PATRIOTS Harrison earns respect in first year

The free agent pickup was named one of the team's defensive captains.
HOUSTON (AP) -- Rodney Harrison came to the New England Patriots with a reputation as a standout, but also a cheap player, a hard-hitting safety who has been fined more than $200,000 by the NFL.
Some players might have kept quiet and tried to fit in, gradually earning the respect of their new teammates.
"If that's the case," Harrison said with a smile, "I really went about it the wrong way."
On the second day of training camp, Harrison hit receiver Troy Brown on a route across the middle and poked him in the eye; Brown threw the ball at him. A little later on, Harrison leveled running back Kevin Faulk and had words with offensive lineman Matt Light when he came to Faulk's defense.
"It wasn't about me making friends," Harrison says now. "It was about me proving that I still had some gas in my tank and I could still play."
Team leader
Just a month or so later, his teammates were convinced: A group of them went to coach Bill Belichick and asked him to make Harrison one of the defensive captains.
"I think that speaks to the leadership and the respect that he has on the team," Belichick said. "He kind of quarterbacks the secondary back there.
"He's had a very good year for us in all aspects of the game, and he's had a strong leadership role on the team, as well."
Harrison said he was surprised but also touched by his teammates' campaign.
"When you come into a situation, you never want to step on anyone's toes. You never want to wear out your welcome," he said. "For them to embrace me like that really meant a lot to me."
A Chicagoan who was not recruited by Big Ten schools, Harrison went to Western Illinois and then to San Diego as a fifth-round draft pick in 1994. He played in the Super Bowl as a rookie and though the Chargers made the playoffs again the next year, he hasn't been back since.
"Being a rookie getting to the Super Bowl, you take everything for granted," Harrison said. "I mean, you win a bunch of games and all of a sudden, you think wins are easy. But after enduring losing seasons, you realize how hard it is."
Now, he's back with a new team.
"You appreciate it a lot more," Harrison said.
And his teammates appreciate him.
Overcoming reputation
The Patriots were well aware of his reputation when he signed as a free agent during the off-season, and many admit they were curious how he would fit in on a tight-knit team with a defense that didn't lack for leaders.
"We all knew who he was," receiver David Givens said, recalling how things were during training camp. "He had a reputation as being an aggressive safety. There were a few guys thinking, 'Why is he being so aggressive now?' "
Because it's the only way he knew.
"Ever since I was 7-years old, I've been playing the same way. That's the way I play football," Harrison said. "I play with a rage. I don't know what it is. I just love the sport."