Hard Hat Award (Game #8, vs. Balt.)
Stiller LB James “Jamie” Harrison is the winner of the weekly Hard Hat Award, given to the Stiller player who best embodies the iron-tough, hard-as-steel attitude of the steel workers inside the blast furnace of a still mill.
On the night the Stillers celebrated their 75th Anniversary team, the tough OLB from Kent St. had a game that would have made any Steeler great proud of. Harrison’s awesome performance was so tenacious and dominant that The Committee needed less than 3 minutes to make its decision.
Harrison ravaged and pillaged the Ravens throughout the game, to include:
- Stripped McHair and then, instead of prancing and woofing the way some LBs are prone to do after a big play, dug into a scrum and came up with the recovery.
- Blew up a 3rd & 2 plunge by McGayboy, which forced him to cut back and then get stripped by Polamalu.
- Forced an intentional grounding early in the 2Q
- Stripped McNair in the 2Q, and then, instead of prancing and woofing the way some LBs are prone to do after a big play, went after McGayboy (who’d recovered the fumble) and tackled him, resulting in a 17-yard loss.
- Plucked a superb INT of McHair, and then, to add salt into the wound, landed on top of Derrick MasonJar and flattened him at the end of the INT return.
- Beat Jon Ogden and dropped McHair (along with Haggans) late in the 2Q
- Shed the block of a pulling guard and dropped McGayboy for a 3-yard loss in the 3Q.
- Sacked McHair on the last play of the 3Q.
In all, Jamie Harrison displayed the kind of intensity, ferocity, toughness, and hustle not seen by any player wearing # 92 in the entire 75-year history of the Pittsburgh Stillers. And, all in all, this was one of the greatest single-game efforts ever by any Stiller defender in the proud 75-year history of the franchise. If you didn’t see this game, shame on you for 6 weeks……and you absolutely must watch this game on tape to fully appreciate just how dominating and pillaging Harrison was in this rout.
We would be remiss to not mention a couple other Stillers that deserve honorable mention -- Clark Haggans and Hines Ward. Haggans rushed relentless at McNair, doing everything but diving from the top of the scoreboard to get a shot at McHair. Hagg was toppled like a pinwheel -- and injured -- during a 3Q vault at the QB. Not content, Haggans went out again in the 4Q, and despite the lopsided score, again went airborne in a vault attempt at McNair, only to be cut again by the RB. Hagg again went flying like a pinwheel but the statement was made that the toughest LBs on the field that nite wore dark jerseys. Hinesey laid out not one, but two Ravens with PANCAKE blocks -- LB Bart Scott and SS Fred Reed. It was a sight to behold and a memory that Stiller fans will treasure for decades !! During many a week, the play of Hagg and Ward would have been more than tough enough to win the coveted Hard Hat Award.
Kudos to Harrison for winning the Hard Hat Award. Wear the Hard Hat proudly, Jamie!
Previous 2007 Hard Hat Awardees:
Game 1, @ Clev: Jamie Harrison and Danny Sepulveda
Game 2, vs. Buffalo: Jamie Harrison
Game 3, vs. San Fran: Willie Parker
Game 4, @ Arizona: Santonio Holmes
Game 5, vs. Seattle: Ben Roethlisberger, Najeh Davenport, and Aaron Smith
Game 6, @ Denver: Nobody
Game 7, @ Cinci: Jamie Harrison