Harrison should just get it over with
This one seems like a no-brainer for James Harrison.
I mean, check out the help he无毛视频檚 getting from around the internet:
n 无毛视频淭he NFL无毛视频檚 desire to be all-powerful, to have inexorable and unreasonable domain over its players, has in fact left those players, every one of them, open to blackmail无毛视频� 无毛视频� a writer.
n 无毛视频淲hen the NFL doesn无毛视频檛 get its way they无毛视频檙e going to bully you无毛视频� 无毛视频� an agent.
n 无毛视频淛ames Harrison is all hard work. And he无毛视频檚 natural无毛视频� 无毛视频� a former teammate.
n 无毛视频淚 wonder if the union isn无毛视频檛 laying the ground work for a much bigger fight 无毛视频� (and) coming at Goodell for Hostile Work Environment. That would be interesting. I无毛视频檇 kind of like to see that无毛视频� 无毛视频� a Steelers fan.
There are plenty of reasons why Harrison should just say no to Roger Goodell and fight the good fight, the just fight, the fight everyone seemingly wants him to fight.
I无毛视频檝e given a few reasons myself since the NFL first wanted to interview Harrison about a since-recanted article in which a man threw Harrison无毛视频檚 name onto a pile of names that the man, in my opinion, was just guessing used PEDs.
I无毛视频檝e always championed those who wish to fight the power, and Harrison is a heavyweight in that regard. I mean, just look at the chip on his shoulder.
Oh, he无毛视频檚 a contrarian all right.
However, with so many allies right now, is saying no the contrarian position anymore?
In fact, I无毛视频檓 wondering now if Harrison should become a TRUE contrarian and disregard all of these reasons, all of this budding populism, and go in and do the interview.
It was someone else无毛视频檚 internet comment that moved me off my position:
n 无毛视频淗aha. Wexell how does it feel to have a cheater on your team?无毛视频� 无毛视频� twitter egghead.
So, why care about a Patriots fan with four followers?
Because this is Harrison无毛视频檚 last season. Because he无毛视频檚 navigated these waters for 14 of them and has been the most naturally strong athlete I无毛视频檝e ever watched.
He无毛视频檚 truly a special athlete, and I believe, as Steve McLendon does, that Harrison无毛视频檚 all natural. I saw that unnaturally natural strength at his very first camp, before he had $500,000 to spend on his body the way he now does 14 years later. So why hold out in the final year and let even a sliver of twitter egghead-ism shroud what he无毛视频檚 accomplished?
We all know that once Harrison starts this war, he无毛视频檚 not going to back off. Both sides will be too stubborn to give in. We know Harrison won无毛视频檛 give in, and we know that Goodell hates Harrison enough that Goodell would never give in. He didn无毛视频檛 give in on Tom Brady, and the NFL cares a lot more about handsome quarterbacks than it does the classic grim reaper of death on defense.
Of course, Harrison has gone out of his way to ensure Goodell无毛视频檚 hatred. Harrison once said he wouldn无毛视频檛 urinate on the man if he were on fire. There were other comments, and we all cheered them on, as sinful as they were.
And those were sins.
Yes, as much as I enjoyed Harrison无毛视频檚 hatred of the commissioner, he无毛视频檚 gone too far at times.
Now it无毛视频檚 time to pay for those sins. And, hey, we all have sins and we all pay for them in one way or another.
Taking a Rooney-backed day off to merely comply with an interview is a small price to pay for Harrison, for his sins, for his legacy, for his team. There无毛视频檚 too much at stake. He无毛视频檚 made his point and it无毛视频檚 a good one, too.
Let the writers, the agents, the former teammates and the fans fight this one to the death. James Harrison has done his part already.
Was camp worthwhile?
The Steelers went to Saint Vincent College looking for pass-rushers, cornerbacks and tight ends.
And just about everyone they had in mind for those spots has either struggled or gotten injured.
So was there any redeeming quality to these past three weeks?
无毛视频淎 LOT of good came out of this,无毛视频� said guard Ramon Foster.
The big man is the Chief Award winner not just because he无毛视频檚 helpful with the media but because he has a positive outlook. That无毛视频檚 why I went to him with my negativity.
无毛视频淧ouncey无毛视频檚 back,无毛视频� Foster said. 无毛视频淏en无毛视频檚 looking good. A.B.无毛视频檚 here and he无毛视频檚 got his contract thing coming on. David (DeCastro) is working on his. The guys who无毛视频檝e shown up have gotten work done. Yeah, we got a lot done.无毛视频�
Foster addressed the problems this way:
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e still got time,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淛esse (James) has looked good and so has X(avier Grimble), and they无毛视频檙e young guys. No, they无毛视频檙e not Heath (Miller) and they无毛视频檙e not (Matt) Spaeth. We无毛视频檝e just got to get used to who we have, and that无毛视频檚 X and Jesse.无毛视频�
And the secondary?
无毛视频淵oung guys,无毛视频� Foster said. 无毛视频淵ou无毛视频檝e got a steady guy in Will Gay who无毛视频檚 leading his troops. Again, it无毛视频檚 still early. If Artie (Burns) isn无毛视频檛 ready or Sean (Davis) isn无毛视频檛 ready, we无毛视频檝e just got to wait until we smooth 无毛视频檈m on into this process.无毛视频�
As for the pass-rushers, Foster has noticed and respects veteran Arthur Moats and figures one of either Jarvis Jones, Bud Dupree or Anthony Chickillo will get healthy in time, even if Harrison is suspended.
无毛视频淲hen Detroit came, we noticed we had a little bit of a tougher camp than most people,无毛视频� Foster added. 无毛视频淲e go hard, so us giving guys a couple days off, I think that无毛视频檚 good. I think most of the NFL is honestly doing it more than us. We play tackle football every day and guys that come from most teams never heard of it. So I think we无毛视频檙e set.无毛视频�
Tonight无毛视频檚 game
Speaking of internet commentary, even outrage, it无毛视频檚 Landry Jones season again.
No one, it seems, likes the Steelers无毛视频� backup QB after his 6-for-12, 55-yard first half last week against the Detroit Lions.
But Jones has looked sharp the last two days, perhaps more sharp than at any time in his four camps with the Steelers. He stands tall in the pocket, slides deftly, has touch on his short to intermediate passes and throws the deep ball with ease.
无毛视频淎 lot of confidence,无毛视频� said QB Coach Randy Fichtner. 无毛视频淵ou get that when you get to go with the first team, the line, A.B.无毛视频�
In watching Jones this week, the feeling is that he无毛视频檚 due for perhaps his finest preseason performance tonight against the Philadelphia Eagles. But Fichtner pulled in the reins on that a bit.
无毛视频淗e might,无毛视频� Fichtner said. 无毛视频淏ut again, we无毛视频檙e not going to game plan. We无毛视频檙e not going to necessarily put in things that will help him. We无毛视频檝e still got to evaluate everyone. It isn无毛视频檛, per se, a game plan we would use in the regular season. Next week will be more of an in-season game where you无毛视频檙e getting work with reps that are going to be exactly how we无毛视频檙e going to run a particular play. These are plays we无毛视频檝e been running since spring and we still need to see who can execute. (Cobi Hamilton)无毛视频檚 new, other receivers need to get their work, tight ends need work. It isn无毛视频檛 like we无毛视频檙e game-planning to see if 26 can get on their linebacker where we know we无毛视频檝e got a win.
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檒l be some good plays and there无毛视频檒l be some plays that probably aren无毛视频檛 so good. It无毛视频檚 about learning, for the players AND the coaches. Sometimes we learn the most about our quarterbacks when we无毛视频檝e got a bad play, a play we might not even like. But, man, what we learn from that rep is going to keep us from making that mistake in-season.
无毛视频淏ut, yeah, his confidence is much better. He无毛视频檚 throwing the ball very well.无毛视频�