As a Steelers fan, let me say this first: per 2011 rules, Harrison should have been fined, and his "body of work" warrants a suspension. I hope he adjusts, otherwise he will be gone. The NFL has altered its rules, and players should abide by them...pretty simple.
But consider this: Harrison's tackle is the first suspension in 25 years (!) for an on-the-field tackle. The last suspension due to an on-field hit was when Jim McMahon was literally body-slammed, WWF-style, to the turf in 1986, an event that scarcely qualifies as a "tackle". Think about all the brutal, full-speed helmet-to-helmet collisions over the years that you've witnessed. And now think of all of the headhunting enforcers that the league and its fans have not only tolerated, but *celebrated* over this time. Repeat offenders, all of them. Ronnie Lott? LT? How many times did announcers salivate over John Lynch's "hard style" of play over his career? How many times have we seen players literally look like they might not walk (or live?!) after a brutal hit (Boldin's hit a couple of years ago comes to mind). By comparison, James Harrison's "resume" of hits looks fairly tame...yet it's Harrison, and this hit on McCoy, that garners the first suspension for a
tackle in 25 years.
Let me ask this: as Patriots fans, would you define *Rodney* Harrison's style as simply tough and hard-hitting...or would you condemn him as forcefully as you would James Harrison? Are you proud of his tenure as a Patriot...or are you ashamed of it? Remember that Rodney Harrison accumulated over $200K in fines over his career, simply a huge amount in the pre-2010 era (when you typically didn't get fined $75K for a single hit!) As Patriots fans, I seriously doubt you would characterize his play as despicable--edgy, maybe, and maybe uncomfortably close to (or over) the line at times, but you wouldn't demonize him. (And for anyone who thinks R.Harrison's hits were any less egregious than James Harrison's, I recommend the following video, from the :20 - :60 mark, for a reminder of what the league has tolerated *without* suspensions over its history):
rodney harrison tribute - YouTube
My point is not to denigrate Rodney Harrison here; it's merely to say that that for 40 years, the league cultivated a culture that tolerated and even celebrated the Rodney (and James) Harrisons of the world--the feared enforcer, the guy who would walk (and perhaps breach) the line between legal and dirty.
IMHO I think you'd have to take a pretty narrow and myopic viewpoint--that is, one that encompasses only the past 12-15 months--in order to say James Harrison is demonstrably more villainous or brutish than the scores of similarly-styled enforcers since the merger. I don't have a problem with the fines and even suspensions; for the record, I think the new rules changes are good, and defenseless players need to be protected.
But I'm growing weary of the borderline sanctimonious and self-righteous tone that league officials, commentators, and even some fans have taken with Harrison's hits. It's like we collectively have forgotten what the NFL was like, not just 20 or 30 years ago, but *2* years ago, pre-2010, and what an abrupt about-face the league has taken regarding the very hits it has frankly encouraged and profited from throughout its pre-2010 existence.
You can argue that the NFL has evolved--and for the better--and that James Harrison is a knuckle-dragging dinosaur with no place within its new rules, and that he should evolve or become "extinct". Improved player safety is a noble goal, even if the abruptness of the league's emphasis mid-season last year seems suspect (my personal, cynical belief: the league's 2010 drive for a decidedly *less* safe 18 game season in a CBA year necessitated major PR initiatives for improved player safety). But never forget the fact that the league has spent most of its existence cultivating and celebrating a culture that encourages, rather than condemns, the type of player that James Harrison has become. The league, along with its fans, have cheered brutal displays of on-field violence from its players throughout its history, so it seems rather disingenuous to be suddenly horrified by it now.
