Chargers Finally Vindicated For Cutting Rodney Harrison

SAN DIEGO--Chargers GM AJ Smith took a lot of heat in 2003 when he cut popular safety Rodney Harrison. When Harrison went on to become an integral part of the New England Patriots next two Super Bowl teams, many were calling his release one of the worst moves in franchise history. Now that he’s on the sidelines with a torn ACL and his career in jeopardy, it is clear that AJ Smith made the right decision.

The Chargers GM admitted to feeling “a bit vindicated” when he heard the news of the injury.

“Well, well, well, look who’s career is in jeopardy,” Smith said, a satisfied smile crossing his face. “Look who is sitting at home on crutches while his team is floundering. It’s none other than my old friend, Rodney Harrison. It seems like just yesterday that I purged Rodney from our roster and everyone, I mean everyone, was calling me a nut job. Now who’s laughing? Looks like I was right on the money with that decision. I just feel sorry for those suckers in New England.”

Smith then compared the Patriots secondary situation with the Chargers.

“Let’s see, our secondary is perfectly healthy, the Patriots’ secondary looks like a hospital ward. I just can’t imagine what I would do if my starting safety, the lifeblood of my defense, went down with an injury like that. Of course, I saw this coming three years ago. You think I didn’t know what I was doing when I released this guy? He was a torn ACL waiting to happen.”

If Smith is feeling vindicated, the Patriots are feeling a little embarrassed. One of the prize free agent acquisitions of the Belichick era has proven, three years later, to be an unmitigated bust.

Belichick admitted as much in the days after Harrison’s career-threatening injury.

“Obviously we didn’t see this coming,” he told reporters at a press conference. “If we had a crystal ball and we could see into the future, we would’ve acted differently. It’s hard to say what would’ve happened if we never signed Rodney, but we can probably assume that we would have a starting safety right now who wasn’t spending game day on his couch. Oh well, I guess the upside is that we don’t have to honor his contract now that he’s hurt. Isn’t that amazing? Gotta love that NFL players union.”

Belichick also praised the Chargers for their “incredible foresight” in seeing that Harrison was a risky proposition at safety.

“You’ve got to tip your cap to AJ and the rest of the Chargers organization for knowing what kind of player Harrison was,” he said. “It definitely seemed too good to be true when Harrison became available. Then we won two Super Bowls with him and started thinking that maybe he wasn’t too good to be true. Sadly, our worst suspicions were confirmed two weeks ago. Signing Rodney Harrison is right up there with drafting Tedy Bruschi as one of the worst decisions this franchise has ever made.”

Doctors say that Harrison’s injury is so bad that he may never return to the playing field. If that’s the case, Smith will look even more like a genius. He doesn’t see himself as a genius, however. He’s just a man doing his job.

“Hey I’m not perfect. I can make mistakes, too,” said Smith. “I can understand why some people thought I was crazy for getting rid of Rodney. It took a long time, but now I’m finally vindicated. I’m a patient man, and I knew I’d be proven right eventually.”

Smith’s job is far from over. He still has some big personnel decisions looming in the near future.

“Every year we are faced with decisions like that. For instance, at the end of this season we’ll have to figure out what to do with Drew Brees. He’s not our quarterback of the future, obviously. That’s Phillip Rivers. So eventually we’re going to have to cut Brees and let his unproven, untested backup take over the team. Sure you might laugh now, but in ten years when Brees’ game starts dropping off, you’ll be talking about what a genius I am.”