James Harrison not slowing down as Steelers approach playoffs
PITTSBURGH — James Harrison isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, even as a 38 year-old in the latter stretch of his 14th NFL season.
As seen in Sunday night’s win over the Ravens, Harrison’s age is really just a number at this point. With a playoff berth on the line, the veteran OLB led the Steelers with 11 tackles, nine of which were solo.
Harrison’s play of late has his teammates questioning if he will actually hang up the spikes any time soon. Just 12 hours after playing 74 of 75 total defensive snaps against the Ravens, Harrison was at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex doing static belt squats.
“With how he’s playing now, we don’t even know if he’s going to retire next year or not,” Bud Dupree said. “The way he works and the way he carries himself with the things he does, he probably could play another three years if he really wanted to.”
Harrison ranks sixth on the team with 53 tackles, albeit he was only averaging roughly 50 percent of the defensive snaps for the first half of the season while in a four-man rotation. That could have been a blessing in disguise. OLB coach Joey Porter did a good job of limiting Harrison’s workload in September and October in order to get the best of him in November and December. He’s first on the team with five sacks, and tied for second with two forced fumbles.
Harrison’s 20 tackles in the last two games is tied for the most he’s ever had over a two-game span, with the previous mark coming in 2008.
While playing alongside Dupree, Harrison has helped the 2015 first-round pick’s development. Dupree has 17 tackles and 3.5 sacks in five games since his return from injured reserve as a key piece in the Steelers’ front seven. Often, he’s communicating with Harrison in between plays in regards to what’s going on at the line of scrimmage.
“We’ll ask each other what we’re getting since we rush on both sides,” Dupree said. “And just other things, like the run plays. It’s always good to know what he saw and what I saw, and communicate it to each other.
“He knows a lot more than I do. Just simple stuff. He can be looking at the line of scrimmage and already see that it’s a run, where I’m focused on just getting off the ball and beating my man. He slows it down. He sees the game a lot slower than me.”
In a defense with five starters age 23 or younger, three of which are rookies, Harrison’s veteran presence during the Steelers’ upcoming playoff run can’t be taken for granted.
“He keeps us grinding,” Dupree said. “Sometimes we’ll be too hype or overexcited, and he’ll come out and say things like, ‘We don’t need no pep rally.’ He keeps us grounded and on the right track.”