Like he was forged out of steel itself, James Harrison is regarded as one of the greatest defenders in NFL annals. He is touted as one of the league's most feared linebackers and during his dominance, nearly unblockable. The former undrafted rookie played with an intimidation factor and otherworldly grit. If he was able to get low, dip and pin his arm to create leverage, the opposing offensive lineman was left reeling as he fired past en route to the quarterback.
Harrison was voted first-team Associated Press All-Pro twice, a Pro Bowl selection in five consecutive years (2007-11) and was twice voted Steelers MVP (2007-08). His 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII has transcended Steelers' recordbooks and echoes through NFL lore. Out of an all-out max blitz, Harrison was originally supposed to blitz outside of the tackle but he dropped and kept his eyes transfixed on Kurt Warner. When he saw his arm move, he pounced and intercepted the pass at the goal line and ran back the length of the football field, carving his place in NFL immortality with the punctuating play. Harrison set the single-season record in 2008 for the Steelers with 16 sacks and became the first undrafted player to win Defensive Player of the Year.
While Harrison's legendary career and tenacity on the field cannot be replicated, Buccaneers' first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. has drawn comparisons to the famed former Steeler from an interesting source.
"I think he can be a double-digit sack guy," said Jon Gruden on the 95.7 WDAE show. "If you look at James Harrison who played a long time for the Pittsburgh Steelers, very similar length and playing style [to Bain]. Coach [Larry] Foote on the Bucs staff, I think I heard him mention James Harrison's name and Harrison was not even drafted but he would kick your ass week-in and week-out. That is what I think Tampa Bay has, their version of a young James Harrison."
With the strength of a defensive tackle and the agility and bend around the rush arc of an edge, Bain became Miami's block destructor and pairs violence in his hand strikes with a relentless motor. On passing downs, Bain imposes his will like a freight train and plays with a nasty disposition on the field. Like Harrison, Bain may lack the standard or prototypical height/length profile coming out of college but he can win with speed, power or finesse. Bain served as the tone-setter for the Hurricanes and he will bring that same alpha mentality to the trenches in Todd Bowles' defense.
