No More Rodney

When Rodney Harrison tore his quad in last season's game against Denver, I remember thinking at the time that it was probably the last play of his career. Turns out, I was right, as he announced his retirement this past week.

It's pretty safe to say there are few players like Rodney Harrison. He appears to be an out-of-control jerk on the field, yet his off-field persona is that of a well-spoken, religious, dedicated family man. He is believed to have incurred the most fines in NFL history for illegal hits and has admitted to setting aside a portion of his salary before every season in anticipation of paying them. During the first week of New England training camp practices, he poked receivers in the eye and picked fist fights with opposing running backs....these were guys on his own team!

In his prime, he was a ton of fun to watch--unmatched intensity, nasty hitting, maximum effort, and yeah, a lot of questionable post-whistle activity...but I loved it! Not sure if I'll ever see another player who intimidated the opposition like him.