James Harrison Provides Old Name, New Spark to Steelers Defense

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, sometimes everything old is new again. An area of focus in the offseason was to do everything in their power to get younger and more athletic. However, on a Sunday night, against a heated rival, it was veteran linebacker James Harrison who stole the show.

There is never any love lost when the Steelers square off against the Baltimore Ravens. In the first matchup of the season, there were some massive hits, dealt largely by the Ravens defense. This was en route to a 26-6 loss that left a bad taste in the Steelers’ collective mouths.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Pittsburgh had to take desperate measures going into Week 4 due to a lack of bodies at outside linebacker. This meant signing the veteran Harrison back to the roster in an attempt to bolster the pass rush. For the first few weeks, you could see Harrison was working to get back into game shape and up to speed with his role on the defense.

However, starting Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts, and on Sunday night against the Ravens, the old Harrison was back and making plays. Harrison keyed the defensive effort that helped the Steelers exact revenge on the Ravens to the tune of a 43-23 home victory.

If you are new to the Steelers, you might not understand just how important Harrison has been to this franchise. Going into this season, Harrison was No. 2 on the career sack list for the Steelers with 64.0 sacks. Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t remind everyone that Harrison might have the most amazing play in the history of the Super Bowl.

But getting back to 2014, it seems as if Harrison hasn’t lost a step. After spending 2013 with the Cincinnati Bengals, Harrison seemed content with staying retired. However, when the Steelers came calling, the offer was just too enticing for the 12-year veteran to pass up. And thank God he didn’t.

On Sunday night against the Ravens, Harrison spent much of the night giving Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco nightmares, finishing the game with two sacks and four more hits of Flacco. Harrison also punished Ravens left tackle Eugene Monroe all night long.

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As I was about to say, QB's shin was down and an excellent challenge there. 2 sacks today for James Harrison to go with his 2 last week

— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) November 3, 2014"

Let’s take another look at Harrison’s performance from Sunday night.

The young linebackers on this roster would do well to watch what the 36-year-old Harrison has done the past two weeks and try to emulate as much of it as possible. Harrison’s game was never predicated on elite speed. It was always built around great anticipation, violent hands and exceptional leverage.

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I love the fact that our young #Steelers LB's and players get to watch some vintage James Harrison tonight. #PITvsBAL

— ✨Steelers #1 Fan✨ (@JoeSteelerFan) November 3, 2014"

Harrison is the player to point to when you want to make the case that sometimes it is better to have a great football player than just a great athlete.

Baltimore had no answer for Harrison, and as the game wore on, every time Harrison got near Flacco, the quarterback’s eyes dropped, and even on plays where he didn’t hit Flacco, Harrison would force an errant throw. There’s no doubt Harrison was in the head of Monroe and Flacco.

Don Wright/Associated Press

Going forward, the play of Harrison is going to be pivotal to this team’s success. With youngsters like cornerbacks Brice McCain and Antwon Blake getting significant reps, being able to rush the passer is going to be key. Looking beyond the box score, it was easy to see in Sunday night's win that the defense played inspired football.

And while it cannot be measured quantitatively, it was evident that the entire unit rallied around the play of Harrison. Harrison’s energy and effort are infectious and could help carry this team straight into the playoffs.