Rodney Harrison

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Rodney Harrison

Date of birth	December 15, 1972
Place of birth	Markham, Illinois
Position(s)	Safety
College	Western Illinois
NFL Draft	1994 / Round 5/ Pick 145
Pro Bowls	2
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference NFL.com DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1994-2002 2003-present	San Diego Chargers New England Patriots

Rodney Scott Harrison"The Hitman" (born December 15, 1972 in Markham, Illinois) is an American football safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He went to high school at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, IL. He was originally drafted in 1994 (145th overall) out of Western Illinois University and became a member of the San Diego Chargers' 1997 #1 ranked defense. He was an All-Pro Safety in 1998 and 2001, and also a pro bowler in those years.

Although no such records are kept by the league, he is believed to hold the record for most times fined by the league for unnecessary roughness or unsportsmanlike conduct. Notorious for his cheap shots, Harrison was voted the dirtiest player in the NFL by his peers according to a poll conducted by Sports Illustrated. In 2006, Harrison further solidified his reputation as one of the dirtiest players in NFL history when he, yet again, topped the list of the dirtiest players compiled by Sports Illustrated. Of the 361 NFL players polled during the preseason, an incredible 23 percent of them pointed to Harrison as the league's dirtiest player. When interviewed about Harrison for an October 19, 2006 Boston Herald article, Buffalo receiver Lee Evans supported the notion that Harrison is a dirty player, “you can see it on film. It will be subtle, like making a tackle and doing something a little extra after it. You’re getting up and maybe he pushes your face into the ground or gives you a little kick in the back."

He arrived in New England as a highly sought after free agent in the offseason of 2003. At the time N.E. Patriots stand-out safety, Lawyer Milloy, was in the middle of his own free agency hold-out. Both the Patriots and Milloy wanted to make a deal, but Milloy's agent held strong to a higher amount than the Patriots were willing to give. Immediately after being signed Harrison began talking trash to the media about how he was gonna take Milloy's job. New England fans dreamed about the possibilty of both of them in their secondary. The competition never took place, as the Patriots would not budge on their contract offer, Milloy was not signed when the offical roster was made, and Milloy's agent found a taker in the Buffalo, a divisional rival with the Patriots, just prior to the season beginning. The move saw the Patriots defensive captain go to the Bills, the Patriots' first opponent of the 2003 season, where he helped the Bills to a 31-0 rout over the Patriots. Harrison proved a capable replacement, and helped the Patriots to a 14-2 record, including a season-ending 31-0 victory against the Bills.

On January 10, 2004 in the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Tennessee Titans, he intercepted Steve McNair, which set up Antowain Smith's touchdown as New England would hold on for a 17-14 win. In the AFC Championship game the next week against the Indianapolis Colts, Harrison picked off Peyton Manning in the end zone and forced a Marvin Harrison fumble that teammate Tyrone Poole recovered. Additionally, teamate Ty Law picked off Manning 3 times, as the Pats using physicality spurred on by Harrison would stymie the offensive-minded Colts 24-14. Harrison then went on to help New England Patriots win their 2nd ever Super Bowl title, and second in three years, against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII, 32-29, in his first season there. He was injured late in the game, creating openings for the Panthers to come back, and turn the game into an open high scoring finish, which would go down to yet another Adam Vinatieri game-winning field goal, set up by a last-minute Tom Brady drive.

The 2004-2005 season showed another fine performance by the Charger exile. Harrison helped New England lead the NFL in scoring defense in 2003 and second in 2004. A few days before the 2004 divisional playoff game played on January 16, 2005 between the Colts and Patriots, Harrison dubbed Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt the name "Vanderjerk" after the brash kicker said the defending champs were "ripe for the picking." New England went on to win the game by a score of 20-3. As this was against the NFL's number one ranked offense and MVP Peyton Manning who threw 49 touchdowns during the year, it was all the more impressive. Harrison intercepted Manning late in the game to remove the last chance Indianapolis had of scoring a touchdown. The next week in the AFC Championship, Harrison jumped a Ben Roethlisberger pass and took it 87 yards for a touchdown, helping the Patriots defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 41-27. During the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Harrison got into a verbal feud with Philadelphia Eagles receiver Freddie Mitchell after Mitchell claimed he "had something for Harrison" and did not know the names of the New England secondary. Harrison and the Patriots made a statement in Super Bowl XXXIX, as he would record seven tackles, a sack, and two interceptions of quarterback Donovan McNabb, despite missing almost an entire quarter due to an injury sustained during the game. The second interception with ten seconds remaining in the game preserved a 24-21 Patriot win, ensuring a third championship in four years. Many Patriots fans believed that Harrison was snubbed for the 2005 Pro Bowl despite having an incredible (for a safety) 141 tackles, two interceptions, three sacks, and holding together a severely injured secondary.

In a game on September 25, 2005 vs. the Steelers, Harrison was hit in the knee by a falling Pittsburgh receiver and tore the ACL, MCL, and PCL in his left knee. Harrison was subsequently placed on the injured reserve list, ending his season.

[edit] Notables and Records

Two out of the last 3 seasons, Harrison has topped Sports Illustrated's list of the NFL's dirtiest players.
Harrison has the most sacks (28.5) of any defensive back in NFL history
Harrison is the only player ever to have 28.5 sacks and 32 interceptions in a career
Harrison had 4 interceptions in 3 games in the 2005 NFL Postseason