Former New England Patriots standout and current NBC analyst Rodney Harrison seemed to take things a tad too far during his analysis of New York Jets QB Zach Wilson.
After the Jets game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Sunday Night Football crew had veteran defensive lineman Chris Jones on the set.
During a back-and-forth between Jones and Harrison, they discussed the play of Wilson.
Harrison: “Was Zach better tonight than what you anticipated he would be watching him on tape? You can be honest.”
Jones: “Honestly? If I’m being completely honest, we knew it was going to be a battle. He’s continuing to get better week in and week out and he’s continuing to lead week in and week out.”
Harrison: “But watching that tape man, you gotta look at this dude and say oh he is garbage. We should really tear him apart.”
Jones: “Like I said Zach Wilson is special man. You just gotta give the guy time.”
Harrison [cuts him off]: “Wait, wait, wait, did you say Zach Wilson is special?”
Jones: “Yeah.”
Harrison: “I think he had a special night but I don’t think he’s special. You’re special [pointing at Jones], because you’ve proven it over a course of time. He’s not special. I’m just saying Chris, I’m just saying.”
@J16James @FantasyFlurry he was doing way too much. unprofessional as i’ve ever seen
One social media user accused Harrison of being “way too personal for a national broadcast.”
Top Social Media Reactions to Harrison’s Criticism of Wilson
Longtime former quarterback Matt Leinart said on X previously Twitter, “This is trash. Our job in media is to analyze and critique not to rip these guys apart, especially after a great game. Complete garbage.”
Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons also jumped in saying, “Broo honestly I’ll never understand media!! This platform should been a moment to praise the Chiefs and they win!! This guy is trying to completely trying [to] tear Zach Wilson down!! I don’t get it!! I honestly hope Zach proves a lot of these people wrong!”
Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton said, “Bruh a whole lame no bs.”
Erika of EA Sports said, “Respectfully speaking, Rodney Harrison is an a****** for this.”
Fran Fraschilla of ESPN said, “I’ve noticed that more game/studio analysts are doing this, thinking that it will get them on the morning ‘hot take’ shows. Unfortuante.”
Jeremiah Sirles, an NFL agent, said, “Chris Jones being a true pro here. Idc who you are, if you start a game in the NFL you are SPECIAL! Especially at QB and go toe to toe with Mahomes. The hate of Zach Wilson from Harrison here is sad. He should know better.”
Wilson Deserves His Flowers and Chance for Encore in Broncos-Jets Game
Harrison seems to have something personal against Wilson. Old Patriots ties? Something else? Who knows.
Before the Sunday Night Football game, Harrison said they were just watching Wilson in warmups and he was “missing wide-open guys and this is 7-on-7 without the offensive line, that has to be a concern.”
Here’s the clip of Rodney Harrison saying Zach Wilson was missing wide open WRs 😭
(🎥 @mikefreemanNFL)
Then Wilson had one of the best games of his career versus the Chiefs.
The former BYU product outdueled the face of the league, Patrick Mahomes. He threw for more passing yards (245), had more passing touchdowns (two), had a better completion percentage (72 percent), and he didn’t throw a pick while Mahomes threw two.
If Wilson stunk it up in prime-time he’d be a wide-open target to criticism as the starting quarterback for a New York franchise in disarray. However, that isn’t what happened.
If you were evaluating the track record of Wilson’s professional career to date, this performance appears to be an outlier compared to his history. However, he will have a chance at an encore performance in Week 5 on the road in Denver to play the Broncos.
Another sterling performance could shut up the haters for the foreseeable future.
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Rodney Harrison Gets Slammed for ‘Personal’ Attack on Jets QB Zach Wilson