FOXBORO -- Rodney Harrison didn't have to stand in the Patriots locker room yesterday and beat his chest, crowing "I told you so" to the assembled media.

Harrison's biggest statement to those who doubted his ability to come back from a devastating knee injury came Saturday night, when he was on the field for 15 plays against the Redskins.

The 33-year-old safety, who tore the anterior and posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee in the first quarter of New England's game with Pittsburgh last Sept. 25, made his return to the field several weeks before it had been expected.

A man who wears his heart on his sleeve, Harrison called Saturday one of the most emotional games of his 13-year career.

"I got a good, warm feeling on the field. I felt at peace," he said. "If I wasn't supposed to be here, I wouldn't be here."

Harrison has built his career on proving doubters wrong. He was a first-team All-American in college -- but it was at I-AA Western Illinois, so he wasn't drafted by San Diego until the fifth round (145th overall). Despite Pro Bowl appearances in 1998 and 2001 with the Chargers, coach Marty Schottenheimer cut Harrison in February, 2003. Though he was just 30 years old, some were already starting to say the hard-hitting defender was past his prime.

Scooped up by Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli less than two weeks after being cut, Harrison came to New England with the "past-his-prime" chip firmly on his shoulders. He has shown to be anything but on the downside of his career.

In his first season with the Pats, he tallied a career-high 140 tackles -- the most in the league by a defensive back -- and added three sacks and three interceptions. The next year, he notched 138 tackles, and stepped it up even more in the postseason, with 27 tackles and four interceptions in three playoff games.

The game before his knee injury, Harrison recorded 11 tackles against the Carolina Panthers.

He didn't have any Saturday night against Washington, but that was more a product of the Pats' dominating front seven than anything Harrison didn't -- or couldn't -- do. Harrison said he was looking for contact.

On Sunday, Harrison felt few, if any, of his usual day-after aches and pains.

"I felt good. I was tired. I only got about six hours sleep, but I came in here around 8 o'clock in the morning. I lifted weights, I ran. It was different because sometimes on Mondays you're hurting so much you can't do anything but get in the hot or cold tub. But I actually got a workout," he said.

Strangely, the time off may end up doing Harrison good. Immediately after his surgery, he was confined to the couch, though in time he was riding a bike. The weight room followed.

"When you have almost a year off, it gives your body time to really recover and just kind of settle. To have that time off, it helps so many other parts of your body," Harrison said.

His rested body is now able to do things it hadn't done in a while. Harrison said he hasn't been able to do squats in the weight room for years because it would hurt his knees so badly, but now he can, and added his legs are stronger than ever.

"I think that was key to my recovery," he said. "Getting my legs back strong where they needed to be and having that confidence."

Harrison came off the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 7, but came back slowly at first. He took part in every practice the week before the Washington game, something he considered a big step in his comeback.

He may not be 100 percent -- "I haven't been 100 percent since I was 23," he quipped yesterday -- but every day he's getting more confidence, more experience, better timing.

The desire to hit a running back trying to get to the open field? That's always been there.

smanza@projo.com / (401) 277-7340