Teammates angry at ‘selfish’ Harrison after signing with Pats
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� The Steelers aren无毛视频檛 happy about A.) answering questions about James Harrison signing with the New England Patriots, and B.) James Harrison signing with the New England Patriots.
Vince Williams tweeted his disgust about it on Tuesday but then deleted it.
Maurkice Pouncey said that Harrison ruined his legacy in Pittsburgh by signing there.
Bud Dupree became enraged while talking about it with a group of reporters before ending his interview.
Mike Mitchell wouldn无毛视频檛 talk directly about 无毛视频減layers that are not in Pittsburgh.无毛视频� But Mitchell knows what it无毛视频檚 like to switch teams.
无毛视频淏ut I didn无毛视频檛 switch to a team that was within conference,无毛视频� he said tersely. 无毛视频淎nd I went for life-changing money, and I STILL chose a team that wasn无毛视频檛 within the conference. That无毛视频檚 what teammates do.无毛视频�
Marcus Gilbert was more direct. He lockers next to rookie T.J. Watt, who didn无毛视频檛 want to talk about the departure of his veteran backup. But Gilbert did.
无毛视频淭he thing I hate,无毛视频� Gilbert started, 无毛视频渋f he无毛视频檚 as real as he says he is, why doesn无毛视频檛 he come out and tell his side of the story? His real side of the story? He didn无毛视频檛 want to be here at all.无毛视频�
Was Harrison disruptive?
无毛视频淎 distraction? Yeah,无毛视频� Gilbert said. 无毛视频淚 mean, if you don无毛视频檛 want to be here, if you don无毛视频檛 want to help the guys who are in front of you, like a rookie who无毛视频檚 pretty much learning on his own, and Bud, who无毛视频檚 a young guy, too, then there无毛视频檚 no place for that here. We无毛视频檙e all about winning. If you can无毛视频檛 respect that, well, his wishes were granted. He won无毛视频檛 tell you guys that, but those were his wishes.无毛视频�
Gilbert said he was aware Harrison wanted to leave 无毛视频渇rom the very beginning. It was one of these things where I feel like he needs to come out and say something. He knew he didn无毛视频檛 want to be here. You can无毛视频檛 tell your agent to go speak for him and say he wanted to be here, because that wasn无毛视频檛 the case. A lot of guys were giving up blood, sweat and tears every weekend and this guy was selfish enough to not give a damn about any of these guys. That was every single week from the beginning of the season.无毛视频�
无毛视频淗e wanted out,无毛视频� said Pouncey. 无毛视频淚t wasn无毛视频檛 like the team said 无毛视频榃e无毛视频檙e going to let go of James Harrison.无毛视频� James Harrison wanted out.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 funny to read the stories. This is something that you wanted to do, it无毛视频檚 not like they got together and said we无毛视频檙e going to cut James. No, that无毛视频檚 not what happened. He needs to come out and admit that.无毛视频�
THE INFORMATION EXCHANGE
In attempting to downplay the effect of any information Harrison might relay to the Patriots, Ben Roethlisberger pointed back to the first game of the season.
无毛视频淭he first time we played Cleveland I think Sammie Coates had just got picked up by them,无毛视频� said Roethlisberger. 无毛视频淭hat was obviously a big concern of ours, knowing our offense.无毛视频�
Doesn无毛视频檛 Harrison know the plays better than Coates did?
无毛视频淥ffensively? Maybe,无毛视频� Roethlisberger joked. But Roethlisberger did reveal one concern.
无毛视频淢y wife and I were talking last night,无毛视频� he said Wednesday morning, 无毛视频渁nd she asked if he knew much of our no-huddle stuff. I don无毛视频檛 think he knows a lot of it. I无毛视频檓 sure he无毛视频檚 heard some of the same things for a lot of years now, so maybe some of it, but like I said, that无毛视频檚 a long way off.无毛视频�
Roethlisberger said that it无毛视频檚 an individual preference about how much information is exchanged.
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 on James,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚f they want to ask him every single piece of information he has, then that无毛视频檚 what this league does. I无毛视频檓 not worried about it. We don无毛视频檛 play them this week and we don无毛视频檛 play them next week, so we无毛视频檒l see.无毛视频�
AB MVP
Antonio Brown was named Steelers MVP for the fourth time in his seven seasons with the team. The five-time Pro Bowler leads the NFL in receiving yards (1,533) and is tied for second with 101 receptions, even though he missed the last 1.5 games with a calf injury. He无毛视频檚 expected back for the playoffs.
Roethlisberger, who无毛视频檚 been named team MVP only one time (2009) in his 14 seasons, was asked about his vote.
无毛视频淢aurkice Pouncey,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 was a guy that voted a lot of years for Heath Miller, and to me MVP is the Most Valuable Player on this team, a guy that you just cannot do without, and to me it无毛视频檚 him. I could probably pick any of the linemen but he无毛视频檚 kind of the anchor of that group and the guy that means a lot to me, not just as a friend but for this team. Definitely deserves it in my book. I put a big 53 on my thing, too, and circled it, too.无毛视频�
SACKING ROETHLISBERGER
Roethlisberger added a new layer to the oft-told story of him being sacked four times by Harrison during a 2001 college game.
Harrison had 无毛视频渢hree fulls and two halves无毛视频� of a five-sack Kent State performance against Roethlisberger with the final two sacks ending Miami无毛视频檚 last threat in a 24-20 Kent State win. Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 rushing total in the game was 14 carries for negative 54 yards.
无毛视频淭hat was actually a makeup game from Sept. 11,无毛视频� Roethlisberger said. 无毛视频淲e had played in Hawaii the week before so it was supposed to be the last game of the year and a lot of my senior linemen aren无毛视频檛 going to go on. They chose to stay out there, and James had a field day.无毛视频�
Roethlisberger was asked why he didn无毛视频檛 stay in Hawaii, but he misheard the question.
无毛视频淭hey stayed in Hawaii, yes,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚t happens in the MAC, I think, and not coming back to playing at 无毛视频� where did James go to school?无毛视频�
When told Kent, Roethlisberger said that he knew and was joking.
STEVAN RIDLEY
What can you tell me about the exchange of info when players change teams?
It depends on where you无毛视频檙e at, it really does. It无毛视频檚 football. Everybody无毛视频檚 trying to get their advantage any way they can.
Would he bring Harrison in and grill him? The fans are happy you are here to provide Patriots information. Is there something there?
Man, I无毛视频檓 coming to play ball. That无毛视频檚 it. I无毛视频檓 coming to play ball. It无毛视频檚 a rivalry. It无毛视频檚 a competition. Like I said, we无毛视频檙e not in this thing to lose, we无毛视频檙e in this thing to win. Gaining every advantage.
Is Tomlin in it to win?
I think the play speaks for itself with this squad right here.
How much can it help?
You still have to go out there and execute on Sundays. You can have all the information that you want but at the end of the day it无毛视频檚 about execution. Like I said, you study, you prepare, you have your game plan and you have to have information to be prepared. Once you glean that information, once you prepare with it, it无毛视频檚 up to Sundays to go out there and put it on the field. That无毛视频檚 really the main thing. You can make it as hard or as easy as you want to. Different coaches, different philosophies.
One turnover can change any grand plan.
You无毛视频檙e talking football. You无毛视频檙e talking football. There you go.
Were you particularly sore after this past game? After not playing in a while?
I was. I was a little bit 无毛视频� I无毛视频檒l say knocking the rust off. That无毛视频檚 what it was. Getting off the couch and getting on the field, it无毛视频檚 a big jump. But that无毛视频檚 part of being a pro, also, is taking care of your body and knowing yourself, so I无毛视频檓 going to spend this week, four or five days, to get back, and that无毛视频檚 what you do to feel the best that you can. You never feel as good as you do after the first day. It doesn无毛视频檛 matter if it无毛视频檚 practice, games, whatever, you无毛视频檝e just got to come in there and prepare youself to go out and play and produce.
You looked good in practice. How much did fresh legs have to do with that?
It无毛视频檚 really finding your rhythm. I believe in that. Yeah I无毛视频檓 fresh. I无毛视频檓 a lot fresher than 90 percent of these guys who无毛视频檝e played 15 weeks in a row. But fresh isn无毛视频檛 always the best. It无毛视频檚 good, because your body hasn无毛视频檛 had the beating, but when guys have been in here and they have their rhythm and they have their timing, they无毛视频檝e been running, that无毛视频檚 when you realize you无毛视频檝e got some catching up to do. Being fresh isn无毛视频檛 the answer. I无毛视频檝e got work to do, and that无毛视频檚 how I无毛视频檓 approaching it.
You should be ready for the playoffs right?
That无毛视频檚 the goal.