Cliff Harris is a quote machine. Already in this season he's had a dozen memorable lines, beginning with Lucas Clark's ground-breaking story in the Oregon Daily Emerald:
Two years ago, a lanky 17-year-old from Fresno, Calif., stood up and addressed his teammates for the first time.
"My name is Cliff Harris, and I'm here to lock shit down," the newest addition to the Oregon secondary said. Harris then immediately returned to his seat without uttering another word.
The legend grew with every big play. The camera loves Harris and his youthful Alfalfa dreadlocks, and Kash is not shy in front of the camera. He told his hometown newspaper he was "the cheese on top of the nachos" on this team, and it was hard to argue with the results: he broke a 50-year old Oregon record for punt return average, returned four punts and an interception for touchdowns, and led the conference in pass interceptions and breakups.
Most coaches and athletes learn early to respond with the cliches and the predictable answers. They seldom deviate from the script. Harris is different, refreshing and unpredictable, a kid at heart.
The worry is that Harris' brash, honest sound bites will give Auburn motivation and make him a target in the game. The worry also is that he'll become a distraction for his teammates. Harris stirs the pot, and the media, anxious for angles and storylines, will take his quips and quotes and bring them up again and again as the game approaches.
Last Saturday in the opening moments of The Civil War the heart rates of Duck fans jumped thirty points apiece when Harris was stripped on a punt return after the Duck defense stoned the Beavers on their first possession (the replays clearly show Harris' knee was down, but he has to take the officials out of that kind of play--no strip, no blown call. The play, however, absolutely should have been reviewed.) It seemed Harris had allowed his mouth to write a check his play couldn't cash, or brought the wrath of Juju down on his unrepentant arrogance. But Oregon's sophomore cornerback went on to have a very good game, three tackles and a pass break up, locking things down on one side of the field as OSU threw mostly away from him.
Harris talks because he's just being himself. He's a confident, fun-loving kid. Fans are always irritated by the cliches and canned answers; if that's the case, Harris deserves credit for being honest, refreshing and individual.
But the question is, in such a high-profile game, with so much riding on it, Oregon reaching a pinnacle it hasn't reached in 114 years of football, do the coaches play it safe with Harris, or just let Cliffy be Cliffy?
I say play it safe. Make him unavailable to the media. No reason to let him say something that could further motivate Auburn. They are plenty good on their own.
ReplyDeleteIn a game like this, I doubt trash talk can add motivation for an opponent. It's not like anyone has to "get up" for the NC game.
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