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In an effort to find out who’s the dirtiest player in the NFL, ESPN.com surveyed head coaches and asked them to name just one player who’s the dirtiest of them all.
Of the 17 coaches who supplied an answer, 11 of them chose Patriots safety Rodney Harrison.
The coaches answered anonymously and didn’t explain their answers, but this is obviously no surprise, as Harrison has a reputation for taking cheap shots.
However, ESPN.com’s Mike Sando reports that there’s one NFL player who has more personal foul penalties than Harrison over the last seven seasons: Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson, with 17. Wilson didn’t get a single vote for dirtiest player, and neither did Saints defensive end Will Smith, who is tied with Harrison for the second-most personal fouls (14) in the NFL since 2001.
Cowboys safety Roy Williams got two votes for league’s dirtiest player, and Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce, Steelers receiver Hines Ward, Titans center Kevin Mawae and Bears center Olin Kreutz each got one.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:36 pm
It is kinda weird that Harrison still has the rep when most of examples of “dirty hits” came during his San Deigo days. He has only had one or two incidents when he was fined while on the Patriots. He already won the honor of most fined player in history when he left San Deigo. The Patriots classed him up, but reputation stayed.
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Rating: 1.85 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I respect hardnose play, but dirty is something we can do without in sports. I have seen the stuff Harrison has done on every team in almost every game, and I think it has gotten worse over the years. But as Harrison gets older and slower he has to use intimidation and dirty tactics. Fact of life, and I wouldn’t want him on my team, no matter what team I liked and how bad the safety position was.
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Rating: 3.85 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 2:54 pm
No suprise here. Rodney plays defense like it should be played. Raw emotion, it gets him fined, it labels him a dirty player, but it doesn’t make him all that different then every other safety in the league. All good safety’s get fined. I have to agree with ctfwest, most of his dirtiest days are behind him. Every once and a while I see him take a shot a little later then it should be, but its football.
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Rating: 2.15 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Truth be told - I’d hate him if he wasn’t a Patriot.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Where is CHuck Cecil to put a helmet under somebody’s chin when you need him? THese guys aren’t dirty - the game is getting soft.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 3:16 pm
He has been a dirty player his entire career. With the Patriots, he has extended his ‘ dirty regime’ with chemistry like HGH. Many dirty players play themselves out of the league by getting injured during a cheap-shot hit, but Harrison survives through the benefit of untested-for-in-the-NFL HGH. And FYI, not every cheap shot gets called as a personal foul. Cheap shots away from the ball or after the play is over are noticed by the players and coaches but not necessarily penalized by the officials. The game isn’t ballet.
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Rating: 4.35 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Yeah, how exactly did a guy who got suspended for stomping on another guy’s skull not even make the list, much less win?
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Rating: 3.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I guess the numerous shots he takes well after the play is over has finally been noticed…it’s an every game occurance but the refs let it go…I wonder why?
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 3:25 pm
To all you haters: B.O.H.I.C.A. !
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 3:33 pm
It’s pure reputation at this point. He has missed over half the games the last three years. I mean, he went after the ball during “the catch”. The old Rodney Harrison would’ve tried to kill the player instead. I’m not sure how Roy Williams isn’t on top. They named a rule after his tackle that injured players and ended seasons. And he still does it!
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 3:38 pm
“Everyone knows they would take harrison on there [sic] team in a heartbeat.”
Nah, I like safeties who PREVENT miraculous catches with three minutes to go in Super Bowls. Guess I’m just old-fashioned like that.
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Rating: 3.8 / 5 with 10 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 3:50 pm
“I’d still want him on my team. He’s tough and gets a bad rap for coming to plays late. I’d rather see an rare flag, than have guys pop up from missed tackles. ”
But if he was on your team and not the Pats, he would get more flags.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 8 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Being voted a dirty player when playing Safety is a good thing because you want receivers keeping their head on a swivel and displaying alligator arms. I do believe that Rodney is no longer the “dirtiest” player through, this is based on past reputation. All anti Pats fans are using this as another opportunity to take shots at the team when in reality if they really understood football there is not one player on that list that they would not want on their team.
PS - Monger, you need to give up the players are roll models bs. First of all you probably don’t have kids because if you did you would understand that you and only you are their roll model. Second, you probably have never played the game of football. Football is a man’s game and there are things that happen that some might consider “dirty,” when in reality they are tough hits in a tough game. And of yeah, enough already with the “cheating” crap - every team in the NFL tries to gain an advantage vs their opponents.
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 4:08 pm
They should do a follow up question of how many of those coaches would want Rodney or a player like Rodney on their team.
100% !!!!
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Rating: 2.15 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 4:21 pm
MDS wrote: “there’s one NFL player who has more personal foul penalties than Harrison”
Maybe when ESPN does a poll asking GM to identify which players are most penalized, Adrian Wilson will win. This one, though, was for the dirtiest player. Roll the tape on Muhsin Muhammad’s long touchdown against New England in the Super Bowl. With Muhammad in the end zone (or well on his way) and Jake Delhomme on his way down field to celebrate, you’ll see Harrison take a shot at him.
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Rating: 4.35 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Geez, with the news of Willie Andrews and now this…this is probably one of Florio’s worst days ever.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Dirtier than Roy “Horsecollar” Williams? C’mon… Maybe 5 or 6 years ago. He’s aggressive and plays at full throttle. I wish Brian Russell and Deon Grant would be more like him than not…. except for the whole old thing…
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Rating: 2.75 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I also have to admit, when I heard that Harrison was studying to be an official, I thought it was alot like a fox walking around inside a hen house claiming that he wants to be an architect.
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Rating: 2.6 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Section731 is right, not only is the game getting soft but so are the spectators it seems, don’t you want hard hitting guys on your football team? They might push the envelope, get penalties or even fined, but did they make the tackle? Did they make the play. Is football getting watered down? How would a team like the 70s Raiders come across in today’s climate? I miss the old smash mouth game.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I find it amusing that more people comment on the Patriots than they do their own team. Hell, they fart and you people keep sniffing. Frankly only a bunch of sore losers would actually take the time out of their day to hunt for anti-Patriot articles so they can 5 star their buddies and wish they weren’t the BEST team in football. That’s right… the BEST. Now assume the position back on your knees.
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 5:39 pm
it’s no secret the patriots cheat
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Rating: 3.4 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I’m beginning to wonder if the commenters on PFT get dumber and dumber each time I check in. Yep. They are.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Let us not forget that it was Rodney Harrison that blasted Trent Green’s knee cap in a meaningless pre-season game coming off the edge.
The Rams still won the SuperBowl that year without Green…which might actually pain Green more.
Harrison will also use ‘tainted supplements’ to get ahead a la Bill Romonowski.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 6:32 pm
TheBozforPres: Harrison is “dirtier” than Roy Williams only because Roy Williams couldn’t get near a receiver to save his life. He can only take dirty shots at players running right at him.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
July 1st, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Ahhhhh I love the smell of schadenfreude in the evening. LOL
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