David Harris ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

Another season, another 100 tackles. Yawn.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Jets MLB David Harris replied to congratulations for him reaching 100 tackles in a season again. "I've been fortunate to stay healthy for most of my career and be on the field a lot. I mean, if I play every snap of every game, you would think a linebacker should have 100 tackles every year."You would think that, but of course many LBs don't. Yet when the Jets defensive coaches' video review gave Harris 10 tackles for the Giants game, that raised him to exactly 100 on the year and marked the eighth time in his nine Jets seasons that he's reached that level.

For those wanting to confirm Harris' career numbers, he's at 1,119 for his career, having passed Marvin Jones, No. 3 on the franchise's all-time tackles list at 1,021, back in the opener against Cleveland, and he needs a mere 113 tackles to pass Mo Lewis at 1,231 in second place, which, assuming continued good in-season health, should happen around this time next year.But for today and tomorrow, Harris and his defense have more pressing concerns, such as how to slow down rookie QB Marcus Mariota and the Titans.

"Anytime you've got a mobile quarterback, that makes it just that much harder on the defense," Harris said. "It's another guy you've got to worry about, getting out of the pocket and making plays with his feet. And Delanie Walker is probably one of the most underrated tight ends in the league, along with Charles Clay up in Buffalo. They do so many things on offense, the run game and the play-action that marries off of it. They do a good job of keeping you balanced."But the Jets would like to turn the Titans zero-dimensional in the red zone, as they've done with most opponents this season. One of last week's storylines was the Green & White's No. 1-ranked offense inside the opponents' 20, but for the third straight week the Jets' defense is also No. 1 in the league, allowing TDs at a 36.0% rate.

The Titans are tied for the sixth-best RZ offense (63.6% TD rate), and while neither of Mariota's TD runs this year qualified as red zone rushes, he's similarly dangerous close to the goal line or far away, so this matchup bears watching Sunday at MetLife Stadium.But in general the Jets have been equally tough vs. the run and the pass in the zone: They've allowed 2.5 yards/carry and two touchdowns on the ground and 2.1 yards/pass play and four TD passes.

And one really sweet season-long development is that not only are they preventing TDs in the red zone, they're sometimes preventing scores. They have six RZ takeaways, just two off the franchise record of eight, set in 1994 and equaled in 2001, with four games to go. Most recently was the momentum-changing Rontez Miles interception against the Giants."That was huge," said Harris, who enjoys playing up his teammates more than himself. "This is the NFL. There are exceptional coordinators and players all across the line. As a defense, you try to prevent points. You try to prevent them from running the ball in the red zone and you try to make it tough on them when they do pass.

"No matter where they started their drive, your job is to keep them out of the end zone. People have been doing a good job of that for us."

>   http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-randylangefb/David-Harris-Keeps-the-Tackles-Coming/0bdd6964-04b9-4ccf-8eff-c119132def50

[Jetup]

Great signing and the leader of our D.

[CrazyCarl40]

Great signing and the leader of our D.

I think you use the term great here pretty loosely, but considering how far Demario Davis has fallen, he has been very solid this season.

[kelly]

Great signing and the leader of our D.

agreed !.. solid   

[kelly]

Rich Cimini ESPN Staff Writer 

Jets coach Todd Bowles usually doesn't gush about players, but he was effusive on LB David Harris: "I don't think we could function on defense if David wasn't playing now. David is probably the most under-rated guy over there. He's the glue that keeps everybody together. He makes a ton of plays. They're not flashy like Mo (Wilkerson) and (Darrelle) Revis, but he keeps that corps intact. He's our coach on the field. Without him, I don't know where we'd be."

>    http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets

[kelly]

— Todd Bowles can be a man of few words, and he's often direct and to the point. So when he says something like what he said about David Harris on Wednesday, you know he's not messing around."I don't think we can function on defense if David wasn't playing right now," Bowles, the Jets' head coach, said of Harris, the veteran inside linebacker.

"David's probably the most underrated guy over there. He's the glue that keeps everybody together over there. He does everything."Harris, now in his ninth season, is the quiet leader of the defense. He rarely comes off the field. He hasn't missed a game since 2008. He's led the team in tackles in all but one of his seasons, and his 52 tackles this season lead the Jets."I just do my job," Harris said in his usual understated manner. "I'm just trying to get a Super Bowl ring."Stars like defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (12 sacks) and Darrelle Revis (three interceptions, three fumble recoveries) make the plays everyone notices. But Harris does the things that keep everything together.

Per Football Outsiders, the Jets are ranked fourth in DVOA in team defense this season, including No. 1 against the run and No. 9 against the pass.

Harris is the one who calls out all the signals.

"He makes a ton of plays," Bowles said of Harris. "They're probably not flashy, like, you see Mo, and you see Revis, and the rest of those guys. But David keeps that core intact; David understands the game. He's our coach on the field. Without him, I don't know where we'd be."Said Wilkerson: "David is everything, man. He's somebody that I looked up to since I walked in here, Day 1." Harris had a chance to hit free agency last offseason. His agent let it be known Harris wanted to "retire a Jet." But Harris later admitted to NJ Advance Media's Darryl Slater the possibility of re-joining ex-Jets head coach Rex Ryan with the Bills was "very tempting."

In the end, a few days before he could hit free agency, the Jets re-signed Harris for $15 million in guaranteed money."He was a big priority," Bowles said. "He's a good football player. Those guys don't come around often. You can't let them go."

>      http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/12/jets_todd_bowles_on_david_harris_without_him_i_don.html#incart_river_index

[kelly]

-- David Harris wants nothing to do with self-promotion, and he's downright uncomfortable with any of your praise.

Try to get the New York Jets middle linebacker to talk about himself, and you might as well be trying to run for an extra yard against him.

''I just do my job,'' Harris said flatly.

And he certainly does it well.

In his ninth season, Harris leads the Jets with 102 total tackles - a statistical category that he has paced the team seven times since being drafted in the second round out of Michigan in 2007. The one season he didn't, in 2008, he missed five games with a groin injury.

''I don't think we could function on defense if David wasn't playing right now,'' coach Todd Bowles said.

That's high praise from Bowles, who doesn't usually go overboard while complimenting his players. But when asked about Harris, he absolutely gushed.''David's probably the most underrated guy over there,'' Bowles said of his defense, ''but he's the glue that keeps everybody together over there.''Harris calls the defensive signals on the field, getting his teammates properly in place before each play. And even at 31, he's still very much a key playmaker on a defense that includes guys with higher profiles, such as Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson.

Harris - nicknamed ''Hitman'' - has 2 1/2 sacks, six quarterback hits, three passes defensed and two forced fumbles to go along with his slew of tackles. Last season, he became the fourth player in franchise history to post 1,000 in a career.''He does everything,'' Bowles said. ''Not only just mentally, he makes plays. He makes a ton of plays. They're probably not flashy, like you see Mo and you see Revis and the rest of those guys. But, David keeps that core intact. David understands the game. He's our coach on the field.

''Without him, I don't know where we'd be.''

New York has the No. 5 overall defense in the NFL and the top-ranked unit against the run. Heading into the game against Dallas on Saturday night, the Jets are tied for fifth in the league with 24 takeaways and have held opponents to under 75 yards rushing six times. They've also been stingy in the red zone, allowing opponents to score 10 touchdowns in 30 trips inside the 20-yard line - an NFL-low 33.3 percent.

A big reason for that success, the Jets insist, is Harris' presence.

''David is everything, man,'' Wilkerson said. ''He's a person that leads by example, really. He's somebody that I looked up to since I walked in here, Day 1.''Harris said there wasn't much of a learning curve for him going from Rex Ryan's defense to Bowles' system this year, despite needing to be the guy everyone would rely on.''At the end of the day, it's football,'' he said. ''It's still a game of blocking and tackling. I've been playing middle linebacker since I was 10 years old.''It was uncertain Harris would even be back at this time last year. He was due to become a free agent and Ryan and general manager John Idzik were on their way out the door.

Before looking elsewhere, Harris sat down with Bowles, and the coach discussed the team's plans and vision for him.''He told me his scheme, so I was confident with what he told me,'' Harris said. ''I'm glad that I'm here right now. That's the end of it.''A few days before he could have become an unrestricted free agent, Harris signed a three-year, $21.5 million contract, which includes $15 million guaranteed through the first two years. He was a priority in the offseason for the Jets, despite Harris never making a Pro Bowl during a productive career.

When asked why he has never really tried to take advantage of marketing possibilities while being in the Big Apple spotlight, Harris was incredulous.

''Why should I have to be?'' Harris asked.

It's a humble and, in the flashy, personality-filled NFL, unique approach.

''You play the game to win and to earn respect,'' Harris said. ''That's all I'm trying to do.''

So, no, he doesn't care about accolades. Pro Bowls and All-Pro recognition would be nice, but none of that drives him.''I mean, I'm just trying to get a Super Bowl ring,'' Harris said. ''That's the most important thing. Everything else will fall into place if it does happen. I don't lose any sleep thinking about that.''

NOTES: RT Breno Giacomini (hip, ankle), WR Jeremy Kerley (calf), C Nick Mangold (hand) and LB Calvin Pace (abdomen, knee) were all limited at practice. The Jets will hold a light practice Friday before leaving for Dallas.

>     http://sports.yahoo.com/news/jets-harris-glue-defense-shuns-spotlight-223327902--nfl.html