Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

Dissecting Patriots' signing of David Harris from multiple angles

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. ESPN analyst Damien Woody can offer unique insight on the Patriots’ signing of linebacker David Harris because Woody played for Bill Belichick in New England (2000-2003) and also with Harris as a Jet (2008-2010). Here are four topics I broached with him on the signing:

Why it’s a culture fit: “I think the world of David Harris. He will fit that culture perfectly. He’s not a rah-rah guy. He’s an excellent teammate, excellent locker-room guy. He has a high football IQ. He’s never been the fastest guy on the field, but he is very smart. He knows how to dissect plays. He’s used to that type of environment, especially early in his career with [Eric] Mangini and just the Michigan background.”

How much Harris has left: “I think he’s a two-down player. The way I kind of see David, maybe he’ll either start next to Dont’a Hightower or he’ll be in the rotation in the inside linebacker room. We all know Dont’a Hightower misses a couple games a year, by the nature of which he plays and the way the Patriots use him. So to be able to have a guy like David Harris, who is experienced, Coach Belichick knows him very well. The whole team knows him well from having faced him twice a year for the last 10 years. You get a feel for what a player can and can’t do. I’m sure Bill will have a specific role for David, who is smart and a consummate pro. He’s been a signal-caller pretty much his whole career. So while the Patriots run a complex scheme, that’s not going to be a problem for him.”

Whether a Hightower-Harris LB combo is potentially too slow: “You’re talking about two linebackers that are both bigger. When I think of Dont’a Hightower, I think of a guy that is more of a pass-rusher, the way they line him outside on third down. But he also rushes the passer from the middle of the defense as an inside linebacker. If you’re facing a team like the Atlanta Falcons, with two running backs that are really versatile, that could cause a problem [for a Harris-Hightower combo]. You could try to scheme it up to neutralize that, but neither one of those guys are burners at the inside linebacker position. Could it be exploited? Yes, but you also have to trust the coaching of Bill Belichick to put those guys -- if they’re on the field at the same time -- in the best situation possible.”

How this signing was received by the Jets: “Todd Bowles was not in favor of letting David Harris go, I know that for a fact. So when that whole thing went down, he was not a happy camper. But just talking to guys and their overall feeling, they are happy for David, because he’s that likable of a guy. He’s never been a big talker. He’s always come to practice, always come to work. So guys in the locker room are saying, ‘Good for him. He deserves an opportunity to play for a championship.'”

2. Former Patriots and Chiefs offensive tackle Ryan O’Callaghan, who talked to Outports.com about how he planned to kill himself following his playing career because he was hiding that he was gay, is thankfully in a much better place now. Former Patriots VP of Player Personnel and former Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli was acknowledged by O’Callaghan as helping him through trying times, and with O’Callaghan’s blessing, Pioli discussed the story with ESPN’s NFL Live on Thursday.

Said Pioli, “In the last 48 hours, the response and reaction I’ve received from former teammates of Ryan’s [and] former players that weren’t teammates but wanted to get a hold of Ryan; a great example [is] Mike Vrabel, one of the first people to reach out to me. So Mike was with Ryan in New England and Kansas City. Mike was like, ‘Scott, this is incredible. What great news. Is he OK? I need his contact information. Can I reach out to him?’ I give you that example, because that is one of dozens and dozens of former players who are reacting [that way] to this situation. All they care about is Ryan the person.”

3. During a fun conversation with longtime Buffalo Bills receiver Andre Reed (1985-1999) last week to discuss his trip to Israel with 17 fellow Pro Football Hall of Famers and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Reed dropped in this line when I asked him about Bills-Patriots memories: “It would be really fun to see, if you could go back in time, to take our teams from those Super Bowl years and play them against [Tom] Brady’s teams now. It would be a pretty good battle.” Love the thought. Would Bill Belichick devise a game plan similar to what he did for the Giants in Super Bowl XXV by daring the Bills to run against lighter sub packages? Or with Brady at the helm of an attack that could match Jim Kelly and the K-Gun offense, would the coach play it differently? This is the type of fantasy football I’d like to play.

4. Guard Jonathan Cooper, whom the Patriots had acquired with a second-round pick from Arizona in exchange for Chandler Jones, spent a good part of the spring lining up as the Cowboys’ top left guard. He was lining up there for the Patriots last spring as well, but on one of the first days of full-pads practices in training camp he sustained a foot injury that stunted his momentum and he was eventually cut. Injuries have derailed Cooper’s career multiple times, so the key for the Cowboys will be to see if Cooper can hold the spot once the pads come on.

5. Did You Know: With 75 days until the NFL’s kickoff game between the Patriots and Chiefs, ESPN’s Stats & Information notes that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is 75 touchdown passes away from breaking Peyton Manning’s all-time record (539). Based on his current career pace, Brees would hit the mark in 2019 when he is 40. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, based on his current career pace, would hit Manning’s mark in 2020, when he is 43. The Patriots and Saints meet in Week 2.

6. The Canadian Football League kicked off its season on Thursday, and here are a few players Patriots fans might remember from their time in Foxborough:

  • DL Ja’Gared Davis (Calgary Stampeders): A special teams contributor in four games (2013-2014), the NFL linebacker-turned-CFL defensive lineman also spent notable time on New England’s practice squad.

  • WR Brian Tyms (Hamilton Tiger-Cats): He played in 11 games (two starts) in 2014 -- totaling five catches for 82 yards and a touchdown -- before a preseason injury in 2015 ended his time with the club.

  • DE Eric Martin (Toronto Argonauts) -- He appeared in four games as a special teamer in 2015 and spent the rest of that year on the practice squad.

  • QB Ryan Lindley (Ottawa Redbacks) -- He made a brief preseason appearance in 2015 after veteran Matt Flynn was injured and couldn’t serve as the team’s No. 3 option. But he didn’t make the final 53-man roster.

  • WR Tiquan Underwood (Montreal Alouettes) -- He played in six games during the 2011 season, totaling three catches for 30 yards while garnering attention for his unique 'do.

7. Thanks to reader Kevin O’Neill, who figured it might be tough to come up with 10 quick hits at this time on the NFL calendar, for passing along this unexpected nugget: A horse named after Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy -- officially called Kvn Corona -- sprinted to a wire-to-wire victory last Sunday in the $960,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos. How did the horse get named after Van Noy? A Brigham Young connection, of course.

8. In past years, Patriots fans enjoyed attending the annual Hall of Fame induction before being invited inside Gillette Stadium for the annual night practice for season-ticket-holders and Foxborough residents. This year’s schedule is different. The team will have a morning practice Saturday, July 29, on the fields behind Gillette Stadium, and then former cornerback Raymond Clayborn will have his induction ceremony shortly after 12 p.m. ET that day. Fans are encouraged to attend the induction after practice, as it is free and open to all.

9. Randy Moss will be inducted into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor, which has sparked some in New England to ask if he might ever receive such an honor here. Moss was eligible for the team's Hall of Fame for the first time this year (four years after retirement), and there wasn’t any momentum for his candidacy among the Patriots Hall of Fame committee. Since he played only 3.5 years here, it’s a real long shot.

10. Tight end Martellus Bennett, in a Friday appearance on the NFL Network’s "Total Access" program, discussed the differences in catching passes from Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Because Brady wants to get rid of the ball quickly, it means he often asks his pass-catchers to get their heads around quicker. “A great teacher, a great teammate, great person,” Bennett said on the program. “I learned a lot about football from him. I’m a way better player this year than last year after leaving the Patriots. I thought I grew as a player a lot, learning how to play and being in a role.”

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