Harrison hard at work
Veteran linebacker catches up on ‘D’
FOXBORO — The bye week helped linebacker James Harrison’s integration, but it’s not like he was able to stop time.
Harrison was honest yesterday while discussing his late-season acclimation process to the Patriots defense. He can pick up a little more information by the day, but he’ll never be able to catch up to anyone who has been on the roster for the full season.
“It’s a little bit better, but it’s nowhere near where it needs to be,” Harrison said.
The longtime Pittsburgh Steeler joined the Patriots in Week 17 and played 27 snaps in the victory against the New York Jets. That workload almost matched his full season’s worth of snaps (40) with Pittsburgh. He had two sacks and a forced fumble in the final two plays against the Jets to make his mark.
Overall, Harrison has practiced eight times with the Pats, and the pair of workouts in the bye week were a valuable tool because they worked on basic fundamentals and techniques, rather than diving right into a game plan.
Harrison will likely rotate on the edge again with defensive linemen Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise and Eric Lee and linebacker Kyle Van Noy as the Patriots welcome the Tennessee Titans to Gillette Stadium tomorrow night in the divisional round. He won’t need a full understanding of the playbook to handle that type of workload.
“A little more comfortable, each day gets a little better,” Harrison said. “Each week is a little better.”
Brady answers
Quarterback Tom Brady reaffirmed that no level of outside noise could deter the Patriots from their preparations for the Titans, regardless of how many questions the players were asked throughout the week.
“Not to us players, we do what we always do,” Brady said. “We show up to work and try to do the best we can do. We know there’s a lot at stake, and I think everyone’s put a lot into it. It doesn’t really matter what happened outside of this facility and what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s a big task to go out and win a playoff game. We’re playing against a good team, divisional round, and I’m glad we earned the chance to be here to do it and we’ve just got to go take care of business.”
Regarding the controversial ESPN article that alleged a divisive rift between Brady, coach Bill Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft, the trio issued a joint statement last week and Brady already answered questions on two radio shows. He addressed the New England media yesterday for the first time and was asked if he was impressed by the Pats’ ability to remain focused in the face of adversity.
“Well, I think we have a job to do, and we know what our job is and that’s to go out and play football at a high level and play well,” Brady said. “Nothing really should get in the way of that. That’s what we’re getting paid for, so to be a professional is to put everything aside and go out there and do the best you can for the team and try and help us win.”
Injury updates
Wide receiver Chris Hogan (shoulder) and Van Noy (calf) were removed from the final injury report of the week and are cleared to play.
Hogan missed seven of the final eight games of the regular season, so this is a significant addition. He was severely limited while attempting a return in Week 14 against the Miami Dolphins, leading to his being shut down for the final three weeks.
Van Noy, who missed three games, returned on
a limited basis during the regular-season finale. He might be at full strength for the first time in two months.
Running back Rex Burkhead made some nice progress during practice and has a legitimate chance to play, according to a source. He continued to favor his injured left knee, but it appears the absence could end after two games.
Running back James White (ankle) and defensive tackle Alan Branch (knee) also told the Herald this week they’re healthy enough to return. White missed two games, while Branch sat out the last three.
Running back Mike Gillislee (knee) returned to practice after missing nearly three full weeks, but that might be too late for him to get in the mix. Even still, Gillislee fell to the bottom of the depth chart and was scratched for six consecutive games when the other four running backs were healthy enough to play.
Wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell (knee) is still on injured reserve and therefore isn’t listed on the injury report. He practiced after missing the previous two workouts for unknown reasons.
With an illness circulating the locker room, the absence could have been related to that if it weren’t the knee injury.
For Mitchell to play, the Patriots would have to activate him by 4 p.m. today. If that doesn’t happen, the final deadline to move him to the 53-man roster comes around on Wednesday.