ESPN -- For the better part of his career, David Harris has been an every-down linebacker -- a constant in the lineup. Whether it's nickel, dime or regular personnel, he's always out there, relaying the defensive call and directing traffic for the New York Jets.
But, on Sunday, there was a subtle change.
Harris played only 66 of 73 defensive snaps, as he was replaced in the dime package by rookie Darron Lee. Sitting out for seven plays may not seem like a big deal, but we're talking about a linebacker who played every snap in six of nine complete games. (Harris missed 1.5 games due to a hamstring injury.) When healthy, he never sat out more than three snaps in a game -- until Sunday.
Could we be witnessing a changing of the guard at linebacker?
Yes, this could be the early stage of the inevitable transition. Lee is a first-round pick with outstanding speed. He's the future, and the future was the only defensive player on the field for every play in Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots.
"I played every down, I was fine," Lee said. "I didn't feel like that was too much. I did that when I was in college. I can go all day. I can play all day."
Lee confirmed he made the defensive checks while playing dime linebacker. Interestingly, he handled that job for two of the nine plays on Tom Brady's game-winning drive. Think about that: With the game on the line, Harris was on the sideline for two plays as the rookie ran the defense.
"I thought I did a pretty good job," Lee said. "Made sure everybody was lined up correctly and had their matchups. Everybody was on the same page. That's all it comes down to. When you want to play fast, just make sure everybody is on the same page -- and we were."
This doesn't mean Harris, 32, is being phased out, but it's a harbinger. If he's back next season for the final year of his contract, it might be as a two-down linebacker. Let's face it, he's not great in pass coverage, and that's an important component in the current NFL.
Lee is the new-age linebacker, but speed isn't everything. He learned a hard lesson about that on the Patriots' go-ahead drive.
On the pivotal fourth-and-4 play, Lee tried to disrupt the Patriots by faking an inside blitz while knowing he had man-to-man coverage on running back James White. In retrospect, Lee wishes he had lined up two steps to his left, the proper position based on White's alignment in the backfield. That small technique error was costly. He closed quickly to make the tackle on Brady's flare pass to White, but he was a split-second too late.
First down, Patriots.
"All I had to do was be two steps wider and I wouldn't beat him to the point," Lee said, owning up to his mistake. "He probably wouldn't have gotten those four yards."
Chalk it up to on-the-job training.
But, on Sunday, there was a subtle change.
Harris played only 66 of 73 defensive snaps, as he was replaced in the dime package by rookie Darron Lee. Sitting out for seven plays may not seem like a big deal, but we're talking about a linebacker who played every snap in six of nine complete games. (Harris missed 1.5 games due to a hamstring injury.) When healthy, he never sat out more than three snaps in a game -- until Sunday.
Could we be witnessing a changing of the guard at linebacker?
Yes, this could be the early stage of the inevitable transition. Lee is a first-round pick with outstanding speed. He's the future, and the future was the only defensive player on the field for every play in Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots.
"I played every down, I was fine," Lee said. "I didn't feel like that was too much. I did that when I was in college. I can go all day. I can play all day."
Lee confirmed he made the defensive checks while playing dime linebacker. Interestingly, he handled that job for two of the nine plays on Tom Brady's game-winning drive. Think about that: With the game on the line, Harris was on the sideline for two plays as the rookie ran the defense.
"I thought I did a pretty good job," Lee said. "Made sure everybody was lined up correctly and had their matchups. Everybody was on the same page. That's all it comes down to. When you want to play fast, just make sure everybody is on the same page -- and we were."
This doesn't mean Harris, 32, is being phased out, but it's a harbinger. If he's back next season for the final year of his contract, it might be as a two-down linebacker. Let's face it, he's not great in pass coverage, and that's an important component in the current NFL.
Lee is the new-age linebacker, but speed isn't everything. He learned a hard lesson about that on the Patriots' go-ahead drive.
On the pivotal fourth-and-4 play, Lee tried to disrupt the Patriots by faking an inside blitz while knowing he had man-to-man coverage on running back James White. In retrospect, Lee wishes he had lined up two steps to his left, the proper position based on White's alignment in the backfield. That small technique error was costly. He closed quickly to make the tackle on Brady's flare pass to White, but he was a split-second too late.
First down, Patriots.
"All I had to do was be two steps wider and I wouldn't beat him to the point," Lee said, owning up to his mistake. "He probably wouldn't have gotten those four yards."
Chalk it up to on-the-job training.
