Steelers Great James Harrison Revealed Why He Came Out Of Retirement In 2014: "It Wasn't For [Mike Tomlin]"

The Pittsburgh Steelers and some former players appear to be in a little bit of a civil war, as multiple people have been going back and forth on numerous topics of the past, like if Ben Roethlisberger was a good teammate or not, and how good of a coach Mike Tomlin truly was. There's been a lot of drama and in-house fighting to begin the offseason, and it has little to do with anyone that is currently on the team, or any of the moves that have been made thus far. 

In the latest episode of Deebo & Joe, former linebacker James Harrison continued participating in this civil war while speaking about why he came back out of retirement in the first place.

"First, Mike [Tomlin] ain't my brother; [the players are] my brothers," Harrison said. "I came back in 2014. It wasn’t for him. It was for Brett Keisel, who called me at 4:00 in the morning. It was for Ike Taylor, who called me fresh out of surgery. Troy Polamalu, not Mike, because he had already crossed me at the beginning of that year."

Harrison has spoken about the issues that he had with Tomlin at length, and it's well-known that he does not have much respect for him. Despite that, he had nothing but love and respect for his teammates and other coaches on defense. No matter how he feels about the head coach or the quarterback, he is still a Pittsburgh Steeler at the end of the day, and that's all he will ever be known for. 

Early on in the 2014 season, the entire Steelers linebacker core was completely wrecked due to injury. It got to the point where practice squad players and random guys off the street would have to become immediate starters. That's why guys like Brett Keisel and Ike Taylor were blowing up Harrison's phone and saying that they need him. He came through for his brothers. 

The Steelers finished that season with an 11-5 record, and that defense came up big after the bye week, partially due to having Harrison back and creating some stability in the linebacker room. They ended the year on a four-game winning streak to take the AFC North. The highest score they allowed during that stretch was 21 points. Unfortunately, they did finally break in the Wild Card Round.

That year, Harrison at 5.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. He wasn't the same "Deebo" that terrorized the league, but his presence did help the defense out a ton. That's all they really needed out of him to keep the season alive, and they got it. Even at this lower state, having him back was better than signing some random free agent and giving him first-team reps in a new, unfamiliar system.

Harrison developed into more of a closer role as time went on, as he didn't have to be the main guy at outside linebacker anymore. He would come in late in games to help preserve a lead, as he would be full of energy and ready to go while many others were worn out from the long game. He did well for himself in that role until 2017, when he got benched and eventually asked for his release.

Steelers Got Their Last Playoff Win Largely Because Of Harrison

In the 2016 Divisional Round, the Steelers could only muster field goals, so the defense had to step up, and they did. Harrison led the team with six tackles, three for a loss, and a sack. When the Kansas City Chiefs were going for a two-point conversion to tie the game up late, the veteran linebacker drew a holding call to negate the points and force a redo from the 12, where the Chiefs failed. Pittsburgh won 18-16.

What do you think about Harrison's return to the Steelers in 2014? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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