James Harrison Defensive Player of the Year
January 5, 2009 by David Kindervater
Filed under Pittsburgh Steelers
National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro linebacker James Harrison is an absolute menace to opposing offenses. Today, he was rewarded for it by being named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. Having been voted — by his teammates — as the Steelers’ team MVP for a second straight season, he’s becoming rather accustomed to the accolades:
“It’s a tremendous honor. I feel good. I don’t know if I have the words to express it, I am not going to show you the emotions, but it feels good.”
James is not only a prototypical NFL linebacker, he’s a prototypical Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker. Historically speaking, if you look at the tradition of Steelers linebackers — guys like Jack Lambert, Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd and Chad Brown — James fits the mold perfectly. What impresses me the most about his game is his ability to wreak havoc. On the NFL’s top-rated overall defense, James had 16 sacks, 100 tackles (68 solo) and led the NFL with seven forced fumbles. If you’re playing the Steelers, that’s a problem that’s difficult to solve. Vote totals — James finished with 22 and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Demarcus Ware was second with 13.
Source: Steelers.com, Photo: Newscom
Harrison is the man!!! wooot!