Hard Hat Award - 2007 Season
Stiller LB James �Jamie� Harrison is the winner of the 2007 Season Hard Hat Award, given to the Stiller player who best embodies the iron-tough, hard-as-steel attitude of the steel workers inside the blast furnace of a still mill.
With starting ROLB Joey Porter leaving in the offseason for the riches of Miami, Harrison inherited the starting job. Outside of this particular site, there was grave concern as to how Harrison would be able to handle the starting chores. Harrison responded with a superb season, playing the kind of stout, nasty, in-your-face linebacking that had been sorely missed since Greg Lloyd�s hey day and Schmoey Porter of 3 years ago.
Dirty Harry won the weekly Hard Hat a team-high 3 times in 2007, and was the co-winner 2 other times. Harrison was by far the best, most consistent hitter on the defense, punishing runners, receivers, blockers, and throwers with equal disdain. He had a monstrous, Hard Hat effort in the MNF win over Baltimore, in which he single-handedly ravaged and pillaged the Ravens throughout the game, to include:
- Stripped McHair and then, instead of prancing and woofing the way some LBs are prone to do after a big play, dug into a scrum and came up with the recovery.
- Blew up a 3rd & 2 plunge by McGayboy, which forced him to cut back and then get stripped by Polamalu.
- Forced an intentional grounding early in the 2Q
- Stripped McNair in the 2Q, and then, instead of prancing and woofing the way some LBs are prone to do after a big play, went after McGayboy (who�d recovered the fumble) and tackled him, resulting in a 17-yard loss.
- Plucked a superb INT of McHair, and then, to add salt into the wound, landed on top of Derrick MasonJar and flattened him at the end of the INT return.
- Beat Jon Ogden and dropped McHair (along with Haggans) late in the 2Q
- Shed the block of a pulling guard and dropped McGayboy for a 3-yard loss in the 3Q.
- Sacked McHair on the last play of the 3Q.
In all, Jamie Harrison displayed the kind of intensity, ferocity, toughness, and hustle not seen by any player wearing # 92 in the entire 75-year history of the Pittsburgh Stillers. And, all in all, this was one of the greatest single-game efforts ever by any Stiller defender in the proud 75-year history of the franchise.
Harrison�s value as a hard-hitting hustler was also evident on the Stiller coverage teams. When he was used, the coverage was solid. When he was not -- most notably on the 96-yard KO return by Jones-Drew early in the 1Q of the wild card loss -- the coverage typically sucked.
Kudos to Harrison for winning the 2007 Season Hard Hat Award. Wear the Hard Hat proudly this offseason, Jamie !
2007 Weekly Hard Hat Awardees:
Game 1, @ Clev: Jamie Harrison and Danny Sepulveda
Game 2, vs. Buffalo: Jamie Harrison
Game 3, vs. San Fran: Willie Parker
Game 4, @ Arizona: Santonio Holmes
Game 5, vs. Seattle: Ben Roethlisberger, Najeh Davenport, and Aaron Smith
Game 6, @ Denver: Nobody
Game 7, @ Cinci: Jamie Harrison
Game 8, vs. Balt: Jamie Harrison
Game 9, vs. Clev: Jamie Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger
Game 10, @ Jets: Nobody
Game 11, vs. Miami: Tyrone Carter
Game 12, vs. Cinci: Hines Ward
Game 13, @ NE: Willie Parker and Najeh Davenport
Game 14, vs. Jax: Nobody
Game 15, @ St. Louis: Najeh Davenport
Game 16, @ Balt: Ty Carter and Trai Essex
Wild Card, vs. Jax: Hines Ward