Projo Sports Blog

Bill Belichick and the Patriots staff may stick to the line that no player is irreplaceable, but Dallas Clark knows better. The Colts tight end has faced off against Safety Rodney Harrison for the last six years, and is sure the injured Patriot will mean opportunities for the Colts.

"They always say 'next guy in,' but I think on this side of the fence, Rodney is a tough guy for them to replace. He brought so much versatility and that toughness that the defense always shows," Clark said.

Second-year player Brandon Merriwether performed ably last week against the Rams, in the first game since Harrison's season-ending knee injury, but Clark said that few players could replace Harrison's versatility.

"He allowed them to do a lot of different things. He can cover tight ends, he can come and pressure a wide receiver. When you don't have a guy like that, that's tough," Clark said.

Belichick, of course, wasn't as effusive about Harrison's absence.

"[Harrison's] not a part of it, so whatever we do, obviously other people are going to have to do it. We still have to play team defense," Belichick said.

 Tags  Dallas Clark Dan Barbarisi New England Patriots Rodney Harrison

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.