I passed along yesterday a few words from former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison on Chiefs rookie safety Eric Berry. Basically, Harrison really, really likes loves Berry. As a former colleague of Scott Pioli, Harrison says he's talked to the Chiefs GM and may come out to St. Joe to work with Berry a little bit.
This is a good thing. I know Harrison was voted the "NFL's Dirtiest Player" by Sports Illustrated on a number of occasions but there's no doubting the guy was very gifted on the field.
His viewpoint is relevant and unique because he was one of Pioli's favorite players in New England, played for Romeo Crennel and played the same position Berry will play with the Chiefs. In some ways, I imagine the Chiefs want Berry to be the next Harrison (without the "NFL's Dirtiest Player" label).
Well, Harrison thinks Berry will be better than him.
In an interview with Soren Petro on 810 WHB, Harrison had a boatload of praise for the Chiefs rookie.
- Best player in the draft (better than Suh)
- Embodies the perfect safety
- Thinks he'll pass his 30.5 career sacks
Harrison's words in full are after the jump. It's worth reading the whole thing.
"Let me say this. Everyone always talked about me being a hitter and I look at the kid, Eric Berry, and I love this kid. I thought he was the best defensive player in college football. I thought he should have went number one. I know Suh is big and all this but I love Eric Berry. People say, 'Maybe you're a little biased.' No, this kid is phenomenal.
"I'm so excited about this kid because I think he embodies everything about a safety. He's strong, fast, athletic and will knock your teeth out. I love this kid. This is a kid that can be a tremendous football player for 12-15 years.
"I talked to Scott Pioli about possibly coming up to the Chiefs camp and possibly spending some time with this kid. I want to spend some time with this kid some of the keys and secrets of not only being in the league for a long time-- because anyone can be in the league with that type of talent a long time but the key is really making an impact. How can you make others better? It's not just about you, Eric Berry, because you're a tremendous player but how can you, as a young player, make other people better? That's where he's really going to make his mark.
"The great thing with Eric Berry is they're going to use him kind of like they used me. He's younger, faster and more athletic than what I was in '03 but I was in my prime back then. They're going to blitz him, he's going to cover tight ends, he's going to play center field, he's going to play half the field, he's going to play three-deep and come in the box. That's the versatility you get with a guy like that. He's going to play cornerback and in the slot sometimes covering receivers.
"That's the versatility you get with a guy like Eric Berry and not just having a guy like Suh that's going to clog up the middle. I like a guy like Eric Berry because he can do so many different things. He's versatile. That's why I'm excited about him.
"Romeo Crennel is going to blitz this guy and I wouldn't be surprised if he passed my 30.5 sacks in his career."