Harrison

FOXBORO — Rodney Harrison has done just about everything he can as an NFL football player.

He has two Super Bowl rings. He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl twice, and he received three first-team All-Pro honors.

Harrison contemplated retirement in the offseason after the Patriots lost Super Bowl XLII, 17-14, to the New York Giants, but the only player in NFL history to record 30 interceptions and 30 sacks simply couldn’t stay away from the game.

If there is anything that separates Harrison from some other players in the NFL it is his devotion, passion and love for the game.

So Harrison, after missing the first nine practices of training camp, returned to the field on Tuesday. Yesterday he spoke for the first time and the one topic that he could not stop talking about was his love for the sport.

“It feels good to be back,” said Harrison, who recorded 70 tackles with 1 interception and 1 forced fumble last season. “I’m finally back from the PUP list and I’m excited to be out here with my teammates.

“It’s fun to get back out here. It’s exciting. Any time you get a chance to play football with the Patriots team, to play in the National Football League, it’s a tremendous honor. I don’t take it for granted.”

Harrison has spent 14 years in the NFL. He said that he still has the passion to play and that’s why he is back. He knows that the clock is winding down on his NFL career, but while he is still here, he said that he is going to put everything he can into it.

“Hey, I’m just going day-to-day,” said Harrison, who is in the last year of his contract. “It’s good to be out here today, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow and we’ll move forward. Nothing is promised in the National Football League, with injuries and all the things that can happen. I’ll probably take it day-by-day and work hard and get better and see how I can help the team.”

Harrison said that he has more passion for the game now then he did when he first entered the league in 1994 as a 5th-round draft pick (145th overall) with the San Diego Chargers.

“It’s funny that you ask that because my workouts have really increased and the passion is still there,” Harrison said. “If it wasn’t, I definitely wouldn’t be here. I would be home with my boys and my little daughter and not on this practice field. I would never take an opportunity like this and take it for granted, so if I didn’t have that same passion, that same fire and desire, I wouldn’t be here.”

Harrison wouldn’t say if his absence from training camp was because of an injury or if he just wanted to ease into camp because he is 35 years old and his body doesn’t absorb the punishment the way it used to.

“I’m out here, and that’s the only thing that matters,” Harrison said. “I’m out here and I’m ready to go. I’m excited about it. I’m flying around out there and I’m ready for the season.”

Harrison said that there was one thing he had to decide on if he wanted to return for a 15th season: “A) Do I feel like getting up in the morning at 5:30 and working out twice a day, doing all of the little things that it takes in order to keep yourself in great shape, and B), do I want to continue to hit people and fly around and be a part of these meetings? And both answers are ‘yes.’

“I still have that [passion]. I still feel pretty good. I watched myself on tape and I’m still moving halfway decent, so I’m excited and [coach] Bill [Belichick], he still wants me to play here. My teammates still support me, so I’m excited.”

So far, Belichick has liked what he has seen out of Harrison in the two practices that he has participated in.

“It is great to have Rodney back,” Belichick said. “It was nice to see him out there yesterday. He was out there for all of the spring practices and camp. He has a confidence and a presence out there that is special.

“I am sure everyone on the field — not just the defensive backs but all the defensive players, the coaches and the offensive players — feel that presence and confidence. They feel that air that he brings in when we walks on the field.”

roblee@projo.com