New England Patriots

Why Did the Patriots Sign James Harrison? Don't Ask Bill Belichick

Those hoping to find out why the New England Patriots decided to sign 39-year-old linebacker James Harrison won't be getting any answers from the team's head coach.

Bill Belichick was asked repeatedly at Wednesday's press conference about the signing of the long-time Pittsburgh Steelers player, but clearly wanted nothing to do with the line of questioning.

Here's a brief sampling of some of the questions and his responses:

Q: How would you describe James Harrison's playing style? 

BB: He's played outside linebacker for the Steelers. We'll see how it goes.

Q: Is there carryover from what they asked him to do and what he could do for your team? 

BB: Yeah, I don’t know. We'll start working with him and see how it goes.

Q: What are your thoughts on his career? 

BB: Good.

Q: How much of a factor did his experience in big games play a role in the decision to sign him? 

BB: Yeah, we can’t control any of that.

Q: You guys have a lot of experience playing against him. Is the process different when bringing in a guy like that as opposed to someone with less experience?

BB: Every player is different. 

Q: Do you put any stock into the fact that he could provide valuable intelligence given his familiarity with the Steelers and their system?

BB: Well, we're playing the Jets this week. I don’t really know what that has to do with it. Maybe I’m missing something. I don’t know.

Q: When you coached the Pro Bowl, was James Harrison a player of yours? Did you have any familiarity with him prior to yesterday? 

BB: Yeah, not too much.

Q: Was important to just meet him yesterday and try to get to know him a bit? 

BB: It's always good to meet somebody.

Q: Do you view it as a positive when someone like him comes in late in the year and doesn't have a lot of wear-and-tear on their body from earlier in the season?

BB: I don’t know. We'll see how it goes. 

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