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James Harrison is apparently following the blueprint of being a former Steelers legend. Briefly vilified after ending his career with the Patriots, Harrison has now joined the list of Steelers icons who have accused New England of cheating during his time in Pittsburgh.
Harrison actually cut current Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward off when Heyward asked him if he thought the Patriots cheated in the 2004 AFC Championship game.
“Hell yeah, they was cheating,” Harrison said on Heyward’s podcast. “They only missed one blitz, man, where previously, when we beat New England and Philly, they couldn’t see the broad side of a barn.”
Harrison was alluding to Pittsburgh’s two-game stretch during the 2004 season when they defeated the Patriots and Eagles (the two teams that would ultimately play in that year’s Super Bowl) by a combined score of 61-23. The first of those two wins was a 34-20 triumph over a Patriots team that came to Pittsburgh with an NFL record 21-game winning streak.
It was a different story when the Steelers and Patriots met up again months later for the right to go to the Super Bowl. The game was never close, as the Patriots jumped out to a big lead early before coasting to a 41-27 win over a Steelers team that had lost just once during the regular season.
Several notable former Steelers felt the Patriots had an unfair advantage in that game. Last fall, former Steelers Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis said the Patriots cheated before stopping him on a pivotal fourth-and-short play early in the first half.
“They had our signs, and they called a timeout to get them ready for that play because they knew it was coming,” Bettis said on former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s podcast. “No question in my mind.”
Roethlisberger also accused the Patriots of cheating in that game during his conversation with Bettis, echoing previous…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/james-harrison-joins-list-of-steelers-legends-to-accuse-patriots-of-cheating/
Author : Bryan DeArdo
Publish date : 2024-05-16 17:50:53
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