James Harrison named defensive player of the year

[LS2throwed]

Not that Harrison didn't have a tremendous year and is deserving in his own right, but I can't imagine anyone other than Ed Reed laying claim to the award this year. Harrison was great, though, as well.

Like others have said...you have to play well for more than the final 6 weeks of the season to win this award. Reed finished far stronger than anyone but it's defensive player of the YEAR, not defensive player of the second half of the season. Harrison was darn consistent week in and week out and put up the numbers he did in just 15 games as he sat out the last one.

What gives you the impression that Ed Reed has only played well 6 weeks of the season?


He was my choice as well, I'm fine with Ware not getting it, but Reed is dominating the safety position like we have never seen, ever...Harrison is just another OLB in a 3-4 having a strong season by all accounts, but I don't think what he did in his position is anywhere near as impressive as Ed Reed's body of work.

[mattb47]

Harrison is a fine choice, and I'm glad a Steeler got some recognition. But I think Troy Polamalu's return to dominance explains their defense's success more than Harrison's great season. I think he would've been the best choice for defensive POY, even over Ed Reed. Reed had two more interceptions, but not even considering he was invisible for the first half of the year, Polamalu had 32 more tackles than Reed, a pretty hefty difference.

I'm sure not many will agree with me, but that's the way I see it.

Troy had an impact for sure...but he didn't have the consistent week in and week out production that Harrison had all year. Remember also, this isn't most valuable defensive player....this is for the most outstanding personal performance on defense this season and I think Harrison was that guy.

[madaslives911]

Steelers have the best defense and it's a well deserved award for Harrison. Voters got that right!

[Azrael]

Not to mention that Harrison's own teammates voted him MVP of the defense. That should put to rest that "he isn't even the MVP of his own team". If his own teammates think he is, then he is.

[Kensat30]

I'm kind torn here. I think Harrison is a great player and probably deserved the award. Same as Ware. But both of these guys and Merriman (another stat machine) all play a position that gets a lot of credit from the scheme. The rushing OLB position is much more disguised than a defensive end and when you bring them in for a rush it confuses the O-linemen much more than a DE. Therefore I think their sack and even FF numbers are inflated due to the position and scheme more so than talent.

Is it talent that makes 3 of the top 4 sackers in the NFL OLB over DE?
Is lack of talent that makes the top DT sacker at #15 in the league?

Awards are most definitely stat driven, but stats are more valuable at some positions than they are at others... What about Harrison's teammate and fellow OLD Woodley who is ranked #9 on the sack list? Or Ware's teammate Bradie James who is ranked #17? Can you take away all of Harrison's sacks and he is still a good player? Is he still the defensive player of the year?

I like Ed Reed because you can't scheme for interceptions.

[mattb47]

Not that Harrison didn't have a tremendous year and is deserving in his own right, but I can't imagine anyone other than Ed Reed laying claim to the award this year. Harrison was great, though, as well.

Like others have said...you have to play well for more than the final 6 weeks of the season to win this award. Reed finished far stronger than anyone but it's defensive player of the YEAR, not defensive player of the second half of the season. Harrison was darn consistent week in and week out and put up the numbers he did in just 15 games as he sat out the last one.

What gives you the impression that Ed Reed has only played well 6 weeks of the season?


He was my choice as well, I'm fine with Ware not getting it, but Reed is dominating the safety position like we have never seen, ever...Harrison is just another OLB in a 3-4 having a strong season by all accounts, but I don't think what he did in his position is anywhere near as impressive as Ed Reed's body of work.

I'm not saying he didn't play "well" persay all year, but it didn't show up in the caliber warranting consideration for DPOY until the last 6 weeks...just look at his numbers:

First 10 games of the season: 23 tackles, 1 INT, 6 PD
Last 6 games of the season: 18 tackles, 8 INTs, 10 PD, and 1 Sack

He was without a doubt the DPOY for the final 6 games, but before that he wasn't even coming close to being on the radar for the award.

[Dr. Duran Duran]

Ed Reed had a tremendous finish to the season and one heck of a great Wild Card game, but the award goes to the player who was MVP over the course of the season and I think Harrison makes for a fine DPOY. The man was a consistent and dominant force from start to finish. Harrison recorded sacks in 10 of the 15 games he played this season. I don't know about you, but those are some pretty dominant numbers.

[joejlitz]

Forget Reed, Ware, and Troy for just a second. Regardless of whether or not you agree with the selection, this is an incredible story and accomplishment for Harrison. An undrafted player, cut three times over the course of his career, wins the award for Defensive Player of the Year. That is amazing.

[deluxe_247]

First 10 games of the season: 23 tackles, 1 INT, 6 PD
Last 6 games of the season: 18 tackles, 8 INTs, 10 PD, and 1 Sack

not that it makes a huge difference here...but he did have a fumble recovery for a TD earlier. to these listed stats you forgot to mention 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 3TDs.

im honestly fine with harrison winning this award. he played like a beast this year. i also would be fine if ware had won it. these guys were both deserving. as was reed.

with reed... i dont buy into people making an argument against him because he blew up in the end. if you spread those games to every other week throughout the year no one would be making those arguments and he would still have the same stats. just like i said in the peyton MVP thread..there are also a lot of intangebles with guys that arent in a stat line...and whether reed is getting insane amounts of tackles or not, he is making an big impact on the game almost every time he is on the field.

either way, it nice to see people giving him respect..and some consideration in the voting. he is a truly a game changer.

[mattb47]

First 10 games of the season: 23 tackles, 1 INT, 6 PD
Last 6 games of the season: 18 tackles, 8 INTs, 10 PD, and 1 Sack

not that it makes a huge difference here...but he did have a fumble recovery for a TD earlier. to these listed stats you forgot to mention 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 3TDs.

im honestly fine with harrison winning this award. he played like a beast this year. i also would be fine if ware had won it. these guys were both deserving. as was reed.

with reed... i dont buy into people making an argument against him because he blew up in the end. if you spread those games to every other week throughout the year no one would be making those arguments and he would still have the same stats. just like i said in the peyton MVP thread..there are also a lot of intangebles with guys that arent in a stat line...and whether reed is getting insane amounts of tackles or not, he is making an big impact on the game almost every time he is on the field.

either way, it nice to see people giving him respect..and some consideration in the voting. he is a truly a game changer.

Don't get me wrong here though, I absolutely LOVE the way Ed Reed plays...it's hard for me to like him too much being a Steelers fan but man is he fun to watch and undoubtedly one of the better secondary players we've seen in the NFL for a while. My main argument was just meant to look at the consistency factor there...and yes, I do think that it makes a difference WHEN your stats come and not just that you have stats. I may have missed the FF and such but it wasn't readily easy to find when it happened and all that on NFL.com which is where I did a quick look up so I didn't feel like digging for it but all in all there's no arguing that Reed didn't have a great season. The problem, again, is that this isn't an award that's about the "intangibles" like with the MVP, it's not a most valuable player award, it's for the most outstanding defensive player this year and this award is much more stat driven.