Undertaker #59
07-21-2004, 01:01 PM
http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/7513397
A conversation with Rodney Harrison
Pro Bowl safety Rodney Harrison is spending a week-long stint in studio alongside host Rich Eisen on NFL Total Access. Here, he discusses the thrill of playing football, of winning a Super Bowl and becoming a father. NFL Total Access airs Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET/PT (aired July 19, 2004).
Rich Eisen: Yes, it took this man, Rodney Harrison, 10 years to get that elusive Super Bowl ring. But you finally got it and one of the greatest games ever, would you agree?
Rodney Harrison: No question about it. I mean, it was a very physical game, hard fought. And it was just very, very intense.
Eisen: Yeah, so definitely physical. We saw you with a sling on at the end of that montage, I guess right there. Hard-hitting game, would you not say? I mean, how did you hurt that shoulder in that game?
Harrison: Well, it was actually my forearm. I broke my forearm. Now I have a screw and I played up in there but it was well worth it. Very physical game, it was a hard-fought game and we just went out there and tried to kick some butt.
Eisen: So how did you earn that screw? What happened?
Harrison: Well, what happened was that I was on the way to tackle DeShaun Foster. I hit him with my forearm in the shin and it just cracked.
Eisen: Really? Like a matchstick or something like that?
Harrison: It just cracked in half. It was probably the most excruciating pain I've ever dealt with. But you know, it was part of the game and it was something ... it hurts initially but it feels good, because you're doing it for a cause. I mean, you're playing in the biggest game in the world; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And it's just wonderful going out there leaving it all on the line.
Eisen: Did you keep playing after that?
Harrison: I played one last play. I pushed [Muhsin] Muhammad out and I think it cracked a little more. I just laid on the ground and I couldn't move. So I gave it all I had.
Eisen: So when Vinatieri kicked it, where were you?
Harrison: I snuck out of the X-ray room, came on the sideline, put on a towel over my head and I just put my head down and started praying. I just said, "Adam, please kick this." And really, I was nervous, but I really wasn't nervous because I knew who was kicking it.
Eisen: Yeah, a guy who's been there before.
Harrison: Exactly.
Eisen: No doubt about that. So your right forearm is throbbing as you're watching this thing go down, pretty much?
Harrison: Oh man, I was in so much pain. And all I could think about was all my previous nine years of playing football. I've been playing football since I was 6 years old. All my dreams, all my hopes coming down on one kick. And I was on the sideline, and once he kicked it and it went through, I just broke down.
Eisen: Because your first season, you made the Super Bowl with the San Diego Chargers. It was a far different result in that ballgame for you, with the 49ers, who pretty much ran amok that day. Were you thinking about that game at all at any point?
Harrison: Well, as a rookie you take things for granted, and that was my first season in the National Football League and we made the Super Bowl. We went out there and got our butts kicked. But from a preparation standpoint, you understand that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And you never want that to happen to you again. So you go out there, you try to prepare, you try to get the younger guys to understand the importance of this game. And you know, even though you beat it into their heads, they still take it for granted because, heck, this is their first season, they're in the National Football League, they won 14 games in a row, it seems easy to them. But I know it's very hard.
Eisen: How about Richard Seymour? Two of his first three, right? In his first three seasons he's got two rings already? Have you got to have that conversation with him at all?
Harrison: Man, that guy is so spoiled. I mean he goes to two Pro Bowls, he goes to two Super Bowls -- and well deserved, I mean. He's an extremely hard-working guy, he's a great person, he's a great player, and like I said -- he's an All-Pro defensive end; he definitely deserves it.
Eisen: Now you're known as a hard-hitting individual; very intense. I want to show you a piece of footage from the game -- from the Super Bowl. You and Jake Delhomme -- you got into him a little bit. Remember that point in the game? Let's take a look at this thing; it's pretty interesting. (Showing video clip) What happened here in this particular instance?
Harrison: Well, he just completed a long ball and he, I guess, started coming down celebrating, and I really didn't like that. I felt like he was throwing it in my face, so I tried to give him my elbow right in the stomach -- let him know it's going to be a long day.
Eisen: (laughing) You can just let a quarterback revel in his Super Bowl moment there?
Harrison: I mean, he's a great player; he's a feisty guy. I'm a feisty guy. I can't just allow someone to sit there and celebrate in my face, and my normal reaction was just to try to get up under his skin a little bit -- let him know I was there.
Eisen: So what's the mentality you take out on the field? What's the mentality that you, as a safety, take out on the field?
Harrison: Never take anything for granted. Seek and destroy. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I've been playing this game since I was 6 years old. And it's just a great opportunity. I love it. Just play with passion. Play around, make sure your teammates play as hard as they can play. And just be an example; that's all I can do.
Eisen: Seek and destroy. When you see somebody coming across the field ...
Harrison: Our motto is to run and hit.
Eisen: Say that again?
Harrison: Our motto as a football team, as a defense, is to run and hit. Just run and hit.
Eisen: How big do your eyes get? When you see the guy ...
Harrison: (laughing) You know what? It's just fun. Being able to go out there and do something that you've been doing your whole life and just have fun doing it -- the camaraderie with the guys, just the hours you spend, the sacrifices you make around your family. It's just wonderful to be able to go out there and play a violent sport and just kick butt.
Eisen: Well, it's fascinating to me, certainly, knowing your style of play, that I read somewhere that you're interested in officiating when you're done. Is that true?
Harrison: Yes.
Eisen: You'd like to be an official? You'd like to put on that zebra outfit?
Harrison: You know what? It'd be nice just to stay close to the game. Give myself an opportunity to go out there and interact with some of the players. I think that we need younger officials. Not saying anything bad about the officials, trust me ...
Eisen: We don't want you to get in trouble. You still have some years left.
Harrison: Exactly. But I think we need some younger officials. Some former players that know the speed of the game that can probably see some things that some of the other officials may not be able to see, and I think it would be a wonderful opportunity for me.
Eisen: But what about officiating really just interests you?
Harrison: It's intense; you're right there! You're able to interact with the players, the players are yelling and screaming at you. I would love to yell back and scream at them. (laughing)
Eisen: (laughing) You might hear from the League if you do that.
Harrison: Hey, I mean, it's part of it. I mean, it's fun. I'm sitting there yelling and screaming at officials saying, "Did you see that? Can you see? Do you have blinders on?" He's explaining the game to me, and afterwards you go up to the official. You apologize, but it's just so much fun being involved in the game that way.
Eisen: So umpire? Would you want to be an umpire right there? Or would you want to be a ref?
Harrison: I just want to get on the field, you know, and of course, with diligence and time put in, I'll work myself up to be an umpire.
Eisen: An umpire, just get right in there.
Harrison: That's right.
Eisen: So how has life changed for you in just this one year in New England?
Harrison: It's amazing. Just the level of respect that you get now from the team standpoint, because I really don't care about the individual standpoint -- accolades -- just from the team's standpoint, wherever you go, people want to see your Super Bowl ring. But really for me, my life has changed drastically. I have a 5-month-old son that was born ...
Eisen: Oh, congratulations! What's his name?
Harrison: His name is Christian. So I'm very proud of that, he was born five days after the Super Bowl. And, really, to experience that euphoria and then to come back five days later, I mean it really couldn't compare, but it was just a tremendous ride for that last week.
Eisen: What a week! So the birth of your son, and then your first Super Bowl ring.
Harrison: Yeah. I break my arm, win the Super Bowl, and then I have a son. So ... it's been tremendous.
Eisen: Wow, unbelievable. Where is the ice here, Rodney? You don't travel with it?
Harrison: You know what? My wife told me I should wear it, but I decided not to.
Eisen: Willie McGinest brought his in. I know he's a Santa Monica guy. He could just bring it in, but ...
Harrison: Yeah, for me, it's kind of big. It's kind of gaudy. You know, maybe I'll bring it in the next couple of days, but ...
Eisen: Is it big? (laughing) I mean, it's the size of a fist!
Harrison: Yeah. Mr. Kraft, he really hooked us up with this one.
A conversation with Rodney Harrison
Pro Bowl safety Rodney Harrison is spending a week-long stint in studio alongside host Rich Eisen on NFL Total Access. Here, he discusses the thrill of playing football, of winning a Super Bowl and becoming a father. NFL Total Access airs Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET/PT (aired July 19, 2004).
Rich Eisen: Yes, it took this man, Rodney Harrison, 10 years to get that elusive Super Bowl ring. But you finally got it and one of the greatest games ever, would you agree?
Rodney Harrison: No question about it. I mean, it was a very physical game, hard fought. And it was just very, very intense.
Eisen: Yeah, so definitely physical. We saw you with a sling on at the end of that montage, I guess right there. Hard-hitting game, would you not say? I mean, how did you hurt that shoulder in that game?
Harrison: Well, it was actually my forearm. I broke my forearm. Now I have a screw and I played up in there but it was well worth it. Very physical game, it was a hard-fought game and we just went out there and tried to kick some butt.
Eisen: So how did you earn that screw? What happened?
Harrison: Well, what happened was that I was on the way to tackle DeShaun Foster. I hit him with my forearm in the shin and it just cracked.
Eisen: Really? Like a matchstick or something like that?
Harrison: It just cracked in half. It was probably the most excruciating pain I've ever dealt with. But you know, it was part of the game and it was something ... it hurts initially but it feels good, because you're doing it for a cause. I mean, you're playing in the biggest game in the world; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And it's just wonderful going out there leaving it all on the line.
Eisen: Did you keep playing after that?
Harrison: I played one last play. I pushed [Muhsin] Muhammad out and I think it cracked a little more. I just laid on the ground and I couldn't move. So I gave it all I had.
Eisen: So when Vinatieri kicked it, where were you?
Harrison: I snuck out of the X-ray room, came on the sideline, put on a towel over my head and I just put my head down and started praying. I just said, "Adam, please kick this." And really, I was nervous, but I really wasn't nervous because I knew who was kicking it.
Eisen: Yeah, a guy who's been there before.
Harrison: Exactly.
Eisen: No doubt about that. So your right forearm is throbbing as you're watching this thing go down, pretty much?
Harrison: Oh man, I was in so much pain. And all I could think about was all my previous nine years of playing football. I've been playing football since I was 6 years old. All my dreams, all my hopes coming down on one kick. And I was on the sideline, and once he kicked it and it went through, I just broke down.
Eisen: Because your first season, you made the Super Bowl with the San Diego Chargers. It was a far different result in that ballgame for you, with the 49ers, who pretty much ran amok that day. Were you thinking about that game at all at any point?
Harrison: Well, as a rookie you take things for granted, and that was my first season in the National Football League and we made the Super Bowl. We went out there and got our butts kicked. But from a preparation standpoint, you understand that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And you never want that to happen to you again. So you go out there, you try to prepare, you try to get the younger guys to understand the importance of this game. And you know, even though you beat it into their heads, they still take it for granted because, heck, this is their first season, they're in the National Football League, they won 14 games in a row, it seems easy to them. But I know it's very hard.
Eisen: How about Richard Seymour? Two of his first three, right? In his first three seasons he's got two rings already? Have you got to have that conversation with him at all?
Harrison: Man, that guy is so spoiled. I mean he goes to two Pro Bowls, he goes to two Super Bowls -- and well deserved, I mean. He's an extremely hard-working guy, he's a great person, he's a great player, and like I said -- he's an All-Pro defensive end; he definitely deserves it.
Eisen: Now you're known as a hard-hitting individual; very intense. I want to show you a piece of footage from the game -- from the Super Bowl. You and Jake Delhomme -- you got into him a little bit. Remember that point in the game? Let's take a look at this thing; it's pretty interesting. (Showing video clip) What happened here in this particular instance?
Harrison: Well, he just completed a long ball and he, I guess, started coming down celebrating, and I really didn't like that. I felt like he was throwing it in my face, so I tried to give him my elbow right in the stomach -- let him know it's going to be a long day.
Eisen: (laughing) You can just let a quarterback revel in his Super Bowl moment there?
Harrison: I mean, he's a great player; he's a feisty guy. I'm a feisty guy. I can't just allow someone to sit there and celebrate in my face, and my normal reaction was just to try to get up under his skin a little bit -- let him know I was there.
Eisen: So what's the mentality you take out on the field? What's the mentality that you, as a safety, take out on the field?
Harrison: Never take anything for granted. Seek and destroy. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I've been playing this game since I was 6 years old. And it's just a great opportunity. I love it. Just play with passion. Play around, make sure your teammates play as hard as they can play. And just be an example; that's all I can do.
Eisen: Seek and destroy. When you see somebody coming across the field ...
Harrison: Our motto is to run and hit.
Eisen: Say that again?
Harrison: Our motto as a football team, as a defense, is to run and hit. Just run and hit.
Eisen: How big do your eyes get? When you see the guy ...
Harrison: (laughing) You know what? It's just fun. Being able to go out there and do something that you've been doing your whole life and just have fun doing it -- the camaraderie with the guys, just the hours you spend, the sacrifices you make around your family. It's just wonderful to be able to go out there and play a violent sport and just kick butt.
Eisen: Well, it's fascinating to me, certainly, knowing your style of play, that I read somewhere that you're interested in officiating when you're done. Is that true?
Harrison: Yes.
Eisen: You'd like to be an official? You'd like to put on that zebra outfit?
Harrison: You know what? It'd be nice just to stay close to the game. Give myself an opportunity to go out there and interact with some of the players. I think that we need younger officials. Not saying anything bad about the officials, trust me ...
Eisen: We don't want you to get in trouble. You still have some years left.
Harrison: Exactly. But I think we need some younger officials. Some former players that know the speed of the game that can probably see some things that some of the other officials may not be able to see, and I think it would be a wonderful opportunity for me.
Eisen: But what about officiating really just interests you?
Harrison: It's intense; you're right there! You're able to interact with the players, the players are yelling and screaming at you. I would love to yell back and scream at them. (laughing)
Eisen: (laughing) You might hear from the League if you do that.
Harrison: Hey, I mean, it's part of it. I mean, it's fun. I'm sitting there yelling and screaming at officials saying, "Did you see that? Can you see? Do you have blinders on?" He's explaining the game to me, and afterwards you go up to the official. You apologize, but it's just so much fun being involved in the game that way.
Eisen: So umpire? Would you want to be an umpire right there? Or would you want to be a ref?
Harrison: I just want to get on the field, you know, and of course, with diligence and time put in, I'll work myself up to be an umpire.
Eisen: An umpire, just get right in there.
Harrison: That's right.
Eisen: So how has life changed for you in just this one year in New England?
Harrison: It's amazing. Just the level of respect that you get now from the team standpoint, because I really don't care about the individual standpoint -- accolades -- just from the team's standpoint, wherever you go, people want to see your Super Bowl ring. But really for me, my life has changed drastically. I have a 5-month-old son that was born ...
Eisen: Oh, congratulations! What's his name?
Harrison: His name is Christian. So I'm very proud of that, he was born five days after the Super Bowl. And, really, to experience that euphoria and then to come back five days later, I mean it really couldn't compare, but it was just a tremendous ride for that last week.
Eisen: What a week! So the birth of your son, and then your first Super Bowl ring.
Harrison: Yeah. I break my arm, win the Super Bowl, and then I have a son. So ... it's been tremendous.
Eisen: Wow, unbelievable. Where is the ice here, Rodney? You don't travel with it?
Harrison: You know what? My wife told me I should wear it, but I decided not to.
Eisen: Willie McGinest brought his in. I know he's a Santa Monica guy. He could just bring it in, but ...
Harrison: Yeah, for me, it's kind of big. It's kind of gaudy. You know, maybe I'll bring it in the next couple of days, but ...
Eisen: Is it big? (laughing) I mean, it's the size of a fist!
Harrison: Yeah. Mr. Kraft, he really hooked us up with this one.