If veteran safety Rodney Harrison does decide to retire from pro football this week, he’ll be remembered as an intense player whose passion for the game often left teammates shaking their heads in disbelief.

“It didn’t matter if it was a Friday practice or a walk-through, the guy was always full-speed, and he brought that intensity and leadership to the field,” defensive lineman Richard Seymour said of Harrison, who will reportedly call it a career in a Wednesday morning conference call.

It’s expected Harrison will bring that same attitude to the broadcast booth, where he will reportedly be introduced as an analyst for NBC Sports later in the day.

The 36-year-old started his career with the Chargers and spent the bulk of his career in San Diego, but is perhaps one of the most readily identifiable faces of the New England dynasty. The Western Illinois product came to the Patriots after a nine-year career in San Diego, signing as a free agent with New England on March 13, 2003 after he was let go in a salary dump by the Chargers.

Known as a ferocious hitter, his physical style instantly made an impact with a Patriots team that had missed the playoffs the year before and needed a jolt. With Harrison’s arrival, you knew things were going to be different right out of the gate: In his first week of training camp, he engaged in a shouting match with Tom Brady, traded punches with Troy Brown and so infuriated Kevin Faulk that the usually mild-mannered running back had to be restrained from going after him.

But he was later voted a defensive captain, and in the days following the surprising September release of Lawyer Milloy, his leadership paid tremendous dividends, working as a mentor to a generation of young defensive backs like Eugene Wilson, Asante Samuel and James Sanders. He eventually became an integral part of the New England defense and helped lead the Patriots to a pair of Super Bowl wins.

Most of the players who spoke with the media after Tuesday’s organized training activity at Gillette didn’t sound surprised at the news.

“I’ve been blessed for the opportunity to come into the league and play with a guy of his stature, and to be out there and be able to be out there and play multiple games with him is an honor,” Sanders said. “I just love playing with him -- I always knew that he had my back and I had his back, no matter what. I thank him for each and every moment we had together on the field.”

He won two Super Bowls in his first two seasons with the Patriots, but Harrison has struggled to stay on the field the last few seasons. In 2005, he suffered a torn ACL, MCL and PCL in his left knee in a September game against Pittsburgh that sidelined him for the rest of the season. In 2006, he suffered a right shoulder injury in November that cost him six weeks, and a knee injury in the regular-season finale against the Titans that knocked him out of the playoffs.

In addition, his 2007 season was marred by a suspension for using human growth hormone, which led to a four-game ban. Last season was interrupted when he tore his right quad in Week 7 against the Broncos. He was placed on injured reserve shortly after, and did not return for the rest of the season.

However, while he was sidelined this past year Harrison engaged in more and more television work, and drew raves for his no-holds barred approach during Super Bowl week, leading many to believe he could possibly land with NBC or the NFL Network as an analyst. To that end, he has reportedly retained an agent to solicit possible job offers.

Meanwhile, the Patriots clearly began preparing for life after Rodney, moving to draft safety Patrick Chung and adding several other new faces in the secondary. Harrison remains a free agent, and has not been at any of the organized team activities during the offseason.

His teammates think Harrison could be a great fit on TV, but that’s just one of several post-playing possibilities -- he’s also explored the option of working as a referee.

“He’s born for the camera -- he speaks well, he looks [good],” Sanders said. “Sometimes he says things that people don’t want to hear but at the same time, I know you guys love interviewing him.”

“Whatever Rodney Harrison chooses to do, he’s going to do great at,” said linebacker Pierre Woods. “His passion is football. He was out there refereeing. That was something that was crazy to me, seeing him reffing. … He may come back another year, you never know. There ain’t no telling. Rodney’s in great shape. He works hard. I miss Rodney, I wish he was here. But wherever he’s at, he’s going to do great.”

While critics will point to the fact that he was named the NFL’s Dirtiest Player on several different occasions, Harrison’s supporters certainly have the numbers to make an argument that he’s a Hall of Famer. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, and is the NFL’s all-time leader in sacks by a defensive back, having recorded 30.5 sacks in 15 seasons. In addition, he’s the only player in NFL history to record at least 30 sacks and at least 30 interceptions in his career (he has 30.5 sacks and 34 interceptions in his regular-season career).

But his ultimate legacy with the Patriots may be in the establishment of what linebacker Tedy Bruschi called “The Harrison Formula,” and what it could mean for future defensive backs in New England.

“With this team, I think he should forever be known as a winner because he helped us win and he was a big reason why we won,” Bruschi said. “I think when we watch film, I think guys can watch him and remember his example and remember that’s the way we got it done with him and I think that’s the right example to follow.

“That was the right formula, the ‘Harrison’ formula, and I think if the younger safeties follow that same way of preparation and the way he played on the field and if we remember that, I think we will win some more ball games.”