James Harrison’s retirement means the NFL loses a true sack artist
By Matt Conner
James Harrison has announced his retirement from the National Football League, which means Eric Fisher can relax for good now. Or can he?
Even if you’re not a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, it’s very easy to appreciate what they’ve had in James Harrison for quite some time. Sacks are one of those incredible defensive feats that fans crave to see their own team achieve (and consequently hate to see when you’re on the receiving end). Harrison brought 84.5 of them in the end, a body of work that’s worth a tip of the cap no matter which team you root for.
On Monday, James Harrison announced his retirement from the NFL, and the league is losing one of the few true sack artists around in the process. Fortunately for Kansas City Chiefs fans, the retirement of Harrison also means that he’s not around to further terrorize K.C. anymore—whether in a Steelers or New England Patriots uniform.
The mention of Harrison will likely bring up a single play in the minds of most Chiefs fans and it wasn’t even a sack. Instead, it was Harrison’s ability to get around the edge that led to a questionable holding call on Chiefs left tackle Eric Fisher at the worst possible time—as they prepared to finally tie the game against Pittsburgh on a two-point conversion at home in the playoffs. And yes, it would have been good if only this call hadn’t happened.
Let’s re-open the wound:
As painful as that is, the reality is that Harrison has always been successful against the Chiefs with 34 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. His career record in games played against Kansas City is a remarkable 6-2, including 1-0 in the postseason.
Of course, the Chiefs have felt the same pain that Harrison delivered to many other teams over the years. His career also included an incredible 34 forced fumbles and 9 defensive touchdowns—nine! Then again, we’ve all wondered whether Harrison would ever play again only to watch the AFC powers in place call upon him when it matters most. Perhaps it might even happen again despite his current status. We’ll have to wait and see.