Tulsa World: Top pass rushers play similar games

TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | WIRELESS

OU | OSU | TU | ORU | HIGH SCHOOLS | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NFL | FANTASY | OUTDOORS | GOLF | PROS | ALL

HOMEPAGES

SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS

		Sports Editor Mike Strain
		Sports Columnist Dave Sittler
		The Picker Entertaining & Infuriating

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

Search the World's archives

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US

BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

Buy a published photo by clicking the "Order this Picture" link on the photo. For a full-color page reprint, call 732-8198 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or order online.

TULSA WORLD

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA

Learn more about the site.

Newspaper View Print this story

Bookmark

Top pass rushers play similar games

By ARNIE STAPLETON Associated Press
Published: 11/9/2009 2:26 AM
Last Modified: 11/9/2009 7:34 AM

DENVER — When cornerback William Gay was drafted by Pittsburgh three years ago, he took one look at Steelers pass-rusher James "Deebo" Harrison and had flashbacks to his college days playing alongside Elvis Dumervil.

"When I first came in, I saw Deebo, I was like, 'You know, we had a guy just like that in Louisville. He's quick, strong, you can't really block him, you've got to send people at him.' And that reminded me of Dumervil," Gay said.

Harrison and Dumervil, two of the NFL's premier pass-rushers, will be on dual display Monday night when the Steelers (5-2) visit the Broncos (6-1) in a matchup of two of the AFC's top teams.

The two outside linebackers are similar in stature, strength and statistics, but they are totally different players in terms of style, Harrison relying more on power and Dumervil employing his quickness.

Entering the weekend, Dumervil led the AFC with 10 sacks and Harrison, the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was right behind him with eight.

Both are short, stocky players who have long arms and instant leverage, yet Steelers coach Mike Tomlin insists the parallels end there.

"Other than the stature, I don't see any striking similarity other than they have the same jersey number (92)," Tomlin said. "They're both accomplished rushers, of course, but I think they are accomplished in their own right. I think they have physical skills that are unique to them.

"I think that Dumervil is a very skilled, detailed rusher. He uses his hands extremely well. He has unique quickness. Whereas, I think James is probably a power player first in terms how he approaches the rush concept."

It is a rare individual in the NFL whom opponents and teammates alike look down at but up to, and both Harrison and Dumervil have earned such deference.

Harrison, 31, is generously listed at 6-foot and 242 pounds. Dumervil, 25, is 5-11 and 248 pounds, although he has the wingspan of a man who's 6-foot-6, drawing good-natured barbs in the locker room about being able to scratch his toes without bending.

A good sport, Dumervil sees the jokes about his long arms as a point of pride.

"In all honesty, it's huge because I'm shorter than most guys I go against and it's instant leverage," Dumervil said. "It really gives me an advantage."

Same with Harrison.

"Obviously, they are guys that are lower to the ground already — some people call them short; I will just say they are lower to the ground — and that gives them an advantage," Broncos safety Brian Dawkins said. By ARNIE STAPLETON Associated Press

Newspaper View Print this story

Bookmark

COMMENTS

Add your comment

Show: Most Recent Comment First

0 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!

Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

Add Your Comment
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.