The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a lot of success throughout the history of the organization. Most notably, Pittsburgh had one of the most successful dynasties in NFL history during the 1970s as the organization won four Super Bowls. The franchise was then able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy twice during the 2000s. The two Super Bowl victories in that timeframe came on the backs of a staggering defense, which James Harrison was a major factor on. Everyone remembers his touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII, but his intense and physical nature made an impact that doesn't show on the stat sheet.
Harrison is widely regarded as one of the hardest hitters in NFL history. The Steelers' defense during the late-2000s, largely due to Harrison, was a big reason the NFL started its player-safety initiative. The former outside linebacker had multiple instances of knocking an opponent out of the game, which is frowned upon in today's world. The NFL has changed a ton since the prime of Harrison's career, but he recently went on The Why Willie Show With J.J. Williams and shared that he thinks he can play today.
"I could definitely play the game the way it's being played today," Harrison said. "The only issue is that if I played the game today, I think I would injure a lot more people versus actually hurting them. You have to lower your target area to where you're going at guy's knees just for the sake of trying to save yourself money so that you don't get fined or suspended. So now you're actually putting their whole career in jeopardy."
The former outside linebacker makes an interesting point. The NFL has gotten very trigger happy when it comes to giving out fines to defenders, and even ball carriers, by some of the hits they deliver. Harrison was fined a lot throughout his career, but that number would be even higher if he was still suiting up today.
During Harrison's career, he was fined nearly $225,000 for some of the hits he gave to the opposing team, and he was even suspended once for the way he hit the quarterback. He would certainly need to clean up the way he played if he were to return to the league, but he expressed concern for the legs of some ball carriers. Defenders are taught not to hit up top anymore, and hitting the torso is more risky and difficult. This leaves the knee area for defenders to target, which could easily lead to serious knee injuries and other lower body issues.
Ligament damage is something that seriously shortens careers in the NFL, and it is almost like the league is insisting that defenders aim for the knees with how the game is officiated nowadays. The league always has player safety in mind when changing rules or deciding how the game will be officiated, but it sounds like it needs to consult with some actual former players before making any changes.
Steelers Could Use A Coach Like James Harrison
One of the things that made the defenses in Pittsburgh so great and reliable was that they held themselves accountable. There were vocal leaders all over that side of the ball. The veterans and leaders on the defense would not let anything slide, which is exactly why Pittsburgh may benefit from bringing a former player like Harrison onto the staff.
Harrison recently spoke about how he has an interest to coach, and he even reached out to the organization just to test the waters. Unfortunately, Harrison received no response, but maybe that will change moving forward with how the defense ended the 2024 season.
