James Harrison, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Q: Did you get any more endorsements out of last year?
A: Not too much.
Q: Nothing for one of the best Super Bowl plays ever and Defensive Player of the Year? Are you not marketing yourself?
A: I guess not.
Q: Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it?
A: Nah, I got enough money.
Q: When’s your book coming out?
A: I don’t know. I think in October.
Q: Did teams play you differently last year?
A: Yeah, they turned the offensive line towards me and started keeping the back in to assist. Sometimes the guards would help the tackles. I’m getting used to it.
Q: The clothesline block seemed to be a popular one on you.
A: Now, see, that’s something we’ve got to talk about. The ref tells me, that if he has his arm around me on the front, and my feet are past his, then it’s a hold. Sometimes they call it; sometimes they don’t. Guess they can’t catch everything.
Q: What do you do for an encore this season?
A: I’m not putting any more pressure on me than I did in previous years. I just come in and do the best that I can do. I do whatever I can do to make the defense better. If I get more sacks, less sacks, so be it. I’m just trying to make our defense better.
Q: Could you have a better season and not put up better numbers?
A: I believe I can. It’s not about the numbers.
Q: Your game is all about power and leverage. Are you better in that regard this year at your advanced age of 31?
A: You tell me.
Q: How do you feel? Are you feeling it on the field?
A: I feel better and stronger than I did last year. I came in bigger than I did any other year, but I’m down to two percent body fat. That’s less body fat than I’ve had in my whole career, so, I don’t know, you tell me.
Q: It’s tough to tell against big Max with the leverage advantage you have.
A: He’s going to have to go against guys that are my height again, so it’s practice for him I guess.
Q: Will that be the new trend? Smaller pass rushers with leverage against the mammoth tackles?
A: I might be changing that. It might be changing the trend. Everybody might want to get that new James Harrison. ‘We need a 5-10, 6-foot guy to play outside linebacker.’