Man of Steel: Looking back at James Harrison's career

That's pretty heady stuff for an undrafted free agent, one who would go on to become one of the most productive such players in league history. Harrison bounced around practice squads in Pittsburgh and Baltimore early in his career and also played for the NFL Europe's Rhein Fire before finding his footing in the NFL.

He eventually re-signed with the Steelers in 2004 and managed to stick with the team, though he played almost exclusively on special teams. Within a few years, however, he had worked himself into a starting role, one that he would hold for several years.

On the field, few players, if any, cut a more intimidating profile. Though Harrison stood only six feet tall, he was frequently able to bull-rush much bigger offensive linemen, and his dark visor and general demeanor gave off an all-business vibe.

Though the intimidating persona served him well on the field, it manifested itself in a much more serious, negative way in March 2008, when he was arrested after a domestic violence incident with his girlfriend. Harrison admitted to breaking down a door during a dispute, as well as slapping her in the face. While charges in the case were dropped and Steelers owner Dan Rooney seemingly defended Harrison, both owner and player were subject to plenty of criticism in the aftermath. 

The domestic violence incident was certainly the most serious off-field issue of Harrison's career, but he was no stranger to controversy away from the gridiron. After a 2010 season that saw Harrison rack up thousands of dollars in fines for illegal hits, he ripped NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in Men's Journal interview, calling Goodell a "crook and a puppet," and expressed some candid opinions about Ben Roethlisberger, as well as other NFL players. 

Harrison also raised eyebrows when he refused to accompany the Steelers to the White House after both of their Super Bowl wins during his tenure, explaining his decision the second time around by suggesting that if then-President Obama had wanted to see the Steelers, he should have invited them to the White House win or lose.

While his off-field history and odd final season in which he was cut by Pittsburgh only to see Harrison sign with the Patriots certainly provided intrigue, the real story of his career came on the gridiron, where he went from afterthought to superstar and back again. Given all he accomplished in a short period of time, it's fair to wonder what type of legacy he'll leave.

Thus, the big question concerning Harrison, assuming he stays retired, is whether he is Hall of Fame worthy. This might upset Steelers fans who loved his production in his prime, his capacity for intimidation and his no-nonsense attitude, to say nothing of his frequent verbal salvos toward Goodell, but for me, Harrison doesn’t make the cut. His prime wasn’t long enough, and his numbers during said period weren’t spectacular enough to warrant serious consideration.

Certainly, James Harrison’s rise from undersized, undrafted and unwanted, one that took him across the Atlantic Ocean and back, is one of the more unlikely and impressive success stories in the league in the last few decades, but at the end of the day, he’ll have to settle for being an all-time Steelers great, the franchise’s career sack leader and a proud member of the Hall of Very Good.