PITTSBURGH -- James Henry Harrison was born on May 4, 1978, in Akron, Ohio.
Instead of a pacifier, he had a mouthpiece. Instead of a rattle, a barbell.
Born to be a Steeler.
Thirty-nine years later, Harrison has cemented a place in franchise folklore. Now it's time to punctuate that career. Here's how the franchise's all-time sack leader can do just that by fulfilling his two-year contract and aiding the Pittsburgh Steelers' quest for a seventh Super Bowl.
Keep lifting obscene weights: Each day, Harrison uses social media to display his self-proclaimed #oldmanstrength with weightlifting sessions that only a few men on Earth can properly execute. During his birthday week, he offered to do 39 reps on a sled filled with 31 45-pound plates. Even new first-round pick T.J. Watt admits Harrison's workouts "freak me out a little bit."
This is how Harrison keeps his edge, and that edge could vault him to a 16th NFL season in 2018. Before playing a down, Harrison's work in the weight room sets a tone in the Steelers' facility. Teammates know they can't compete with it, but they go harder as a result.
Keep spending big money on his body: Last year, Harrison revealed to reporter Andrea Kremer on NFL Network that he spends roughly $350,000 per year on his body. From masseur to chiropractor to dry need list, Harrison writes checks to keep his body in check. The demands of his power-lifting workouts require intense recovery methods. That two-step plan is the best way Harrison can gut-punch Father Time. The Steelers are careful with Harrison, keeping him out of most training camp workouts and giving him rest days during the season. The Steelers and Harrison should follow a similar script this year.
Fend off the young dudes trying to take his job: This one is crucial. Bud Dupree started to look like a first-round pick late last season, but he wasn't a threat to Harrison because Dupree manned the left outside linebacker spot while Harrison stayed on the right. The two effectively killed the Steelers' four-man rotation, relegating Arthur Moats, current Arizona Cardinal Jarvis Jones and Anthony Chickillo to bit roles. But if Watt fulfills his first-round billing more than Jones did, this could get interesting. Finding snaps for Watt might reduce the workload of Dupree or Harrison. That might not be such a bad thing for Harrison at times. But the great young players always want to unseat the vet. It's Harrison's job to again take ownership of his role.
Stay fueled by the doubt: Before Harrison played the role of intimidator, he played the NFL journeyman. Anyone who spent time with the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe doesn't take a day in the big leagues for granted, even 14 years later.
Harrison also has been released by three-fourths of the AFC North at points in his career. Only the Cleveland Browns never had Harrison on their roster.
But when you talk with Harrison, nothing roils him quite like the NFL. The league launched an investigation into Al-Jazeera America claims, which have since been debunked, that he used performance-enhancing drugs.
Some players manufacture doubt as self-motivation, but Harrison doesn't need that. His doubt stays frothily on tap.
Give the NFL one or two more good-natured sparring sessions: When I interviewed Harrison's mother, Mildred, over the phone during the 2016 season about her son's sustainability, she said: "Tell [NFL commissioner Roger] Goodell to leave my son alone. He doesn't want to answer to me."
The NFL might be digging in Harrison's pockets again -- not for hits, but for fines related to players attending a Las Vegas arm wrestling championship that violates league gambling rules. Several players who were at the event are expecting a fine any day now.
The amount won't be exorbitant, and Harrison's contract should give him incentive. The two-year, $3.5 million deal Harrison signed in early March includes a $500,000 signing bonus and a $500,000 roster bonus. The rest comes in base salary, including $1.3 million in 2018. Unless he breaks down this season, playing out the full $3.5 million would cue a nice, tidy farewell for an accomplished Steeler.