Damien Harris Retired

[Sierra Foothills]

3 hours ago, Punching Bag said:

That is what happens when you self publish without an editor. 

When I was an editor of a newspaper in college I was given columns worse which would be marked as failure in English classes.  Writers still complained when I fixed them.

Pro Football Talk is the worst… what a haven for poor writing. They sorely need a good editor to bring their content out of the depths of illiteracy.

 

Harris wasn’t a big guy but he played with abandon. I’m glad he was wise enough to walk away on his own terms instead of being a slave to the game as so many NFLers are… pissing away money and thus pathetically grasping at whatever employment is left to them.

[Utah John]

9 hours ago, DapperCam said:

I wonder if it was because of his injury, or he saw the writing on the wall that he wasn’t going to crack the roster.

Yes to both.  I'm sure his family encouraged him to retire.  Nothing left to prove, and he should have made enough money to support his family for many years.

[thenorthremembers]

Not in the least bit surprising.  When the timeline for his return came and  passed and he never got back in uniform you had to figure this was the outcome.

[Sweats]

The guy always played well against us........we pick him up and.......nothing to write home about.

I think it was just another case of being mis-used, mis-managed or age/injury catching up with him.

 

Enjoy your retirement.

[CheshireCT]

I can understand the decision to retire from any player who goes through an injury like that. If you really think about it, coming back and playing after being carted off the field in an ambulance is nothing short of amazing. Not only from the logical standpoint of risking your health, but also just playing with that PTSD every week.

[Bill from NYC]

Damien Harris is a very bright young man.  He just did a broadcast with Paul Feinbaum and I think that he will go far as a commentator. 

 

Damien always gave his best. He was a strong runner, good receiver and a very willing blocker. I am glad that he retired to avoid serious, long term injury. At Alabama he was always a favorite of, and was often praised by Coach Saban because of the above and his intelligence.

 

Good Luck Damien and thanks.

 

 

Edited March 26 by Bill from NYC

[Freddie's Dead]

11 hours ago, MiltonWaddams said:

Buffalo Fanatics aced the grammar test today…

 

You're right, it should read "Damien Harris has announced him SOME retirement today".

[TheyCallMeAndy]

12 hours ago, DapperCam said:

I wonder if it was because of his injury, or he saw the writing on the wall that he wasn’t going to crack the roster.

He’s a really good RB when healthy. That was a major concussion he suffered and just had a child.

 

Happy retirement to him, I was always a fan and was pumped when we signed him. 

[Saxum]

16 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

He’s a really good RB when healthy. That was a major concussion he suffered and just had a child.

 

Happy retirement to him, I was always a fan and was pumped when we signed him. 

 

He has an extensive list of injuries. 

I expect he has already been talking to possible college football employers either in broadcasting or as analyst.

[Mister Defense]

One of Beane's worst moves--getting rid of Singletary, one of the best all around backs in the league--running, catching, blocking--a teammate Allen said again and again was a vital part of the team's success, and someone who was always dependable, available...and replacing him with Harris, a back who had lost his ability to stay on the field and was clearly on his way out.

 

I am not a Beane basher, but this team could have used a back like Singletary last year, and instead, got almost zero from the guy who replaced him.

[Aussie Joe]

1 hour ago, Mister Defense said:

One of Beane's worst moves--getting rid of Singletary, 

Im good with it …

 

Singletary getting paid $5m + now … no way he sees that here 

[Big Turk]

Not surprising...necks are not something to be playing with..

[Utah John]

53 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

Im good with it …

 

Singletary getting paid $5m + now … no way he sees that here 

Singletary played well for the Texans but not so well that they kept him around.  He's with the Jersey Giants now.

[billsfan89]

17 hours ago, DapperCam said:

I wonder if it was because of his injury, or he saw the writing on the wall that he wasn’t going to crack the roster.

 

I think he may have said that after his injury he was contemplating retirement. I think if he really wanted to get into a camp on a minimum deal he could have but it is just not worth the risk for him. I always applaud a player for leaving with their health mostly intact. Football especially if you get into the pro-level (where you already between high school and college football have played 6-9 years before entering the league most likely) is going to take some toll on your body unless you are maybe a kicker or a backup QB who never plays. So if after a few years you don't want the risk anymore I think it is fully understandable. Harris didn't make a whole lot of money (relatively speaking) in his career and he only has 5 years vested in the league so his pension isn't going to be that large and he's not getting that until he is 55. So hopefully Harris has a good plan for the remaining years of his life and did some smart savings and investment these past 5 years. 

3 hours ago, Mister Defense said:

One of Beane's worst moves--getting rid of Singletary, one of the best all around backs in the league--running, catching, blocking--a teammate Allen said again and again was a vital part of the team's success, and someone who was always dependable, available...and replacing him with Harris, a back who had lost his ability to stay on the field and was clearly on his way out.

 

I am not a Beane basher, but this team could have used a back like Singletary last year, and instead, got almost zero from the guy who replaced him.

 

The Bills got a pretty good year out of Cook and found Ty Johnson late in the year who I think is as good as Singletary. Also early in the season Murray was solid it was only later in the year he was lackluster. I think there wasn't really much of an issue at the RB2 spot and having Cook getting more snaps and being a true RB1 is better than signing Singletary for another year. 

 

I like Singletary he's a player whose at least average at everything and good in a couple of components. But he is not elite or dynamic in any capacity either. Ty Johnson gives you most if not all of what you would need in an RB2 and to round out the depth they can draft a RB in round 5-6 to handle return duties and add some cheap depth. 

[ControllerOfPlanetX]

He couldn’t wait until halftime of the first game?
 

[Mister Defense]

21 hours ago, Aussie Joe said:

Im good with it …

 

Singletary getting paid $5m + now … no way he sees that here 

 

Yup,  I am happy for the guy too, great character, work ethic, and 'motor'.  When the Bills went to  him as their #1 back a few years ago, at 7-6, the Bills quickly became the best running team in the NFL and, so, a much better team overall. Yes, in the playoffs they lost in OT to the Chiefs, but we should not forget what happened when the bills finally committed to the running game with Singletary as their #1--they became a dominant team and went on a great winning streak.

 

Earlier this past year I was wondering why Singletary did not replace Pierce as the starter in Houston, as he is a much better player. They were a poor running team with Pierce.  When they finally made Motor their starter, they too went on a run, with Singletary opening up their offense and, so, improving their entire team.

 

To not sign him last year (3.5 million for Houston?), but to sign players we knew dimwit Dorsey would  not use effectively, Sherfield and Harty, for much more was outrageous.

 

Great to see he is earning a bigger paycheck this year; well deserved and he will likely earn every penny.

 

 

[Captain Hindsight]

Harris was always one of my favorite patriots (gosh that hurt to write) Dude always ran hard and got the tough yards, fun guy to watch. Was happy when he signed here but was terrified when he got that neck injury. Hope he enjoys his well earned retirement 

[billsfan89]

7 hours ago, Captain Hindsight said:

Harris was always one of my favorite patriots (gosh that hurt to write) Dude always ran hard and got the tough yards, fun guy to watch. Was happy when he signed here but was terrified when he got that neck injury. Hope he enjoys his well earned retirement 

 

I thought having the speedy Cook complemented by not one but two power backs in Harris and Murray was a good way to build the backfield and with Hines as the depth speed gadget guy I thought they built a really solid deep backfield. The fact that while Murray was older he was still coming off a productive season was a positive sign and Harris was younger and on a "prove it" deal which led me to think Harris would be the primary backup. 

 

Just odd how Harris was mostly ineffective while Murray at least in the early going of the season was solid as a power back. I like Ty Johnson as a backup but I do think they will likely kick the tires on a vet "power back" in camp and also draft a back with some power in the 5th or 6th round to add depth and cost controlled youth. 

[JerseyBills]

Was really optimistic on him last year. Glad he bowed out on his own terms. 

 

Based off Beanes track record he'll bring in a vet with similar traits (no clue who's out there) 

Edited March 27 by JerseyBills