners.

Rodney Harrison gave his insight on the situation and believes Stafford would be a ‘perfect’ choice for the team. Tedy Bruschi doesn’t agree and he argued his point Wednesday on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria.”

“No, I don’t agree with Hot Rod there,” Bruschi said. “I’m a fan of Matthew Stafford, the player. I’m just not a fan of his teams. And so what does that say? It says watching him play is fun — sling it all over the place, the arm angles, taking chances. All of that stuff, that’s great. But it never equals into anything substantial, anything meaningful for the victory.”

And Bruschi is correct — Stafford is a 12-year veteran who had solid teams in Detroit and he only produced three playoff appearances, with no wins.

“He is a star, but, yes, he is not a winner,” Bruschi said. ” … There’s a lot of guys out there with a lot of stats that have no playoff wins, and I think Stafford doesn’t have playoff wins for a reason.

“Now if he comes to New England, you’re gonna have to drop in pay, you’re gonna have to learn to play a different way. And if there’s anyone that knows what kind of player you are, he’s on the staff now, who’s just been hired, and that’s (former Lions head coach) Matt Patricia.”

Newton was willing to risk time with his family and learn a new system, but he talked numerous times about the mental grind of playing in New England. Like Bruschi said, Patricia would know best if Stafford had that ability in him.

“I would say this, winning football is something that I don’t really recognize when I watch him play,” Bruschi said. “I just recognize the highlight plays that he has and that’s really not gonna work with this type of team, in my opinion.”

The Patriots met with Alabama’s Mac Jones at the Senior Bowl and they have options in other places if Stafford doesn’t pan out.

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Why Rodney Harrison thinks Bill Belichick was ‘masterful’ in Patriots’ win over Ravens

“I thought (Sunday) night was a masterful job.”

Here’s what former New England Patriots safety and current NBC Sports analyst Rodney Harrison said he liked about Bill Belichick’s Week 10 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

“I thought (Sunday) night was a masterful job because (Belichick) used the weather just like when we used to play against the Colts and all these other teams, these California teams that came in and really used it to his advantage,” Harrison said Monday on NBC Sports. “He went back to his roots. What are the Patriots’ roots? Even when Tom Brady was there, (it) was physicality, having tough, smart guys that play well under pressure and it always started in the trenches, whether it was the offensive line or defensive line. They controlled the offensive line. I mean, they absolutely did a wonderful job.”

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Homegrown Legends Tournament, Round 1: Vote New Orleans to defeat Chicago

A team of all-time great New Orleans NFL players is set to face Chicago’s own Homegrown Legends, with Peyton Manning and Ed Reed in front.

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What would happen if each NFL team only recruited talent from a geographic perspective? And what if we could put together those squads from throughout pro football’s history? To take it a step further, which city would field the best team?

Our best guess: the New Orleans Saints. Louisiana has created together more great football players than the rest of the country put together, and that’s reflected in our Homegrown Legends roster. Peyton Manning would be throwing to Reggie Wayne and Odell Beckham Jr. when isn’t handing the ball off to Marshall Faulk, with Ed Reed commanding the defense.

Just look at how it was recapped in Touchdown Wire’s power rankings:

Mr. Manning will certainly be familiar with Reggie Wayne, and here, we finally get to answer the question, “What if the Colts hadn’t traded Marshall Faulk to the Rams after the 1998 season, his only year with Peyton?” You could be writing an alternate history of the NFL in the early 2000s there. We’ll make up for that here by giving Manning a truly ridiculous group of receivers. Maybe he can keep Odell consistent, too. Aside from that, imagine how amazing it would be to watch a secondary that had both Ed Reed and Tyrann Mathieu. Unfair to every opposing quarterback, to be sure.

Now we’re in Round 1 of the Hometown Legends tournament, with the No. 2 New Orleans squad matched up against the No. 15 Chicago team in the NFC bracket. We don’t mean any disrespect to Chicago’s all-time greats, but this is a contest New Orleans should walk away with.

Vote for New Orleans to take down Chicago by following this link.

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Former Patriots speak in depth about the light-hearted, fun side of Bill Belichick

“Coach is absolutely fantastic – every year during the holidays, he sends us gifts and baskets and really nice chocolates.”

Bill Belichick is infamously known for his monotone voice and harsh demeanor. He’s not the most friendly of coaches when it comes to time with the media and he doesn’t necessarily wear his emotions on his sleeve.

There’s a side to him that the public doesn’t always see and it’s refreshing to know he’s human also. Belichick grew up with a military mentality and it has led to six Super Bowl wins as a head coach and more success than any other coach in NFL history.

NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran released a new podcast episode titled, ‘The Bill Belichick You Don’t Know’ on Thursday. It features a slew of former Patriots and their own respective stories about Belichick.

These stories were transcribed by Boston.com’s Deyscha Smith.

Rodney Harrison:

“Coach is absolutely fantastic – every year during the holidays, he sends us gifts and baskets and really nice chocolates. He’s an easy-going guy; conversations are always light; he doesn’t really take himself too serious, as much as other people think that he’s this really serious guy; he’s caring; he’s just an open relaxed guy. I got a great relationship with him.”

Charlie Weiss:

“He’s actually very very funny, that would shock the people of New England. He’s got a good sense of humor. It’s just that that’s not him the football coach. That’s him the person, and he’s always been able to divide church and state. I mean this is the same guy that’s close friends with Bon Jovi, he’s the same guy that me and him were at a charity event for my charity and we’re singing background to ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive.’  So, I mean it’s the same guy — there’s him the football coach and there’s him when he’s not the football coach.

“I think that in the world we live in unfortunately, with cell phones and everyone videoing everything you do, you really got to be on your guard to live a more quiet, anonymous type of lifestyle when you’re away from football.”

Rob Ninkovich:

“I think it was 2009, it was my first year there and you have a general idea of Bill as a young guy coming onto the team. There’s a little bit of fear of, ‘You don’t want to get him angry or do you anything [because] you could get cut easily,’ he’s got the power to do all.

The year we played Tennessee … I’m walking out after the game, walking to my truck and all of a sudden, a snowball comes flying in, and I’m like, ‘Who the heck is throwing snowballs?’ And it was Bill throwing snowballs at guys. It was just kind of funny, Bill Belichick throwing snowballs at people. I’m sure he was super pumped because we had won by a lot and it was snowing.

It was just kind of a fun moment where you were like, ‘He’s not so bad…he’s not so bad.’ I threw a snowball back — but it was one of those moments where it was like, make sure you don’t hit him.”

Martellus Bennett:

“For me, Bill [and I] are very cool. It was different, we had a very talkative relationship, I talked to him about a lot of things. There were moments when I was going through something and I needed some advice, and Bill is a guy that I would turn [to] and ask what he thought.

“Bill is a really great, straightforward guy, and that’s what I like about him the most. And he’s really funny. [He’s like] Larry David, like “Curb Your Enthusiasm”…that’s how Bill is. You can’t really explain the humor, you have to be in the room when it happens.”

Matt Cassell:

“I remember one time we’re sitting in the meeting room, and he was critiquing Asante Samuel and he said, ‘Okay!’ That’s it Asante, hit him with a pillow. Let’s throw marshmallows at him sometime.’ There’s that sarcastic, funny humor that a lot of people are scared to death to even smile during those meetings because you’re like, ‘I could be the next one up on that film study.’

“Sometimes you’ll even see him crack a grin after he says something like that.”

Shane Vereen:

“He has such a dry sense of humor and it’s hilarious, he’ll compare plays to funny situations that have nothing to do with football.

“Before we go on long breaks, before we go for summer vacation or after season, he likes to pull up news reports of other NFL players who made poor decisions in the offseason, just a little reminder [and] bug in our ear of what we should not be doing.

“He would go over the reports and he’d have us guess as to what time of the day these things happened, what do [we] think these guys are in the news for, and then he’ll always leave us with, ‘Stay off the [blank], bottom line. Stay off the ticker, the ESPN ticker, that bottom line that goes across your screen.’”

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Ex-Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson shares top five teammates

Who were Chargers great LaDainian Tomlinson’s favorite teammates from back in the day?

Former Chargers running LaDainian Tomlinson will forever be one of the greatest players to suit up in the blue and gold.

Tomlinson enjoyed a successful career with the Bolts, all while playing with some other greats along the way.

Now a member of NFL Network, Tomlinson recently outlined his top five favorite teammates during his nine-year stint with the Chargers.

He listed Rodney Harrison, Lorenzo Neal, Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates, Drew Brees and Junior Seau among his top teammates.

All players mentioned were among Chargers Wire’s 100 best players in team history.

To read more of Tomlinson’s article, where he explains some of his favorite moments, click here.

Rodney Harrison compares Bears safety Eddie Jackson’s instincts to Ed Reed

In 3 seasons, Eddie Jackson has established himself as one of the best safeties in the NFL. And he’s been compared to one of the best.

In just three seasons, Bears safety Eddie Jackson has established himself as one of the best safeties in the NFL. And Chicago compensated him as one, signing the former fourth-round draft pick to a four-year extension worth $58.4 million, making him the highest-paid safety in the game.

Jackson has been praised for his vision and instincts, something that has made him quite the ballhawk in his first two years in the league. In his first two seasons, Jackson totaled eight interceptions, 21 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and scored five defensive touchdowns, which garnered him All-Pro and Pro-Bowl nods in 2018.

And Jackson certainly has a fan in former Super Bowl-winning safety Rodney Harrison.

“I think this young player is a terrific player,” Harrison said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “Good size, great instincts, everything that you want in an all-star caliber safety. I thought he played a little out of position last year, playing a little more strong safety, I think he’s a more of a natural, ballhawking free safety. They need to bring somebody in to play that (strong safety) position. Just let him roam with his athleticism.”

While Jackson had a solid season in 2019 — which included his second Pro Bowl nod — he didn’t as many as those explosive plays that he’s become known for, which can be attributed to moving him to the box. Like many, Harrison believes Jackson’s great contributions come when he’s operating in centerfield, similar to one of the best to ever do it in Ed Reed.

“I think Eddie Jackson needs to go in the middle of the field, because he’s got so much range and so much vision,” Harrison said. “You look at the vision and the instincts, it’s like Ed Reed. Why would you take him out of the center of the field, and put him as the strong safety? If you’re going to do anything, send him off the edge, bring him, blitz him, disguise, move around, do all those different things.”

When the Bears signed Jackson’s Alabama teammate Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to join him in the secondary, they moved Jackson to strong safety, where he wasn’t able to contribute in the way he’s been known to roam the middle of the field.

“A guy goes from getting his hands on the ball, strips, INTs, pass breakups, and then you take him out of the center, where he was a first-team All-Pro, and I actually voted for him, and you put him in the box?” Harrison said. “It’s crazy. You don’t have to pigeonhole him, but don’t put him in the box solely, because you just limit his ability and what he can do.”

Thankfully, Jackson figures to return to free safety this season, and veteran Tashaun Gipson or Deon Bush will likely occupy the strong safety role, which should mean more of those explosive plays are on the way in 2020.

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Rodney Harrison is disappointed the Patriots haven’t signed Cam Newton

“He’s a good guy and he’s still a great football player.”

Count Rodney Harrison as one of the people waiting and hoping the New England Patriots will sign quarterback Cam Newton.

It’s been a popular opinion. Newton is in need of a team, and in particular, probably wants land in a spot where he can compete for a starting job. New England has quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer, but it stands to reason that, if Newton joined the Patriots, he’d be in the mix to start.

“…I thought it would be a great situation where he could have came in at a reduced salary,” Harrison said on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “He could have came in and really learned a lot about just technique and just the intricacies of being on a really great football team with great guidance as far as the head coach and offensive coordinator. I thought that would have been a really, really ideal situation for him. He could have came in, competed. Could have helped the young guy, young guy could have helped to push him. I thought it would have been a perfect situation. I’m just a little disappointed that the Patriots weren’t a little bit more aggressive just recruiting Cam.”

The thought with Newton is that teams are awaiting the chance to give him a physical. Facilities are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, so teams cannot get their doctor in the same room as Newton.

“…I don’t think Cam would have came in and been a problem,” Harrison said. “Cam’s a good guy. Yeah, at times he acts a little immature and I’m sure he’s learned from that immaturity. …He’s a good person. Yeah, he made some mistakes with some interviews and the way he’s handed some situations, but he’s a good guy and he’s still a great football player.”

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Rodney Harrison explains why he loves Patriots drafting DII standout Kyle Dugger

“I love this pick. I absolutely love this pick.”

Retired New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison wasn’t among those looking skeptically at Bill Belichick’s decision to draft DII standout Kyle Dugger. Few had heard of Lenoir Rhyne, Dugger’s alma mater, in the football community prior to his selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

But it’s not necessarily about what school Dugger came from. It’s about where he’s going in the NFL. Harrison thinks the young safety, who is a freak athlete with blazing speed (4.5-second 40-yard dash) and impressive size (6-foot-1, 215 pounds), is capable of big things.

“To me, if you can play — there’s a lot to be said about Division I-AA players like myself, Division II players,” Harrison said to NBC-10 Boston’s Raul Martinez last week. “We’re hungry … And you get so tired of all the big schools and LSUs and (2020 second-round pick) Grant Delpits being named in front of you, so I think this kid’s going to come in with an edge on him.

“I think Belichick’s going to use him whether it’s over the slot, over the tight end, because they need a bigger guy that can come in and relieve Patrick Chung and cover tight ends. I love this pick. I absolutely love this pick.”

New England has been looking for a rangy and versatile defender for the last few years, with safety Obi Melifonwu (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) and cornerback Joejuan Williams (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) making the 53-man roster in 2019. Bill Belichick clearly favors these defensive backs, who are unique athletes with exceptional size and speed. It seems to be a response to the receivers and tight ends with that same size and speed. But the Patriots coach didn’t seen payout from Melifonwu, who the team released this offseason, or Williams, who spent the 2019 season on the bench.

Surely, the Patriots hope to buck that trend with the addition of Dugger and the development of Williams.

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