James Harrison’s dedication to the Steelers and the game of football goes beyond the field

So by this point, you’ve seen plenty of videos of James Harrison hitting the gym and lifting ridiculous amounts of weight. The 38-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker doesn’t have anything left to prove to the fan base, the Steelers organization or even the game of football.

Yet here we are, talking about how Harrison is beating back Father Time with a 45-pound plate, and doing it in style.

I had to chuckle this week when I saw fans of the Kansas City Chiefs talking about Tamba Hali’s age and how his skills are diminishing at age 33. I chuckled because of Harrison, who’s five years older and his work ethic is second to none.

If you follow Harrison on Instagram, you know he’s an early riser when it comes to his conditioning. Always the first one in the weight room and guaranteed to never be outworked. But when the Steelers’ plane touched down at Pittsburgh International Airport at almost 5 a.m. ET Monday morning, while most players were heading home to catch some shut-eye, Harrison was back in the Steelers’ weight room, working out.

Just watch the videos posted on his verified Instagram account:

To suggest Harrison wants to win another Super Bowl might be an understatement, but his dedication to the game and the team should absolutely be infectious for the rest of the players.

Harrison has put in the time, the blood, the sweat and even the tears when it comes to this team and this game. At 38 years old, he has nothing left to prove. He doesn’t need to hit the gym at 7 a.m. after a game, or right after returning from a playoff win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

At a time when the talk is all about Antonio Brown and his Facebook Live video, maybe the talk should be about Harrison. The man who has turned back time and reinvigorated the Steelers’ defense is leading, not in the rah-rah way, but by example.

Let’s just hope the rest of the team takes notice and starts following his lead — all the way to Super Bowl 51.