DT Shelby Harris (8.14.23)
So why Cleveland?
“I felt like out of all the teams I was talking to, they’re the most primed to win. And, you know, how can I turn down the chance to play with those guys up front and playing it in Coach (Jim) Schwartz’ defense. Him coming out of retirement, him coming out coaching, I can’t pass that up. It’s truly a D lineman’s dream to play in, you know, with the offense going to make a comeback and with the guys, you know, big Z (Za’ Darius Smith) and DT (Dalvin Tomlinson) and Myles (Garrett) and Ogbo (Okoronkwo) and everybody. It would have been impossible to say no to that.”
How much of a draw was like, the idea of playing with Myles (Garrett) and maybe even playing next to him a little bit?
“Man, that’s a big one. You got Pro Bowl guys and Z (Za’Darius Smith) and Myles (Garrett) and then Dalvin (Tomlinson), who will be a Pro Bowler, and Ogbo (Okoronkwo) who’s a great rusher himself, and then with Jordan (Elliott), and everyone. To be in this group and have talent from top to bottom, it makes my job a lot easier.”
What do you love about Jim’s (Schwartz) defense?
“It gives D lineman freedom. Everything is with your get off and your tenacity and just going and making plays. His defense, it starts with the D line. And like I said, it’s a D lineman’s dream. Think about the D lineman he’s had play for him, and it’s just something that want to add my name to the list.”
What did you think of the work out there today against the Eagles offense?
“It was good, man. Honestly, I’ve been here, what five days. This is my first practice, so first time putting the cleats on, and it just felt good to be back out there. And they’re one of the better O lines in the league, so it’s work I needed.”
Would you think of 11 on 11 against our offense? Did Cleveland defense have a good day?
“I feel like we had up front from what I saw, we had a good day. We’ll go back and watch the film, but it’s just camp. It’s time to get better and day by day, build it brick by brick. And we added one of those bricks today.”
Earlier this offseason, Jim’s (Schwartz), like, used the terminology that the guys inside need to be Ferraris, not dump trucks. I mean, I guess what do you think when you hear that? What goes through your mind?
“Man, it sounds great. You know what I mean? Just as a guy who’s played in multiple defenses that’s had to hold up blocks and had gotten chances to get off before, to go out there and have your D coordinator and look at you as like, we need that premium guys, you know what I mean? You’re one of those guys. It’s really like you’re the jumpstart of the defense, and it’s great to hear, and you could feel it in the way he preaches it.”
Veteran like yourself do you prefer these joint practices with teams in terms of getting your work in and working on guys?
“Well, it’s my first practice with anybody. I’m just truly blessed to be in this league going into year ten. Every day you get to go out in this field, it’s a blessing. People will kill to be in this position. So I’m just really just happy to be here and to even be playing the game of football, man, it’s a special game. It’s not one of those games that when you retire, you can just go back there and throw the pads on. So it doesn’t matter who you’re going against, your own team, another team. You got to embrace the opportunity because it’s a one in a million opportunity.”
When you talk about the chemistry out there with I mean, you’ve got Z (Za’Darius Smith), he’s got a big, booming personality, and then you’ve got you, Myles (Garrett) and Ogbo (Okoronkwo), and then everybody is so experienced. I mean, like, longtime veterans. Can you just talk about sort of the chemistry and the vibe on that D line?
“Man, I’m talking about for me, at least when I first got here, I’m just like, man, everybody’s real cool, and everybody’s willing to help, everybody is real personable. Big personalities or not, everybody just wants what’s best for everyone, and everybody wants to win, and we just want to go get that work. And so it reaffirmed to me that I made the right decision the minute I actually got to start meeting these guys.”
I know you’re a veteran, but is it a little bit of a whirlwind to go from not playing to, like, now you’re out here going against the Eagles?
“Well, no, because at the end of the day, it’s not like it’s halfway through the season. You know what I mean? At the end of day, the I’d be lying if I said I would love to be here all camp, but like I said, man, work is work, and when it got to be done, it got to be done.”
Is it too soon to get snaps from you this Friday?
“Hey, whatever they ask me–I’m willing to do. One thing is, I’ve kept myself in great shape, so I’m ready for anything.”
Going back to Myles (Garrett), you only been around for a few days, but have you had a chance to maybe talk to him, pass on some knowledge if possible?
“Man, I don’t know what knowledge I can really pass on to that man. That man is a dog. But we are talking. We’ve been talking about the scheme and what to think of certain plays and where you could take some certain shots and do certain things. And so it’s great to pick a mind like that, because obviously, when it comes to pass rush, he thinks a little different. That’s why he’s been so successful. All the guys, really, and that’s what makes it great about having all these veterans is everyone’s seen something different. And so when you put it all together, everybody can help each other out in a different way.”
Most guys don’t make it ten years. What does it take to make it this far?
“I would honestly say a lot of resilience because for me, my first three years in the league, I was cut like a good six to eight times, I think. And it’s just like not taking no for answer. And then when someone tells you no, figure out a way to get better. And especially for the young guys. My biggest thing when it comes to young guys, not really D lineman anymore, the checks are the same if you playing special teams or if you play defense or offense. Special teams is what wins championships. They come in here when it comes to special teams, that’s just your way on the 53. Injuries are going to happen in this game. That’s a guarantee. And so for you to be able touch the field, you got to be on the 53. So you got to go out there and you got to make the most of all these special team preps, especially practices like this, where you’re going against the other team and everyone’s fighting for a job. You got to take this serious. And this is what the great teams do. They take special teams serious and it’s as simple as field goal block. I pride myself in blocking kicks, I have a couple in my career. Any way you can affect the game possible, you got to try to do it.”
It seems like you move around anywhere they need you to on the line. How much have you prided yourself on having that versatility in your career? And how exciting is it to play in the system where he’s going to be constantly rotating guys?
“Man, for me, early in my career, when I was a backup guy, that’s the way on the field. The more you can do, the more if someone goes down it’s not just one person that can go in. You can fill anybody in. So versatility is the key to success, and it’s just wanting to be able to do anything I can to help.”
Myles (Garrett) left the field. Anything you can say?
“I have no clue what happened.”
What about the interior rush that you bring? How important is that and how much do you pride yourself on that?
“With the interior rush, the thing is what makes it better is the guys around you. Pass rushing is barely ever just a one on one thing because the DBs got to do their job in the back to make sure the ball gets held. And then the same thing the other way. Interceptions go just for pass rush, you know what I mean? So everybody works together, and for what I feel like I bring, I feel like I can collapse the pocket, go make a couple plays, and hopefully make everybody’s job easier.”
Do you feel this is your first time having this much freedom in the pass rush throughout your career?
“Yeah, because playing in 3-4 inthe last six years, it’s kind of like reading and reacting. This is really the first time in a while where it’s just like, hey, get off the ball and go make plays.”
When you look at this Philadelphia D line, they sort of kind of set the standard a little bit. But now when you look at you guys are stacking up pretty well against what you see here in Philly, right?
“Man, we don’t worry about anybody else’s D line. The only thing we can worry about is ourselves. We got to go out there and get ourselves better every day. And that’s how you do get the great D lines and eventually stack their ways up there. It takes consistency. It takes to work every day. It takes the extra things in order to be great.”