http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
TAMPA, Fla — Will the Steelers rein in one of the top pass rushers in the NFL during Super Bowl XLIII, or was outside linebacker James Harrison just having some fun with reporters?The NFL's Defensive Player of the Year said the Steelers' game plan for Sunday has him dropping into coverage much of the time instead of rushing the quarterback.
"I ain't too happy about it," Harrison said Tuesday.
Harrison's 16 sacks during the regular season broke a Steelers record, and the pressure he and LaMarr Woodley applied from the edge was a major reason why the Steelers fielded the No. 1 defense in the NFL.
Harrison's comments regarding the Steelers' plan of attack against Arizona's high-powered offense were curious, considering the source.
Harrison has a tense relationship with the media, and he didn't offer many expansive answers to the questions he was asked while sitting in a makeshift booth at Raymond James Stadium.
Both the Steelers and Arizona Cardinals had — or in the case of Harrison, endured — one-hour media sessions yesterday that teemed with reporters of different ages, nationalities and agendas.
Many of the hundreds of reporters who attended Super Bowl media day asked straight football questions. Then there were, uh, different questions.
Ross "The Intern" Mathews from "The Tonight Show" asked Cardinals defensive Bertrand Berry if he could add him as a Facebook friend. A pint-sized student reporter asked Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson is he has pets and if he plays fantasy football.
Wilson's answers: No, but he has kids, and no, but if he did he would draft Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald with the No. 1 overall pick.
A cross-dressing male TV reporter who posed questions in Spanish gave media day a scripted feel to it at times. And the spectacle media day has become had Harrison's teammates teasing him about it on the Steelers' bus ride to Raymond James Stadium.
"We all know that he doesn't like talking to the media," Steelers linebacker James Farrior said, "so we try to give him as hard of a time as we can every time we know that he's got stuff to do."
"Man, you've just got to laugh," Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton said of media day. "It's like anything else, it's what you make of it. James is really a soft dude underneath. Nobody knew that."
Nobody that stopped by Harrison's booth yesterday left with a real cuddly impression of him.
Questions are often fired in rapid fashion at media day, given the volume of reporters. At times, they slowed to a trickle at Harrison's booth because of his brusque and intimidating demeanor.
After getting a couple of one-word answers to his questions, one reporter said to Harrison, "You're tough."
Harrison smiled and said, "Yeah, I know."
He later explained why he can be so terse.
"If you ask me a question about how it feels, it feels good, it feels great," Harrison said. "If you ask me a question 'Well, do you think so and so, yes or no?' You'll get a yes or no answer," Harrison said. "Now if you're looking for me to elaborate on something, you've got to give me a question that allows me to do that."
Harrison did not elaborate on much yesterday, though he said he never intended to quit football and become a bus driver when asked if that story were true.
He did make it clear that he disagrees with the Steelers' decision not to unleash him as a pass rusher against Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner.
The question is whether the Steelers really intend to do that on Sunday.
Harrison said he did not reveal that part of the game plan to send out a smokescreen.
"That is what we've been doing all week," Harrison said of his dropping back into coverage frequently. "We're not going to change it now. There's nothing I can do."
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