David Harris article

[OG Hack Wilson]

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerJets linebacker David Harris protects the ball with both arms as he runs back an interception in the second half against the Titans.


It was a Wally Pipp moment for former Jets inside linebacker Jonathan Vilma, one that essentially ended his career with the club and introduced then-rookie David Harris to the NFL.

In Week 7 of the 2007 season, Vilma, who was touted as the next great Jets linebacker, suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Bengals. The following week, Harris made his first start and notched 14 tackles and a sack against Buffalo. The next game, he recorded 20 tackles against Washington.

That offseason, Vilma, who was an ill fit for the 3-4 scheme under then-coach Eric Mangini, was traded to the Saints for a third-round pick. It was a win-win for both sides.

The pair of bone-rattling linebackers will lead their respective teams into battle on Sunday when the Jets (3-0) meet the Saints (3-0) in a clash of unbeatens at the Superdome.

And Harris can rest assured he’ll be a Jet for a long, long time.

‘‘There’s no question that he’s a Pro Bowl player,’’ Jets coach Rex Ryan said. ‘‘You guys (the media) always say he’s mentioned in trade deals. That’s one guy I promise isn’t going to be in any trade.’’

On Sunday, Harris showed why he’s an untouchable as he had five tackles, a sack and an interception in the Jets’ 24-17 victory over the Titans. Both his interception and sack came in the fourth quarter and helped seal the game.

‘‘They were momentum shifters,’’ fellow inside linebacker Bart Scott said.

Harris, 6-2 and 245 pounds, has a team-high 24 tackles, team-leading two sacks, six quarterback hurries and an interception this season. On a defense loaded with trash talkers, the soft-spoken Harris speaks his piece on Sunday afternoon with his pads.

The third-year pro had a team-best 12 tackles and a sack in the opener against Houston. He recorded seven tackles and three quarterback hits versus the Patriots. He has been omnipresent in the Jets’ new blitz-happy scheme, which allows him to play downhill and attack rather than read-and-react.

By comparison, Vilma, playing in a 4-3 scheme, has 16 tackles and one sack for the Saints’ 10th-ranked defense this season.

Harris and Scott (18 tackles, seven quarterback hurries) spearhead a Jets defense that is ranked third in the NFL, yielding 256.0 yards per game, and has given up just two touchdowns. The unit can go get the quarterback, as it did against the Texans and Patriots, or play the smash-mouth game, which was the case against the Titans.

The Jets held ultra-fast Titans running back Chris Johnson to 97 yards on 22 carries and frustrated quarterback Kerry Collins (15 of 37 for 170 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, two sacks), whose final 13 passes were incomplete.

‘‘Rex and (defensive coordinator) Mike Pettine brought a great scheme over from Baltimore,’’ said Harris, who was slowed by multiple injuries last season and played in just 11 games. ‘‘Now, it’s just play fast, make plays and knock the crap out of people. It’s fun.’’

Harris, a second-round pick out of Michigan who had 117 tackles and five sacks as a rookie, plays inside along with Scott in the Jets’ 3-4 base scheme. He seems to always find a path to the quarterback on the blitz and blow up running plays with highlight-reel hits.

‘‘You see the athletic ability,’’ safety Jim Leonhard said. ‘‘He has great recognition in the run and pass game. One of the biggest things to me is how quickly he learned this defense. He knows generally where the ball is going to end up.’’

Against the Titans, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez had just thrown an interception with the Jets clinging to a 24-17 lead with 6:35 left in the fourth quarter when Harris turned in the first of his two game-changing plays down the stretch.

On second-and-15 from the Jets’ 44-yard line, Harris picked off a short Collins throw near the right sideline intended for tight end Alge Crumpler and returned it 14 yards.

‘‘In the first quarter, (Collins) threw a ball right by my head in almost the same defense,’’ Harris said. ‘‘The second time, I was reading his eyes and he threw it right to me.’’

Minutes later, Harris cemented the game, sacking Collins for an eight-yard loss on a second-and-15 from the Tennessee 41-yard line with 2:18 to play.

Game, set, match.

‘‘I came off the edge,’’ Harris said. ‘‘Nobody picked me up.’’

Ouch.