Former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker, James Harrison was well-known as one of the toughest players and the hardest hitters in the NFL when he played. The league has made many changes to the rules to outlaw tackles that had been perfectly legal in the early part of his career. Harrison has never been afraid to speak his mind on the league, in his opinion, getting "softer." NFL teams voted to ban the hip-drop tackle for the 2024 season to try to reduce lower extremity injuries, which, according to a league press release, are suffered 20 times more than on higher tackles. Harrison recently expressed his displeasure with the new rule change.
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Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison stands on the field at the UPMC Sports Complex as the team practices in Pittsburgh, PA.
Harrison joined former teammate and current Steelers captain, Cam Heyward on a recent episode of his Not Just Football podcast. Heyward inquired about his opinion on the rule change, and Harrison expressed his discontent with it.
"That's ridiculous man," he said. "There’s no way to get that perfect grab where I’m about to do this hip-dropping. No, you’re trying to grab this dude any way you can and tackle him. You’re telling a guy he can’t grab and then drop his weight. How are you supposed to tackle him if you can’t drop your weight? You’re just sitting there going along for the ride."
The NFL explained that a hip-drop tackle is when a tackler grabs the ball carrier with both hands or wraps around and then drops their weight on the runner's legs. When called, it will be a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down.
Harrison was caught in the league's crosshairs on numerous occasions during his playing career. The most notable time was in 2010 after the league had changed rules about hits to the head. Harrison knocked out former Cleveland Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi and was fined $75k. He said in retrospect on a podcast with Ben Roethlisberger that If he had known he would be losing that much cash, he would've hit him even harder.
Harrison's play was the catalyst for a little back and forth between former Steelers safety Ryan Clark and veteran journalist Peter King. In 2010, Clark was the team's union representative and expressed anger at the league for legislating out plays that helped make Harrison the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. King wrote in a column in February 2024 that Clark's comments hadn't aged well with all that we know about the links between football and CTE now.
Harrison said he understands the league must make the game as safe as possible. He also acknowledged that the risk of injury is just part of playing the game. He complained that the referees are throwing too many flags when players get hurt when that's just a natural consequence of playing the game.
Steelers' Harrison Details How He Adapted To The Changes In The Rules
Players may not like rule changes, but they have to live with them if they want to keep playing. Instead of throwing in the towel when it seemed like the league was legislating out his style of play, Harrison tried to adapt.
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Steelers' Cam Heyward (97) and James Harrison (92) celebrate a sack during a game in 2016, against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Harrison emphasized the importance of lowering his target area to avoid fines for head hits. However, some players viewed hitting low as dirty and an attempt to cause lower-body injuries. Harrison refuted this, stating that this was how the league had instructed them to tackle.
