Damon Harrison, tell us how you really feel. The New York Giants nose tackle took to Twitter on Monday following news that he didn’t make the ‘NFL Top 100’ on the NFL Network.
And Harrison didn’t hold back as his fellow players left him off the list, a slap in the face after another season with the Giants where he was among the best players in the league.
Throughout his football career, Harrison has been disrespected. He was dropped from his varsity team in high school, cut from a junior college team and was only recruited by NAIA program William Penn after time spent working at a Walmart. He was an undrafted rookie free agent who fought his way onto the Jets roster and eventually, signed a big free agent contract with the Giants three years ago.
But despite that mega deal, Harrison still has been unable to garner personal accolades such as the All-Pro or Pro Bowl. Monday’s exclusion from the next installment of the ‘NFL Top 100’ is yet another slap in the face for a player who is clearly among the most dominant interior defensive linemen in the league.
I will remind every lineman we play this year, while I’m whipping their ass, that they didn’t vote for me. Blame it on the Top 100. So don’t ask me “what’s your problem man” you should already know. When the list comes back y’all hands gonna shake when you think of me…
— Damon Harrison Sr. (@snacks) May 8, 2018
Pro Football Focus named him the best run defender in the league last year as well as one of ‘The 12 Biggest Snubs of the Pro Bowl Roster.’ And yet he can’t make the annual list on the NFL Network.
Last year, despite playing on a 3-13 team and facing double teams from opposing offensive linemen, Harrison still had 76 tackles and 1.5 sacks (both numbers that were second-highest of his career). He also had a career-high three passes defended and the first interception of his NFL career in 2017.
For comparison, Miami Dolphins defensive end Cam Wake was No. 74 on the list this year and fully deserving of that nod, especially after securing 10.5 sacks last year. But his 36 tackles and no passes defended pale in comparison to what Harrison did from the interior. Bruce Irvin, an edge rusher for the Oakland Raiders, also bested Harrison with 8 sacks as he was named No. 85 on the ‘NFL Top 100 list.’ Like Harrison, he had three passes defended but had just 58 tackles, far fewer than Harrison’s tally.
That certainly is not to take away from either Wake’s or Irvin’s fantastic 2017 and what should be equally strong years for both players this upcoming year. But their production from the edge really makes what Harrison did in 2017 (and 2016) standout.
A clear oversight when the voting on this list was conducted.
