James Harrison remains as convinced as ever that the New England Patriots cheated their way to the 2004 Super Bowl. Relitigating the Pittsburgh Steelers’ AFC Championship Game loss, Harrison says the Patriots countered too often for it to be anything other than something suspect.
“When I say they caught us, they only missed one blitz,” Harrison told co-host Joe Haden on his Deebo & Joe podcast Friday. “What in the world, Joe, how many times in your career have you ever seen where an offense gets y’all on every blitz but one? Don’t forget, we’re Blitzburgh back then. We’re talking about 25 [blitzes].”
Harrison is referring to the Patriots ability to pick up nearly every blitz the Steelers threw at Tom Brady. Pittsburgh’s scheme was exotic and varied under defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, but New England seemingly had all the right answers.
“They’re throwing it right where you wouldn’t want to throw it,” he said. “If you look at this false setup we got coming to you.”
He’s referring to New England’s blocking scheme that ignored the “false rush” from one side to pick up the actual blitz somewhere else. Tom Brady threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns while only being sacked twice after throwing two picks and being dropped four times in the Patriots’ regular-season loss.
Ranking No. 1 in the regular season, Pittsburgh’s defense allowed a season-high 34 points, the other seven coming off a Ben Roethlisberger pick that was returned for a touchdown shortly before halftime.
“I don’t care what nobody says. They were catching all that,” Harrison said.
Harrison is far from the only Steeler to make such allegations. Reserve offensive lineman Barrett Brooks has made the claim while running back Jerome Bettis has said similar. In 2007, the Patriots were exposed in their Spygate scandal for illegally taping opponent’s signals. The NFL punished them with a heavy fine and forfeiture of a first-round pick, but Roger Goodell destroyed the tapes of the team’s spying.
Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl hopes ended one game short after going 15-1 in the regular season. In 2005, the Steelers avoided the Patriots in the playoffs and made a historical Super Bowl run while becoming the first sixth seed to ever win it all. Harrison would win another ring with Pittsburgh before later joining New England to close out his career, one that ended in a Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.