When you think about some of the greatest players to put on a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform in the modern NFL era, there's little question that James Harrison comes to mind. Outside of maybe just Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu, Harrison is arguably the most polarizing Steelers player over the past 30 years.
Harrison earned Defensive Player of the Year honors after a remarkable 2008 season which included 101 tackles, 16.0 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, and and an interception. Harrison also made one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history with a 100-yard pick-six with no time remaining in the first half of Super Bowl XLIII.
Harrison has numerous accolades to go with some of the most clutch moments in NFL history, even with all of his personal accomplishments and a pair of Super Bowl rings, Harrison doesn't believe that he should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Here's what he had to say, according to TMZ.
""As far as Hall of Fame, you know, it's a lot of things that goes into that. And I believe numbers is one of those things, you know? And when you look at my numbers, they just don't, for me, they don't equate to what the numbers should be. That's just how I feel.""James Harrison via TMZ
Harrison hints that his lack of longevity at the top should make him fall short of Hall of Fame honors someday. The former DPOY did have a very late start to his NFL career. After bouncing around practice squads, Harrison didn't become a full-time starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers until the age of 29 during the 2007 season.
From there, however, he was named to five straight Pro Bowls and earned First-Team All-Pro honors twice. Is this enough to get into the Hall of Fame?
Should James Harrison make the Hall of Fame?
I admire James Harrison's humility on the subject. Most great NFL players would not openly say that they should fall short of Hall of Fame status, but the Steelers legend is just calling it as he sees it. It's certainly true that the longevity of a player's career plays a factor. While Harrison played in the NFL until age 39, he still only started 117 games in his career.
Regardless, his personal accomplishments are more than respectable, as Harrison earned 5 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pros, and 1 Defensive Player of the Year award. This was in addition to two Super Bowl victories and a third appearance.
Still, a five-year span of being a dominant player may not cut it at the end of the day. With so many legendary players each generation, Harrison didn't stay on top for long enough, and 84.5 sacks over a 14-year career don't look all that impressive compared to others in his era who will be entering the Hall of Fame.
Harrison deserves to be in the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor, but he's probably not far off base when he says that he's not a Hall of Famer. Regardless, fans can certainly be thankful for what he offered this team in the 2000s. He's a Hall of Fame player in our book, even if he never gets a bust in Canton.