Rodney 'haunted for months' by Tyree catch

NBC NFL analyst and former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, in an interview with the Dennis & Callahan show, said that he endured months of sleepless nights in the aftermath of the Patriots' 17-14 loss in Super Bowl XLII. The circus catch by David Tyree, with Harrison draped all over the receiver, played a critical role in the Giants' game-winning drive and left the defensive back to a withering self-assessment.

"I had an opportunity to change the course of the game and I blew it. I didn't make the play that I needed to make for that team and that organization," said Harrison. "You'll never see me having a lack of effort, but this game is about making plays. I made my fair share of plays in Super Bowl and AFC championships. But I let down the city of Boston area, the Patriots organization, my teammates. I didn't make the play that I should have made.

"It haunted me for months -- sleepless nights," Harrison added. "Just haunted myself, trying to think about was there some way I could have ripped his arm down or pulled it back?"

Harrison noted that the Patriots had multiple opportunities even after the Tyree catch to stop the Giants and win the game, pointing to missed interception chances by both himself and Asante Samuel. However, once the Giants neared the end zone, Harrison knew that the game was lost.

"It was crazy. It was crazy. I kind of knew something like that would happen," Harrison said. "[Eli Manning], he saw the blitz, checked, I think he gave a hand signal or a head gesture to Plaxico Burress. I knew it was going to be a fade, I blitzed and I knew the game was over. Once he threw the ball, Plaxico being 6-foot-5, I knew the game was going to be over."

That, in turn, set the stage for Harrison's unpleasant months of the what-if game. Eventually, however, Harrison reached a point where he stopped the self-flagellations.

"My mom and my wife allowed me to get over it," said Harrison. "They looked at me and said, 'Hey Rodney, there comes a point, you did everything you could have done to prevent that play from happening. What else could you have done? Move on. It's a part of life.'"

Harrison also touched on a few other topics related to this year's Super Bowl. Among them:

On his relationship with the Patriots: Harrison paid homage to Bill Belichick, calling him the "best coach ever," and also discussed how happy and proud he was for owner Robert Kraft. That said, Harrison also said that his job now requires him to speak critically of his former team and to analyze them without regard for his personal relationships. "You have to leave your helmet in the locker room once you decide to do a job like this," said Harrison.

On the Patriots defense: Harrison at one point described the Patriots secondary as being perhaps the worst in NFL history, and he suggested that when he made those remarks, he could not foresee New England reaching the Super Bowl. But he suggested the Patriots have improved since that time. "They are getting better. ... They forgot about the first half of the season, and said, 'We're going to focus on the second half,'" said Harrison. "[But against the Ravens] I saw Patrick Chung blow a couple coverages. You can't do that and beat Eli."

On how he sees the game playing out: "I think it's going to be a close game. I think, ultimately, it's going to come down to a field goal," said Harrison. "It comes down to someone you don't think of. ... Maybe it's Julian Edelman, his defense on [Victor] Cruz. ... It always comes down to someone unheralded, just like David Tyree."

On whether he would want to serve as an honorary Patriots captain: "I'm a Patriot. I'm always a Patriot. If Mr. Kraft ever gives me an honor of coming back and doing something like that, I'd be more than happy to come back to pay my respects to his family, the organization and all the fans," said Harrison.

To listen to the interview, visit the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page. For complete Super Bowl coverage, visit weei.com/patriots.