Pick one and tell us why you picked that one. I think this is a very tough question...you have to vote for Harris though. When Jonathan Vilma started out, he had a MUCH better supporting cast/team that season. Harris has taken games over, tackling everything that moves by stuffing the RB's and making plays by sacking the QB in 2 of his 3 starts. Vilma almost played an entire season and racked up some pretty good stats, but I think the stats were a credit to the rest of the defense helping him out.
Harris for the same reasons- he's doing more with less. The personnel around him are not nearly as strong as those surrounding Vilma. Vilma with Ellis/Turd/Robertson/Abe alone was a formidable cast. Really opened things up for him on the LB level.
Vilma has never had the three game stretch we are seeing from Harris in his 3 starts. Vilma has 2.5 sacks in his career, Harris has 2 in 3 starts.
I choose Vilma, because, if I recall correctly, in 2004 our defense was in the top 5 against the run...... Harris has done a great job so far, but Sunday was the first game we played where our defense won it for us.... By the end of the year, if the D maintains this form, it may be Harris, but considering our history of terrible run D, Vilma's rookie year was very, very, very impressive, stepping in as the leader on what was largely a veteran defense...
If Harris continues on the pace he is currently on, he will win defensive rookie of the year easily, and he will have done so in only half a seasons work.
I chose Vilma because he was a beast in 2004 and started longer. Not to mention won DROY. It is a tough question though since Harris has played so good.
Are you serious? Wait, it's you, of course you are. Vilma IS and HAS ALWAYS BEEN a dominant linebacker. The difference is, Vilma is a 4-3 MLB, and Harris is a 3-4 guy. (Could Harris translate better to the 4-3 than Vilma the other way? Probably, but that doesn't make Vilma a less dominant 4-3 MLB.) For someone who's spent as many years as you supposedly watching football you sure don't understand much, do you?
Vilma has never been a dominant LB, not in the 4-3, not in the 3-4. He was/is a great leader and made alot of tackles but never was a game changer, a LB that took over games and made big plays that you would expect a dominant LB to make.
Leading the league in tackles isn't dominant? 20/20 hindsight says the workhorse Curtis Martin had an amazing career. Never flashy, just getting the job done. Like Vilma.
Career Stats Tackles Sacks Interceptions Misc G Solo Ast Total Sack YdsL Int Yds IntTD Def TD FFum PD Sfty Vilma 16 77 31 108 2.0 13 3 58 1 1 0 5 0 Harris10 52 25 77 2.0 21 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Here are the numbers (hopt the formatting is clear), it seems to me that they are both pretty comparable.
