Harrison to the Bengals

captnbrojangles wrote:We get to see him 2x's this year.... Oh Boy!

I wonder just how much gas James has in his tank..... apparently not as much as he THINKS.

I just don't see him as a 4-3 OLB, wherein he has to handle more space both against the run and in coverage. Perhaps they also use him as an outside rusher in dime situations....but, this doesn't seem to be a wise choice by Harrison, at this stage of his career. Of course, the Steelers stated that they weren't interested, perhaps due to what his current demands were....I'll reserve judgement until I see the structure of the Bengal deal.

James Harrison's new job description involves playing the Pittsburgh Steelers twice per season.

How much did that factor into his signing a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals Friday?

"I'm not going to comment on that," Harrison's agent Bill Parise told USA TODAY Sports.

Parise didn't have to say anything. His hearty laugh when the question was asked said it all.

Harrison joins the Bengals after also flirting with another AFC North rival of the Steelers in the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers cut Harrison in March after he and the team couldn't reach an agreement on cutting his salary from $6.5 million per season.

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Financial terms of Harrison's deal with Cincy are not yet available.

"Whodey!!!!!!!!!!!" Harrison wrote on his Twitter account. "Hello Cincinnati!!!!"

The Bengals courted Harrison last week, when he paid a visit to the team. Earlier this week, the sides tried to hammer out a deal but couldn't make much progress. They got back to work late in the week and finally reached an agreement Friday.

Asked if Harrison was relieved, Parise said, "James is not relieved at all. He always believed he'd be somewhere and it would work out. I don't think there was a question in his mind all."

With a laugh, Parise then added, "I'm relieved. I'll say that much."

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Harrison visited Cincinnati on April 11 and had good discussions with the Bengals. Everyone was optimistic that a deal would get quickly done, but talks ground to a halt by Tuesday afternoon.

Harrison will face his former team in a pair of prime-time games. The Week 2 game against the Steelers in Cincinnati will be on a Monday night (Sept. 16), and the Week 15 contest at Pittsburgh on Dec. 15 will be a Sunday night game on NBC. It is the first time since 1990, when the Steelers faced the Houston Oilers, that a pair of games against division opponents has been scheduled for prime time.

The last two years – Cowboys-Giants in 2011 and Seahawks-49ers last season – both games were in prime time, but the second game was flexed from Sunday afternoon to evening.

Coach Marvin Lewis was also hopeful that the Bengals could reach a deal with offensive tackle Andre Smith before the draft. Smith, who is going into his fifth year, has started 32 games over the past two seasons, including both playoff games.

There hasn't been much progress between either side in what has been a quiet market for right tackles. Besides Smith, Eric Winston and Tyson Clabo are still on the market.

"We're getting down to the time of that because we feel it's important," Lewis said about Smith. "He wants to get it done, but he has to get his representation and our people to come to an agreement. He's anxious for it to occur and hopefully it happens quickly. Everyone realizes when we get into the draft it becomes a different situation."

Even if Smith was re-signed before the draft, Lewis said it would not preclude the Bengals from taking a tackle if that is the best player on the board. Cincinnati has the 21st overall selection but also has two second-round picks at Nos. 37 and 53 overall

James should fire his agent. He's making half as much money as the Steelers offered him, and now he is in a scheme that doesn't exactly fit him.

captnbrojangles wrote:We get to see him 2x's this year.... Oh Boy!

 This pissed me off.  I hate it when our players go and play for divisional teams.  It always comes back to bite us in the ass.

Two Players I would have liked to have kept, Harrison and Starks.

The player I wouldn't have minded bidding farewell to in order to have kept them...LaMarr Woodley.

RLON39 wrote:Two Players I would have liked to have kept, Harrison and Starks.

The player I wouldn't have minded bidding farewell to in order to have kept them...LaMarr Woodley.

I think we'll see a much better Lamarr Woodley this season as he seemed to take to heart the criticism that was coming his way from last season and spent alot of time conditioning down in Florida.

I don't share your optimism...if Woodley and Dwyer had any kind of work ethic, they'd be all pro. I think it's a bad sign that Woodley seemed to be even more laid back about his conditioning after his big contract. Both of these players have bad habits that are difficult to change, unfortunately.