New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is normally the one on the receiving end of media speculation and analysis. On Friday, the veteran coach turned the tables to sing the praises of a media member: NBC’s Rodney Harrison.
Of course, before Harrison became an analyst for NBC’s ‘Football Night in America,’ he played 15 seasons as a defensive back in the NFL, including the final six seasons with the Patriots. Harrison played a key role on two Super Bowl-winning teams.
When a reporter asked Belichick Friday what Harrison provided the Patriots, the coach who is legendary for his reserved nature around the media talked at length about his former player.
“Best safety I’ve coached,” Belichick said (via Pro Football Talk). “There’s a couple other ones I’ve coached that are in the Hall of Fame. Fantastic player, person and great competitor. Could do it all. One of the most versatile players I’ve ever coached. He could cover. He really could play corner. He was a great blitzer. A great tackler. He was really hard to block in the running game, as a blitzer and on kickoff coverage. Very explosive.
“Two-hundred twenty pounds, whatever he was. He was a thumper. He was a contact player. Ran well. Very instinctive. He did a great job of disguising coverages. Worked well with his teammates, you know, with Eugene [Wilson II] and some of the different safeties we had back there through his career. He’s just a heck of a football player.”
Incredibly, Belichick was just getting started talking about Harrison at that point.
“He’s one of the best I’ve ever coached,” Belichick continued. “I mean, he’d certainly be on my all-time team without question. Behind [Lawrence] Taylor, but he’d certainly be right up there. A tremendous player. Great practice player, too. Made everybody else on the team better. If you practiced against him, you got better or you got embarrassed, one of the two. He brought a level of competitiveness, intensity, focus. Brought a higher level of practice to the team, which helped everybody.
“There’s a lot of things that don’t show up in the stats or anything like that. Tremendous respect for what he did as a player. What he brought to our team. How much he meant to our team. What we lost when we lost him. We lost a great, great player. Monday through Monday. It wasn’t just on Sunday. What he brought to the team every day of the week. Every day he walked into the building. Every time he stepped on the field.
“Was all positive and impressive. Certainly, I hope he gets recognized, I think he definitely deserves it. This guy’s a great football player. Great teammate.”
Harrison could not have asked for a better HOF endorsement. Belichick’s lengthy and eloquent praise for his former player also proves he isn’t always grumpy and reserved around the media.
