Countdown to Kickoff: Profile on Pittsburgh Steelers No. 92 LB James Harrison

The countdown to kickoff series continues, and it gets a little more intimidating with a profile of Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker James Harrison.

James Harrison is 38 years old, which in the world professional sports, is almost prehistoric. Despite that, he’s still one of the absolute baddest men in the NFL, and possible planet Earth.

Related Story: The 30 Greatest Defenders of All-Time

Harrison has netted a litany of achievements throughout his NFL career, as the Kent State product is a five-time Pro Bowler, a two-time First-Team All-Pro and the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.

Alas, all good things must come to an end sooner or later.

More from Pittsburgh Steelers

• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Kenny Pickett looks amazing going into year two for the Steelers
• 3 players the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up on way too soon
• Rest of NFL will regret letting Steelers land this steal of a rookie
• Steelers would be ideal landing spot for Caleb Williams, Drake Maye

While he may still be as physically imposing as they come, Harrison is entering the twilight of his career, and he won’t be around much longer. It’s less a knock on Harrison, and more an acceptance of reality.

As it stands right now, Harrison is a role player for the Steelers, as the new era linebackers like Ryan Shazier and Bud Dupree man the starting duties. However, that doesn’t mean Harrison doesn’t contribute.

In fact, Harrison is still playing at a relatively high level, and he’s been able to avoid the big drop-off in production many players his age suffer.

Over the past two years, the longtime Steelers and one-time Bengals defender  has racked up 10.5 sacks, 85 tackles, two forced fumbles and an interception. That’s the kind of production that would be nice to see from a second or third-year pro, not an aging linebacker. Harrison’s efforts in 2015 earned him a spot on Pro Football Focus’ list of the top 101 players from 2015.

PFF also noted Harrison had the third-highest run-stop percentage of 3-4 outside linebackers.

Harrison, nicknamed “Silverback” because of his rare strength, is still versatile enough to be utilized in Pittsburgh’s defense. He’s still exceptional at blowing up run plays, as offensive linemen have trouble dealing with his quickness off the snap. Harrison’s not necessarily a tall outside LB at 6-foot, so his leverage helps him get underneath linemen.

And when Harrison gets his hands on backs, it’s pretty much a done deal.

We’ve seen what Harrison can do in coverage in the past, and he’s still good at dropping back and getting to where he’s supposed to be.

Harrison’s best statistical game in ’15 came in Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts, in which he recorded three sacks and a forced fumble. He abused a backup left tackle, recording all three of his sacks in the fourth quarter.

“Silverback” also brought his “A Game” when it mattered most, as the best play from Harrison’s season came in the AFC Divisional Round against Denver.

must read: Nine Places That Could Use an NFL Franchise

Broncos running back C.J. Anderson got a stark reminder why Harrison is nicknamed “Silverback,” as the latter ran right through the former, en route to a sack on Peyton Manning.

So what should fans expect from Harrison in what will be his 14th season? Honestly, probably more of the same. Harrison hasn’t displayed any signs of a sharp decline, which would lead one to believe he’ll once again flirt with the five sack mark.