The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/347495
INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Now entering his eighth season with the New York Jets, David Harris has started 16 games at middle linebacker in each of the past five seasons, racking up 100 or more tackles in 2009 (127), 2012 (123) and 2013 (124). He was named to the NFL All-Pro team in 2009. Harris was a two-year starter for the Wolverines from 2005-06 after recovering from a torn ACL he suf- fered two games into the 2003 season. In his senior year, he racked up 16 tackles for loss among 103 total stops in earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. The Wolverine: How did your experience at Michi- gan help shape your NFL career? Harris: "I never thought I'd be going into my eighth year in the NFL. I've had good coaches that have guided me along the way, starting with Coach [Lloyd] Carr. You learn a lot playing for a big program like Michigan, the tribulations, the ups and downs, what it takes to be consistent over a long period of time. "There are a lot of lessons to be learned coming from the University of Michigan." The Wolverine: You attended former teammate LaMarr Woodley's golf fundraiser and youth football camp in June. Who between you has bragging rights in the NFL? Harris: "Against LaMarr, I am 2-3. And the worst loss was the AFC Championship Game in 2010. That was a heartbreaker for us. "We were talking about that when I was in town. He's a good guy to talk to because he's been to the Super Bowl twice, has a championship ring, played ex- tremely well and was on a great team for all those years. I nitpick his brain to see what I can pick up and what I can avoid. He's a good person to talk to." The Wolverine: You've been through the ACL injury bug, which took longer to heal back then. What advice do you have for some of the U-M players, like senior linebacker Jake Ryan, that have had that injury? Harris: "Jake is a helluva player, but coming off that ACL injury, I just don't think people appreciate how big of a deal that is and how difficult it is to be the same player you were. You're always supposed to be better from one season to the next but that's impossible. "The first season you come back, you can tell yourself you're fine, but you don't Sitting Down With New York Jets Linebacker David Harris Harris has started 16 games at middle linebacker for the Jets in each of the past five seasons, while notching three 100-tackle campaigns (2009, 2012 and 2013). PHOTO COURTESY NEW YORK JETS