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Maybe eventually, but not yet. There have been flashes over the last couple of years, but there is still work to be done . . .
Jets nose tackle Damon Harrison feels he’s the best at his position in football.
“If you would have asked me after my first year starting about how I am as a player, I would have given you a humble answer. Not too confident but humble,” Harrison told NFL.com. “But when you ask me now, I feel like I’m the best nose tackle in football. If you look at a nose tackle’s job description, nobody does it better than me and I’m confident in saying that.”
I don’t agree.
He certainly has the potential to be one of the best, but I thought he was inconsistent last year.
I felt he was handled by one blocker too often. Two games come to mind – the Jets loss to Buffalo in Detroit, and their win over Tennessee.
Let’s start with the Titans’ game.
On the first series, running back Bishop Sankey had a five-yard gain to the left side, journeyman center Chris Spencer (who is no long with the Titans or any team) locked up Harrison.
In the third quarter, Spencer got a nice push on “Big Snacks” on a Shonne Greene gain of six up the middle.
In the second quarter, guard Andy Levitre locked up Harrison on a run by tailback Dexter McCluster for a gain of 11 up the middle.
These are three plays where he was handled by a single blocker by a really bad offensive line. They were ravaged by injuries. The “nose tackle’s job description” is to make teams double team him.
Let’s turn to the Buffalo game.
On the Bills’ first series, running back Fred Jackson had a gain of six to the left side. On the play, Harrison was pancaked by center Eric Wood.
Also on the Bills’ first series, running back Boobie Dixon had a gain of nine – David Harris overran the play, and Damon Harrison was manhandled by Wood on this run up the middle.
In the second quarter, running back Fred Jackson had a gain of seven up the middle. Harrison was taken to the ground by Wood opening a big hole.
In the fourth quarter, Dixon had a 30-yard touchdown run. On the play, guard Eric Pears, who is really a tackle, locked up Harrison and tackle Cordy Glenn took care of Sheldon Richardson for the key blocks.
I’m sorry, while I think he is a decent player, this isn’t the play of the best nose tackle in football. Wood hasn’t been the same player since suffering a horrific broken leg two years ago (similar to Leon Washington). He shouldn’t be pushing around Harrison like that. Pears isn’t even on the Bills anymore.
Kudos to Harrison for making the league in 2012 as an undrafted free agent out of tiny William Penn University. He’s done nice work for the Jets the last two seasons.
I do think he can emerge as one of the best, but he’s got some work to do.
He needs to be more consistently stout, constantly forcing double teams, if he wants to be considered the best.
July 14, 2015
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