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Is Damon Harrison the best NYG DT of the modern era?

Eric from BBI : Admin : 1/11/2018 5:07 pm
In all of the drama of the past couple of years, I feel Snacks Harrison's story has been lost a bit. In my opinion, I don't think I've witnessed a Giants' defensive tackle as dominant as him. He has 162 tackles in two years... and these are not of the downfield variety. I would argue he was the best player on the team in 2017 and certainly was in the conversation in 2016 (with Odell and Landon).

Keith Hamilton is the only one I can think of who comes close. He was a mean enforcer who could rush the passer, but I see Harrison as an All-Pro type lineman.

It's really remarkable story. The guy wasn't drafted and the Jets let him go in free agency.
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Probably  
pjcas18 : 1/11/2018 5:11 pm : link
Snacks.

Linval Joseph maybe next?


he doesn't get a lot of praise  
Rocky369 : 1/11/2018 5:12 pm : link
because he's not a rusher, but I'd love to be able to pair him with someone and make a Williams Wall.
Offenses seem to have to pay more attention to Snacks  
Colossus of Rhodes : 1/11/2018 5:12 pm : link
than they did to Hamilton so I'd say yes. Snacks is the best DT I've seen on the Giants.
...  
Eric from BBI : Admin : 1/11/2018 5:17 pm : link
162 tackles for a run-stuffing, point-of-attack defensive tackle is unheard of.
Hamilton was the better pass rusher  
Greg from LI : 1/11/2018 5:17 pm : link
But Snacks is a much better run stuffer.
He's really good  
jayg5 : 1/11/2018 5:18 pm : link
Best DT at stopping the run...

But over paid imo for what he does even though he's the best at it.

One dimensional, with plenty of other very good run stuffing DT's out there that don't make his yearly salary. I know I'm most likely by myself on this opinion

Yeah,  
FranknWeezer : 1/11/2018 5:18 pm : link
but does he have a high motor?

I'm not sure how you define the modern era....  
Spider56 : 1/11/2018 5:20 pm : link
I like Snacks and hope he's here a long time .... but there was this guy who wore number 64, named Mendenhall who was pretty good too.
RE: I'm not sure how you define the modern era....  
steve in ky : 1/11/2018 5:29 pm : link
In comment 13783612 Spider56 said:
Quote:
I like Snacks and hope he's here a long time .... but there was this guy who wore number 64, named Mendenhall who was pretty good too.


+1
He's the best I've seen  
Go Terps : 1/11/2018 5:30 pm : link
He's been the best player on the team from the moment he signed here.
Spider  
Eric from BBI : Admin : 1/11/2018 5:32 pm : link
Mendenhall is on our all-time BBI list (the one Larry put together). He was a bit before my time however.
My dos centavos  
idiotsavant : 1/11/2018 5:41 pm : link
Would be to try to add another 320+ playmaker DT to enhance both LB and DE performance and present opposing teams with an unusual set to face.. I.e. both same time.

Snacks was a udfa or low rounder? It can be done.

You gotta have unique units and in snacks we have one piece to start with. That's where you start.
RE: Spider  
section125 : 1/11/2018 5:43 pm : link
In comment 13783639 Eric from BBI said:
Quote:
Mendenhall is on our all-time BBI list (the one Larry put together). He was a bit before my time however.


He was my favorite Giant in the time that he played. A bulldog and a better pass rusher than Harrison, but I think Snacks is the better player and much larger.
unparlleled run stuffing  
bc4life : 1/11/2018 5:47 pm : link
does push the pocket - but watching him making tackles on the sidelines - SMH.

I'd put him in front Hamilton not only because of his play but he never had to be motivated, he's played like his hair was on fire from day one.

and he's a locker room leader
Mendenhall  
bc4life : 1/11/2018 5:48 pm : link
was the beginning of the era of hope for Giant fans of my generation
RE: unparlleled run stuffing  
Eric from BBI : Admin : 1/11/2018 5:50 pm : link
In comment 13783658 bc4life said:
Quote:
does push the pocket - but watching him making tackles on the sidelines - SMH.

I'd put him in front Hamilton not only because of his play but he never had to be motivated, he's played like his hair was on fire from day one.

and he's a locker room leader


Funny thing is he keeps saying he doesn't want to be a locker room leader, but he clearly is. He's one of the few guys on this team who you can tell losing was eating him up, but he still played. Keep in mind, Harrison was nagged by elbow and ankle issues much of this past year too. But he didn't miss a game.
How much mileage does Harrison  
mdc1 : 1/11/2018 5:55 pm : link
have on him now?
Dominant to say the least  
Snacks : 1/11/2018 5:56 pm : link
and yet our two highly paid defensive ends couldn't get to the QB with a guy like that in the middle. Why? Injuries?
Yes  
ep in md : 1/11/2018 6:04 pm : link
I greatly appreciate having him on the DL.
Hallof Famer  
spike : 1/11/2018 6:05 pm : link
imo if he keeps this up
Not the biggest PFF but these articles speak for themselves  
est1986 : 1/11/2018 6:05 pm : link
2015 w/NYJ
2016 w/NYG
and he leads the NFL in run stuffs yet again in 2017 and I think finished one or two tackles shy of Khalil Mack for most tackles in the NFL from a DL. One all-pro is so disrespectful. Cam Heyward and Fletcher Cox made the all-pro team this year and have as many tackles as Harrison did combined. Its a shame and a sham as is the fact that he has not been to a single pro-bowl. Best run defender in a long time. Clearly, hands-down the best DT the Giants have had in the modern era, no one is close.
Favorite player on this team currently  
idiotsavant : 1/11/2018 6:05 pm : link
Trust me. Even marginally fix the O and clone Damon Harrison and we suddenly become hard to play against.

This is the future of football.

Big type Playmaking NT / DTs..more than one on the field at the same time, 2....3...stop the run and rush the interior.

Tomlinson seems more a one gapper and some rushing type. That's not what I mean. Talking about multiple rolls types who really make plays but can play Nose Tackle if needed...x2.

Let's you field faster lighter linebackers for one. Get into those passing lanes stat with the DTS.
I have my favorites  
Bleedin Blue : 1/11/2018 6:26 pm : link
John Mendenhall, Hamilton and short lived Troy Archer. I don't know how others felt but I thought Archer was going to make the talking heads forget about Bob Lilly! Snacks is definitely moving into that category.
needs a couple years to reach Hammer imo  
Banks : 1/11/2018 6:35 pm : link
Hammer was a complete package. Harrison may be the better run stuffer, but Hamilton was upper tier himself. The giants run defense was absurdly different when he was out allowing for something like 1.5 more yards per rush. They sliced that stat year by year and cumulative and was about the same. He was a really good player and I always felt like he was snubbed several pro bowls.
I am 36  
Jay on the Island : 1/11/2018 6:47 pm : link
and he is the best DT the Giants have had since I have been following the team. Harrison was Reese's best FA signing by a long shot. Nobody is calling him overpaid anymore.
In my mind, Hamilton and Mendenhall were both better than Snacks.  
Ira : 1/11/2018 6:55 pm : link
Snacks plays the run better, but both of them were very good against both the run and pass. On a scale of 1-10, if Mendenhall was 10, then Hamilton was 9 and Snacks is 8.5.
I had no idea  
mrvax : 1/11/2018 6:58 pm : link
that Snacks went undrafted. I think he's better than Hamilton.
Hamilton  
Snacks : 1/11/2018 6:58 pm : link
Started off at DE didn't he?
Snacks is the best DT the Giants have ever had imo  
gidiefor : Mod : 1/11/2018 7:05 pm : link
he eats offensive lineman -- there's two or more on him on every play, and he still manages to shack them and chase after the QB

I don't get why he's not thought of as a pass rusher -- because he rushes and pressures the passer often

The real shame is that our d-ends have really not taken maximum advantage of him
shack = shake  
gidiefor : Mod : 1/11/2018 7:06 pm : link
...
Snacks sniffs out screens like nobody  
Rjanyg : 1/11/2018 7:10 pm : link
Great player
RE: Snacks is the best DT the Giants have ever had imo  
Snacks : 1/11/2018 7:11 pm : link
In comment 13783793 gidiefor said:
Quote:
he eats offensive lineman -- there's two or more on him on every play, and he still manages to shack them and chase after the QB

I don't get why he's not thought of as a pass rusher -- because he rushes and pressures the passer often

The real shame is that our d-ends have really not taken maximum advantage of him


I remember a play or two where Snacks engaged a double and knocked an OL to the ground with one arm.

I really want to know why we had such a hard time getting a rush from outside with this guy and Tomlinson in the middle.
Snacks  
Jarvis : 1/11/2018 7:13 pm : link
is an absolute beast. He single handedly kept us in games but completely shutting down the opposing running game...constantly creating 3rd and longs for the opposing team. If the rest of the team wasn't so awful he would have gotten all-pro recognition.
Snacks is #1.  
redwhiteandbigblue : 1/11/2018 7:13 pm : link
Hamilton was a better pass rusher as stated. I watched John Mendenhall's entire career. Most of his career he was the only "name" on defense so I think a lot of us older guys remember him fondly. He was very good, but undersized. For his physical stature he was terrific but I don't think he was nearly as good as Snacks is. Just my opinion.
Erik Howard  
SMitch2 : 1/11/2018 7:20 pm : link
Was an unheralded beast in the middle.
I just love how the Giants stole Snacks and Cruz ...  
Boy Cord : 1/11/2018 7:25 pm : link
... from the Jets. What a bunch of suckers.
By way of comparison  
SMitch2 : 1/11/2018 7:28 pm : link
Howard had 136 in 1989-90 seasons on a teams stacked with tackling machines. IIRC the 1990 squad is one of the top 2 or 3 low points allowed defenses of all time.
RE: Snacks is the best DT the Giants have ever had imo  
Ten Ton Hammer : 1/11/2018 7:29 pm : link
In comment 13783793 gidiefor said:
Quote:
he eats offensive lineman -- there's two or more on him on every play, and he still manages to shack them and chase after the QB

I don't get why he's not thought of as a pass rusher -- because he rushes and pressures the passer often

The real shame is that our d-ends have really not taken maximum advantage of him


You'd take him easily over Keith Hamilton?
Oops, sorry. Hamilton was mentioned already.  
Ten Ton Hammer : 1/11/2018 7:30 pm : link
.
Cruz  
SMitch2 : 1/11/2018 7:30 pm : link
Never played for the Jets -- that was some kind of running Jason me about a Ryan gaffe, I believe
* joke  
SMitch2 : 1/11/2018 7:31 pm : link
Jason me? Wtf auto correct...
I think he’s certainly close......  
Simms11 : 1/11/2018 7:40 pm : link
Jim Burt, albeit, a NT, was also pretty damn good too. I think Snacks and Tomlinson make a solid pair in the middle.
Snacks is awesome but Linval is on another level.  
NYGmen58 : 1/11/2018 7:40 pm : link
If comparing their Giants careers, Snacks has been a better Giant, but he’s nowhere near the DT that Joseph is.
"Nowhere near"?  
Ten Ton Hammer : 1/11/2018 7:46 pm : link
Joseph hasn't made it to an All-Pro roster yet. Harrison has been on the first team. A lot closer than you put it.
I'm tired of the Giants  
SMitch2 : 1/11/2018 7:52 pm : link
Giving away hi-quality, hi-draft picks that they develop only to have to replace them with another high draft pick or big $$$. And then watch those other guys go on to long and highly productive careers.

Linval was the worst, but also:

Hankins ( we'll see)
Barry coffield
Cornelius griffin.
Harrison and Joseph are different types  
idiotsavant : 1/11/2018 7:52 pm : link
Fans associate large, strong DTs, but ..two very different players.

Having both? Yeah.that's a team.
I should have specified DL picks  
SMitch2 : 1/11/2018 7:55 pm : link
And then, of course, not all of our replacements work out (Austin) which leads to more wasted time / picks, when we should be fortifying other areas, instead of trying to tread water...
Hard to comment, what is modern? And how do you compare players in  
plato : 1/11/2018 7:56 pm : link
different schemes, 3/4 or 4/3? Tackle responsibilities very different. Rosy Grier not a bad DT in what I would call my time. Jack Gregory pretty good, then there's Leonard Marshall but he played in a 3/4. Now schemes are more complex and Snacks although he plays in a supposed 4/3 really plays the nose as if we were in a 3/4.

So it's complicated but we've had some great DTs.
What impresses me most about Snacks  
B in ALB : 1/11/2018 7:57 pm : link
Is his motor. You mention him chasing down plays. And he does that really effectively despite his position on the field and proximity to the back carrier while often times getting doubled. Having played the 1 and 3 T plenty, I can tell you that that is really fycking impressive. He doesn't quit, he doesn't freelance, maintains great gap integrity and plays his ass off. He's probably my favorite pro.
Jim Kanicki and Jim Burt were the best Giant DTs  
yalebowl : 1/11/2018 8:56 pm : link
First, Jim Kanicki. We traded Homer Jones, all-time best Giant Wide Receiver for Jim Kanicki. The Browns to sweeten the deal threw in Ron Johnson who I believe was our best running back. Without the trade for Jim Kanicki we don't get Ron Johnson.

Jim Burt played with heart and knocked out Joe Montana and the 49ers in a playoff game for us.
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