Steelers’ Harrison not afraid to speak his mind
Steelers Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison, who was fined $100,000 by the league this season for dangerous and/or helmet-to-helmet hits, and he was very candid when asked about it, mocking Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“If you ask me a question, I’ll give you an answer,” Harrison said. “I’m not worried about anything. This is a free world. I can say what I want to as long as I don’t cuss you or anything else. It’s my opinion. I’ve never seen a rule in the NFL rule book that says I can’t speak my opinion, as long as I didn’t use any perverse words.”
Harrison claimed early in the season that he considered retiring after he was fined. The league wound up returning some of his fine money, but Harrison isn’t appeased.
“That was just a token of I don’t know what,” he said. “I don’t know why they did that really. They gave other guys’ money back, so they had to give me money back, I guess.”
One of the reasons Harrison didn’t retire, aside from the several million dollars he makes to play, is Steelers legendary defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who is in the Hall of Fame.
“He’s like a father to (us),” Harrison said. “He’s someone that you look up to. You respect him because of who he is. You respect him because he’s played the game. You respect him because he’s been in the game for 50 years. You respect him because he respects you. You don’t want to go out there and let him down. You don’t want to let your father down, so you don’t want to go out there and let him down.
“It comes down to respect and a feeling like you owe him everything.”
Parity and dominance:
In the past 10 years, the NFC has been represented in the Super Bowl by 10 different teams. Starting with Super Bowl XXXVI the NFC has sent the Rams, Bucs, Panthers, Eagles, Seahawks, Bears, Giants, Cardinals, Saints and now the Packers to the big dance.
“I think parity has been very evident in the National Football League for quite some time,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “In the last 10 years, it’s been very evident that this is the way we’re structured, and it’s no different this year.”
The same hasn’t held true for the AFC, as the Patriots have made it four times, the Steelers three times and the Colts twice. Only the Raiders, in XXXVII, broke the stranglehold of the three AFC powers in the last decade.