Harrison Re-Signing Presents Pros and Cons for Steelers

In exhilarating news for Steeler Nation and frustrating news for the rest of the AFC North, veteran linebacker James Harrison has agreed to a two-year deal that will ensure he ends his career in Pittsburgh.

The 37-year-old fan favourite agreed to the offer following a conspicuous video post on social media in which he questioned whether stay in Pittsburgh, or follow mentor and long time friend Dick LeBeau to the Tennessee Titans.

The move is an exciting one for fans, who look forward to repping Harrison’s #92 until such time that he hangs up the cleats. Truthfully, it wouldn’t feel right for “The Silverback” to end his career anywhere else, but how effective can Harrison really be in 2015?

Last year, the outside linebacker joined the team purely for depth purposes after a Week 4 victory in Carolina decimated the team’s pass rush corps. An MVP season it wasn’t, but at times, Harrison seemed destined to expel whatever little gas he had left in the tank in an attempt to win his city an unprecedented seventh Lombardi trophy, going out in a blaze of glory in the process.

Of course, that narrative never quite materialised, but Harrison was perhaps the most effective defensive player the Steelers could boast in 2014, which says as much about his efforts as it does the sorry state of a once-vaunted unit.

If Harrison can replicate that impressive year in this upcoming season, then his contract will have been well deserved. But that’s a big ‘if’ on a defense swarming with even bigger ‘ifs.’

A raw but talented defensive line, an unproven linebacking squad and a secondary starved of elite talent will be tasked with lending a helping hand to the Black and Gold’s explosive offense. No longer is the defense the star of the show in Pittsburgh, but if young guns like Jarvis Jones, Ryan Shazier and Shamarko Thomas can’t make their presence felt, men like Harrison will crumble under the workload.

Don’t be misled; Harrison won’t collapse in a physical sense. If his social media activity is anything to go by, the man boasts a work ethic and training regimen that puts linebackers twelve years his junior to shame. But if Harrison is asked to be anything other than a bit-player relying on his “old man strength” to bullrush meek outside linemen, the defense will implode and possible cost the Steelers a chance at Super Bowl glory.

A liability in coverage and not much of a “mentor” in the traditional sense, Harrison should feel right at home flanking the line of scrimmage and racking up quarterback hurries like it’s, well, his job.

The signing is not a bad one; what the Steelers do with Harrison that will decide his worth from here on out.