Former Steeler, Bengal, and Patriot James Harrison made the rounds at FS1 today and predictably, his short stint with the Patriots was a focal point of much of the conversation on Undisputed with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe.
“I’m a Brady fan now,” said Harrison on Thursday. “I’m not going to lie. I wanted to hate this dude. He’s the ultimate teammate. … Tom is a great QB — the best ever.”
After being granted his release late in the season with the Steelers, Harrison cleared waivers and found himself a Patriot shortly thereafter. Harrison made his debut in Week 17 and played through the Super Bowl until announcing his retirement this offseason.
Despite only being in New England for such a short period of time, it didn’t take long for Harrison’s opinion of Brady to change.
“As soon as I get there, who is the first person I see smiling, happy face,” Harrison said. ‘I’m like, ‘Yeah he’s just doing this cause he got to do it right. Yeah, he’s just faking.’ So you watch how he moves in the locker room, how he communicates with guys, different guys, guys that have been there forever, guys that are just getting there and dude he’s a great guy.”
Brady was not the only topic of conversation. Naturally, the comparison between Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin became the focus of the show. When asked about who the better coach is, Harrison offered his answer rather quickly and it certainly didn’t re-endear him to some of the Steelers fans who were upset he signed with the Patriots in the first place.
“Belichick,” said Harrison emphatically on Undisputed. “Tomlin needs to be a little bit more disciplined. Man, I’ve seen Tom Brady running to a meeting scared to be late.”
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Harrison answered the way he did. Anyone who follows the games knows the drastically different coaching styles and the success each has had with the “groceries” they have to work with. However, Harrison elaborated a bit more on the different coaching styles.
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“In New England, it’s more regimented,” he said. “It’s more disciplined. The coaching is better, to be honest. The plans they put together are better. And they don’t ask their players to do anything outside the realm of what they feel their capabilities are.”
Better coach: Mike Tomlin or Bill Belichick?
“Belichick. Tomlin needs to be a little bit more disciplined. … Man, I’ve seen Tom Brady running to a meeting scared to be late.” — @jharrison9292 pic.twitter.com/9oA0lZ3XHM
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 19, 2018
Perhaps the most interesting tidbit that came out of this media tour was his thoughts on the reported “riff” between Belichick and Brady. Of course, one of the “BIG” offseason storylines surrounding the Patriots was this reported turmoil between Belichick and Brady. A riff so bad that Brady “threatened to retire” and “forced Belichick to trade Garoppolo”. Although, according to Harrison, all that is likely made up. A product of the slow NFL offseason.
“All these stories that come out about friction and stuff… I honestly believe it is all made up,” said Harrison in response to Shannon Sharpe’s question about Brady and Belichick’s relationship. “I came in there looking. ‘Im about to see what is going on. They got troubles like everybody else’. I get in there and I see nothing. They’re interacting..they’re talking. I don’t see any friction. I believe they make up these stories to pull this team tighter and closer together. That is really all it does.”
– Ian Glendon is the Editor-In-Chief of Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @iglen31 Follow @FPC_Patriots and Facebook.
