Rodney Harrison Quotations

When it comes down to it, ... it's just football. After all the circus, the antics and the sideshow, it's just football . . . just going out there and just knocking heads and just playing football.

We're not a dynasty, we're just a good football team, and we've been a good football team since I've been here. The Chicago Bulls, they were a dynasty. They were a dynasty for six years, but once you lose, you're not a dynasty any more. I don't know how long dynasties last, but it seems like they don't last very long in professional sports nowadays.

We have so many veteran guys like Willie McGinest, Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour, Larry Izzo, guys that have been in the fire. We lose those two guys (Bruschi and Johnson), but other guys have really stepped up to really meet that challenge.

We're not defending anything, because we don't have anything. (This) is a new season, just like 2005 is a new season for the Raiders.

We're not caught up in history because what we've done in the past means nothing. As soon as you start feeling good about yourself, that's when you've set yourself up for failure.

He has a lot of weapons around him, a great defense. So he's not really asked to do a lot. He has to maintain, not turn the ball over and manage the game.

He's 6-foot-4, runs like a deer and can jump like Kobe Bryant.

He's a consummate pro, ... I think I see him more than my wife.

He's a captain, a leader, a tremendous physical presence in the middle. When you have one of your best friends back, one of your best teammates back, it's always a good, rewarding moment.

He's just one of the guys in this locker room who knows it's about the team.

He is the best receiver in the league,

I think what you look for in a person to replace him is a person of integrity, someone that's honest and someone who knows the game and understands that it is the players that drive the game as well as the fans. If you have that, you have an opportunity for a great future for the National Football League and continued success.

It doesn't matter if it's Randy Moss, Chris Chambers. It doesn't matter,

It definitely affects the way you prepare because you never know who is going to be in there. It affects the communication. However, everyone has to be ready and that's no excuse.

We know the whole world is against us, basically, and people want us to lose, people want to see us fall. But that's fine. That's just the way it is.

We have a tough opponent this week. We have to get better.

We were just one or two plays from an AFC championship and I think we will back on top real soon.

We pride ourselves in being a good tackling team and an aggressive defensive unit that can run to the ball, ... Our motto is 'Run and Hit.'

We had some lack of communication and gave up a big play, and our goal is not to give up big plays,

We gave them some easy touchdowns. We didn't really play our game. Fortunately we were able to get a victory.

We understand that they are talented on the offensive side, that they have some good physical defensive players. It should be a physical, hard-hitting game and some points should be put up on the board. Hopefully, by us moreso than them. It should be a great kick-off to the 2005 season.

We don't look at Eric as a rookie coordinator. He had a lot of input. We have a lot of input. They've very open to suggestions.

Well, he's a fiery guy. He's very competitive. He's high-spirited, he's emotional. ... I guess he's similar to me. It is like describing myself,

We weren't up to par. Similar to (our opener) last year, we played rusty. We didn't play a complete game. We gave up some easy touchdowns, didn't really communicate well.

You go out there and you play the game hard, but you never want to see anyone down. And I just felt really bad. The guy is vulnerable being down like that. It was just hard on me.

You'd see guys crying on the plane home,

Everyone wants to judge us and gauge us on what happened in the past, but this is a totally different team. People have to realize that and we understand that. So there's no guarantee that we're going to go out there and do anything.

I've never been around anything like it. We'd stop 'em, three and out. Then Ryan Leaf and our offense would give 'em the ball back on the first play, so we'd go out and hold them, three and out, again. We never let up.

Sometimes, ... you just have bad days at the office, and you just have to chalk it up, continue to work hard and look at how each and every guy in this room can get better.

Of course they have an image of being bad boys and being the dirty boys of the National Football League, ... but a reputation means nothing. What means something is going out there and executing on that particular day.

Anybody I step onto the field with, it's a rivalry. I know they're going to be very upset about happened in the AFC Championship. I know they are using that as a motivational tool. So we'll see what happens. Let's get it on between the lines.

As a kid, I always dreamed about being an Oakland Raider because I think what they stand for really fit with what I bring on the field, ... Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be.

This is an exciting part of the year right now. It's a huge test for us, a big challenge, because everyone's talking Randy Moss, but no one's talking about the (Jerry) Porters, the (Ronald) Currys and the other guys who are very capable players.

They're 2-0 right now. They're feeling good. We're going into a hostile environment. They want their revenge from the AFC championship and they will let it be known. So we have a set of challenges out there. It only gets tougher.

A lot of teams today do not believe in veteran players. But (Belichick) believes in bringing smart, disciplined, tough football players who respect the game and have the ability to move on whether we win or lose.

There were a lot of mistakes. We were rusty out there. We didn't communicate will and we had some missed tackles.

This is the most prepared since I have been playing football.

They're big, fast and strong, that's what they are,

They have so many weapons. I think it's so unfair for you to just point out one. Obviously he's one of the most dominating receivers in the league. But you can't take away everything. You just have to go out there and do your best to contain these guys and hopefully we'll get a chance to make some big plays.

It was, ... the most inspirational thing I've ever been around.

It's more hype because it's Randy Moss, who's a bigger name player, but if I get a chance to hit him, I'll hit him. If I get a chance to get an interception, I'm going to try to make the interception.

It's going quite well right now with the rehab in Massachusetts, I'm going 4-5 hours a day. I went from not being able to walk and having my wife taking care of me to being able to run a little.

It's tough, ... You wish you could go out there and do something. ... It really, really makes you appreciate the game when you're not around it.

It was not up to par. It was the same as last year. We didn't play a complete game. We gave them some easy touchdowns. We didn't really play our game. Fortunately, we were able to get a victory.

I turned around and I saw him down and I just started praying for him because you never want to see anybody down like that.

They can't throw. They can't catch. All they can do is yell, scream, swear at you ... They're fans sitting down, drinking beer, eating popcorn and pizza, and you respect that and that's what you like. You like to interact with the fans. You like to see the fans have a good time.

I'm really excited at this point in time because I have an opportunity to play in the Super Bowl and I'm expecting my baby.

I'm sure they're going to be very upset by what happened in the AFC championship and I know they'll use that as a motivational tool. We're going into another hornet's nest.

I know I can come back from this, ... It's just a matter of how hard and how bad I want to do it. You and I have talked about this before; football is not my life, it's a part of my life. It's what I do, it's not who I am.

I know James and me are different players, but I know he is going to go in there and he will play fine. James is a talented guy. He is smart. He is one of those rookies that seems a lot wiser and has a lot more wisdom beyond his years. I think in terms of going out there and playing, I think we will be fine at the strong safety position. He is going to go out there and make plays. He is a tough guy.

He's the best in the business. He's a beast. We miss his leadership. We miss his smile. We miss his competitiveness.

He's the best receiver in the league. He's 6-4, can run like a deer, can jump like Kobe Bryant. He's Randy Moss.

I cannot honestly say what's going to happen next year and what the future holds for me in terms of football, ... But I'm going to work my tail off to get back on the field.

You can't even catch balls and you're being covered by a safety. How does that feel?

The club figured that, at 30, I couldn't run anymore. I'd suffered a groin pull in the first game last year. The muscle was 30 percent off the bone. The doctors told me I'd miss eight weeks. I missed two. I guess the Patriots feel I can run well enough.

The league is really set up for the owners to make money and I really don't like the structure of the players' contract. But that's another situation. I think technically, as far as stepping down, he did a great job.

You can’t depend on special teams touchdowns and blocked punts every week to win.

There's nothing easy about winning a game in the National Football League, let alone winning a championship, things that we've done in the past. However, that's in the past.

I take three showers a day. I don't need to be in the shower for 15 minutes. I'm a five-minute guy.

We have a lot of respect and love for Bruschi. But he's gone. That's unfortunate for us, but we have to move on. Just like if I got injured they'd have to move on without me. That's just part of the game. That's reality.

Sometimes unnecessary roughness is necessary.

If guys feed off me, that's fine. But I'm going to play my way and I don't change. One hundred percent every single play, every single day. That's just me. And hopefully guys, especially the young guys, feed off of it and hopefully they learn how to be a professional and bring their 'A' game every day.