The person who first said, "Love to play with him, hate to play against him," must had been talking about Rodney Harrison.
There is not another player in the NFL who is a better example of that saying. Find a teammate from his nine years with the San Diego Chargers and they completely appreciate Rodney's play to the whistle intensity, often-times beyond. They recognized the difference he made as an enforcer in the secondary. He was respected for giving it his all every play.
As Harrison did that for the 'Bots, the rest of the division despised him. They called Harrison a dirty player for blasting receivers going across the middle, laying out his targets and knocking them out of games. Rodney has the fines that supported the opinion. Even though Harrison's stats showed he was not just a head-hunter, but a complete safety that collects tackles and forces turnovers, he was voted to just two Pro Bowls.
Harrison was the same player when he signed with New England. SD thought he was washed up. How wrong they were. Rodney played an important role in the Patriots' back-to-back championships, providing valuable leadership after S Lawyer Milloy was cut in 2003.
Head coach Bill Belichick said the decision to cut Milloy was the toughest move he had to make. Within the next couple of days, Belichick will make another move he's not looking forward to: placing Harrison on injured reserve.
Belichick doesn't have a choice. Harrison tore his quadriceps Monday night against the Denver Broncos and is unable to play for the rest of the season. This move hurts Belichick because he hates to see Harrison's season come to an end in this fashion. Even worse, there's speculation that this torn quad will end Harrison's career.
This isn't the way Rodney's career should come to an end, but based on his six-year history with the Pats, it isn't too much of a surprise. The first injury was the broken arm in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Two years later he blew out his knee three games into the season. In '06 a broken scapula shelved Harrison for six games. He returned long enough for then-Tennessee wide out Bobby Wade to hit Rodney with a low block in the season finale. The play resulted in a sprained medial collateral ligament and Harrison's absence for the 2007 playoffs.
No player ever wants to be forced from the game. They want to walk away on their own terms. I was glad when LB Junior Seau returned for a second season with the Patriots. His first year was cut short when Seau broke his arm against the Chicago Bears. The encore year resulted in a 16-0 regular season and being minutes away from the championship ring that eluded Seau for 18 seasons. Tough ending, but it's better than softly walking towards the locker room, holding the broken wing at a 90 degree angle.
For Harrison, his last moment might be hopping onto the back of a flat-bed cart with the assistance of a few trainers, waving goodbye to the home crowd.
There's already talk about plan B. Do they call CB Ty Law or S John Lynch? Should they shift James Sanders to strong safety or promote Brandon Merriweather? Or maybe they turn a corner into a safety, like Mike Richardson? It worked well for a while with Eugene Wilson.
But no one can replace what Rodney Harrison meant to the team. He was a leader in stature and action. He commanded the last line of defense, making sure everyone was aligned correctly.
Harrison is the only player with 30 interceptions and 30 sacks. Maybe his body of work is enough to get Harrison into the Pro Football Hall of Fame sometime down the road. But if Rodney was only voted to just two Pro Bowls, his chances aren't good. But that's OK with Harrison. His teammates know how valuable he is. And the Patriots will miss him.
