Despite having a young Tom Brady under center for their first three Super Bowl runs, the New England Patriots were really led by their talented defense.
In between the first and the second Super Bowls, New England failed to make the playoffs in 2002 for the first and only time with Brady under center and Bill Belichick on the sideline. So, after that season, the Patriots decided to add some more physicality by signing safety Rodney Harrison.
Harrison's impact was felt right away in practice, as former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel told "Pardon My Take" in a recent interview.
"So, Bill comes up with this idea that he's going to sign Rodney Harrison after the Chargers let him go," Vrabel said. "He comes in, and it's like the first day of pads. Kevin Faulk runs one of his option routes, and I try to cover him and Tedy [Bruschi] tries to cover him, and we can't cover him. So, he catches it, and he turns up, and Rodney comes and knocks the [expletive] out of him. And, everybody [went wild], and this is when we had like 8,000 fans. It wasn't a cheap shot, and Faulk gets up and kinda throws the ball, and Rodney's like '[expletive] you.' And, then, Dante Scarnecchia, little Scar, he's like 'Take care of your teammate. You can't do that.' Rodney goes, '[Expletive] you too.' And, me and Tedy looked at each other like I think we got a dude right here."
Harrison would go on to play six years with the Patriots, recording 446 tackles (18 for a loss), 32 passes defensed, eight interceptions, seven forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered. He also helped them win back-to-back Super Bowls in his first and second years with the team.
It's fair to say that the signing worked out for New England.
