Patriots
“Rodney Harrison, to me, is one of the greatest football players the league has ever seen.”
Rodney Harrison won two Super Bowls with the Patriots. Jim Davis / The Boston Globe
Count Tom Brady as the latest Patriots legend to vouch for Rodney Harrison’s Canton bid.
The three-time All-Pro safety and two-time Super Bowl champion was named one of 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024 in December – making him the closest the hard-hitting defensive back comes to being enshrined .
But Harrison failed the voting process again two months later, in his 11th year of eligibility.
Speaking on the “DeepCut with VicBlends” podcast last week, Brady praised Harrison and his viability as a Hall of Famer.
“I will say, underrated teammate, Rodney Harrison to me, he’s one of the greatest football players the league has ever seen and he doesn’t get recognized,” Brady said. “He should be in the Hall of Fame. He was also a good competitor, defensive player, smart, tough, physical, (expletive) mean on the field. I loved it and I loved playing with him.
During his career, Harrison recorded 1,206 tackles, 34 interceptions, 30.5 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and three defensive touchdowns in the regular season.
He is one of two players in NFL history with 30 career interceptions and 30 career sacks; with Hall of Famer Ray Lewis being the other player.
Harrison was also successful in the playoffs, recording 75 tackles with seven interceptions, two sacks and two forced fumbles in 13 career playoff games.
In December, Bill Belichick also praised Harrison for his ability to excel in several different roles within the New England defense.
“Best safety I’ve coached,” Belichick said. “There are a few others that I have coached that are in the Hall of Fame. But a fantastic player, person, great competitor, could do it all and was one of the most versatile players I’ve ever coached. He could cover, he could really play corner. He was a great blitzer, a great tackler. He was really, really hard to block in the running game, as a blitzer, kickoff, and things like that.
“He was very explosive, 220 pounds or whatever he was, he was a hitter. He was a contact player. He ran well, very instinctive, did a great job hiding coverages, worked well with his teammates (like) Eugene (Wilson) and with different safeties that we had there throughout his career.
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