Steelers linebacker James Harrison knocked Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi out of Sunday's game, but had no regrets.
View full sizeBrowns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi is sent reeling from this second-quarter hit by Steelers linebacker James Harrison Sunday afternoon. Massaquoi did not return to the game for a play that some Browns considered illegal. "If I get fined for that, it's going to be a travesty," Harrison said. "There's no way I could be fined for that. It was a good, clean, legit hit."Mary Kay Cabot
and Dennis Manoloff
Plain Dealer Reporters
PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- James Harrison knocked Browns receivers Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi out of Sunday's 28-10 Steelers victory with crushing blows to the head about seven minutes apart in the second quarter. Afterward, Harrison showed no remorse and his teammates praised the hits.
"I thought Cribbs was asleep," said Harrison, the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. "A hit like that geeks you up -- it geeks everybody up -- especially when you find out that the guy is not really hurt -- he's just sleeping. He's knocked out, but he's going to be OK. The other guy, I didn't hit that hard, to be honest with you. When you get a guy on the ground, it's a perfect tackle."
Both Cribbs and Massaquoi were diagnosed with head injuries and will undergo further tests on Monday to determine if they suffered concussions. Harrison wasn't flagged for the hits, but could get fined this week.
"[Harrison] plays hard like that every week," said Steelers linebacker James Farrior. "Today was especially good because he took out their top dog, really. He took out the biggest weapon they had. He didn't do it intentionally, but with the intensity he plays with, it's liable to happen sooner or later."
Cribbs was running out of the wildcat when Harrison drilled him helmet-to-helmet. Cribbs fell face-first to the ground as the ball popped loose. Guard Floyd Womack recovered the ball, but Cribbs didn't recover his senses, at least not for a few minutes. He remained face down and motionless for a while before the medical staff turned him over.
"[Harrison's] a beast," said Steelers receiver Hines Ward. "You see a guy like that -- knocking guys out like that -- he's a man on a mission. Hopefully nothing seriously was wrong with those guys. But he set the tempo for everybody else. He's our emotional leader."
"I thought Cribbs was asleep," said Harrison of his hit on Josh Cribbs. "A hit like that geeks you up -- it geeks everybody up -- especially when you find out that the guy is not really hurt -- he's just sleeping. He's knocked out, but he's going to be OK."Cribbs eventually walked off the field with assistance, and tried talking the doctors into letting him go back in. A few minutes later, he walked into the locker room, helmet in hand, and was done for the day.
"I know Josh," said Harrison, a fellow former Golden Flash. "We're cool. But when it's us vs. them, all friendships are off until the game is over."
Harrison said Cribbs was about to cut back when he nailed him. "I was pursuing to the ball and got a good hit on him," he said.
Helmet-to-helmet is a good hit?
"It doesn't matter what it is -- he's running the ball, so that's a legal hit."
His primary thought about knocking Cribbs out of the game?
"That ends the wildcat," said Harrison. "It's out the window. That's his thing.
"I don't want to injure anybody. But I'm not opposed to hurting anybody," he said. "There's a big difference between being hurt and being injured. You get hurt, you shake it off and come back the next series or the next game."
On the Massaquoi hit, Harrison launched and smashed his forearms into Massaquoi's head after he dropped a short pass to the left. Massaquoi slumped to the ground, holding his hands up to his helmet. He experienced memory loss and neck pain, a source told The Plain Dealer.
"If I get fined for that, it's going to be a travesty," Harrison said. "There's no way I could be fined for that. It was a good, clean, legit hit. He came across, I put my head across the bow. I could have put a lot more into that hit than I did."
He said it wasn't helmet-to-helmet, despite the opinion of some Browns -- such as Peyton Hillis -- that it was.
"I thought it was helmet-to-helmet contact for sure and I thought he should've gotten a penalty," said Hillis. "We ended up getting a penalty ourselves. I was pretty upset about it, but the refs make the call."
"No. 47, [Lawrence] Vickers, said, 'Hey, man, that's football. That happens,'" Harrison said. "And the flag wasn't even on us [Alex Mack was penalized for kicking the ball after the play]."
In week two, Harrison was fined $5,000 for slamming Tennessee's Vince Young to the turf -- despite not being penalized. For comparison's sake, Browns rookie safety T.J. Ward was fined $15,000 for hitting Bengals receiver Jordan Shipley in the head with his helmet. Rules state that a player can't launch and hit a defenseless player in the head or neck area with the head, shoulder or forearms.
"They were legal hits, not fineable hits," said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. "He played good football. James is always ready to deliver for his teammates. That's why they have so much respect for him."
Said defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau: "They were hard plays, both guys were running hard. We're thrilled that both players walked off the field, that's the good thing. I'm sure [the league will] look at it."
Staff writer Tony Grossi contributed to this report.