Rodney Harrison has never been afraid to share his opinion, and tell it like it is when it comes to the Patriots.
The Patriots Hall of Fame safety hates that his former team has fallen and can’t seem to get up. He doesn’t enjoy being chided by fans who are taking pleasure in the Patriots demise.
“It’s disappointing, but I get it. We’ve been on top for so long. We’ve had so much success,” Harrison said. “Now (the Patriots) are going through a transition. But I don’t see them as being too far off.”
Except, Harrison acknowledges the Patriots are headed into unchartered territory. Some teams are quicker at rebuilds than others. In the Patriots case, there’s a clear unknown for Harrison that may tinker with the timetable.
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Harrison doesn’t know Wolf, and can’t yet discern if he’s going to be a great GM, like his dad Ron, or if he’s going to drive the team further into the abyss.
“If I was running the show, I’d be confident. But I don’t know Eliot. I can’t be confident about something I don’t know,” Harrison said. “But looking at the draft, a lot of those draft picks haven’t worked out. He clearly has to do better.
“They have the money. I’ve seen other teams have the money and turn things around, and not turn things around. Once he starts making moves, I’ll let you know. They got $130 million of free cap money. It’s just sitting there now, and they gotta spend it.”
During his first offseason at the helm, Wolf did land the quarterback. First-round pick Drake Maye has been impressive and is the most important piece of the puzzle toward that rebuild. The fact he hasn’t been surrounded by the best supporting case has to change.
“When you look at the roster, they’ve got a few guys here and there that stand out, but for the most part, you’re not going into a game scaring people,” Harrison said. “They have to get better overall with the talent they have.
“Eliot’s got to get some players in here,” he went on. “He’s got to get guys that want to be here, and overpay some guys initially … that’s the main thing to me. You gotta get some talent.”
In a recent ESPN article, Harrison talked about the importance of the Patriots letting people know they’re not “cheapskates.” That they’re willing to pay top dollar, and then some.
Harrison then served up a hypothetical to illustrate the point.
“Is Tee Higgins breaking his neck coming to New England with a young quarterback? Is he going to leave Joe Burrow for that?,” Harrison wondered. “So how do you entice a guy like that? You gotta do what you gotta do to shock the football world, to let them know it’s a different culture, we do things a different way here with the New England Patriots. And we’re going to win football games. They got a lot of money under the salary cap. You just gotta start spending it.”
Harrison is preaching to a choir of Patriots fans who are tired of watching a team that is a bottom feeder and lacks stars. He is well are of the unrest that lies among the legion of fans.
So if Harrison was the GM, where would he start?
“For me, I’ve always felt like the teams that have always had success when I came to the Patriots revolved around the front. Building the offensive line. Building the defensive line,” he said, referring to former coach Bill Belichick’s philosophy. “The Patriots need help on both sides, but most notably the offensive line.”
It’s mind-boggling how the decision makers continue to neglect fixing the problem areas on the line, most notably at tackle. Maye and Jacoby Brissett have spent considerable time fleeing the pass rush this season.
“If Drake Maye came to the line of scrimmage, and he had Philly’s offensive line, or he had Detroit’s offensive line, or he had a solid offensive line like the Green Bay Packers, his whole life would be totally different,” Harrison said. “But you have to invest in the offensive line. You have to when you have a rookie quarterback. There’s no way around it.”
There was no such investment prior to the start of this season.
As for calls for Jerod Mayo’s head, Harrison thinks it’s nonsense to believe the Krafts would dump Mayo after one year, even if one report suggests that could very well be the case.
Once again, Harrison pointed to Wolf. He said the Patriots de facto GM has to assemble a better cast. That would give everyone – the head coach included – a better chance to succeed and dig out of the ditch the Patriots currently reside.
“Eliot has to get (Mayo) a bunch of talent,” Harrison said. “He has to get guys that can play. He’s got to get difference makers.”
The ingredients for a cure hasn’t changed. It’s talent, and more talent. Even before Mayo took over as coach, and Wolf became the head of personnel, the Patriots were in need of difference makers on both sides of the ball.
Bill Belichick didn’t exactly arm himself with a stable of elite talent during his later years.
But that was then. This is now. Wolf has the money and reservoir of picks to change the narrative. Harrison, for one, will be keeping watch.
