Harrison would be perfect as second-best wideout for Bills

By Anthony Bialy  |   Wednesday, January 07, 2009  |  Comments( 122 )

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The Indianapolis Colts’ playoff loss to the San Diego Chargers could be a win for the Buffalo Bills. Specifically, former all-universe wideout Marvin Harrison is now one week closer to possibly becoming an ex-Colt, which means he should be closer to becoming a future Bill. Even considering his model year and mileage, Harrison would be a better second option than Buffalo’s current second through fifth or six options combined, especially considering it’s now certain that he won’t spend next season in a cell or at least wearing an ankle monitor.

The issue for the Colts is that they will blow off the cap in 2009 if things stay as they are. They’re looking to be well over the limit as of now, meaning that 13-year veterans with a reported salary cap sum of around $13 million next season should be preparing for the NFL equivalent of browsing HotJobs. Indianapolis is not going to want to take that much of a hit to someone who’s played that many years, and the likely end of his Colts career should serve as the first step toward the start of his Bills career at a reduced salary if his prospective new team knows what’s good for it.

Harrison would have been a good Bill last year just by the numbers: The Syracuse man’s low-for-him 60 receptions would have been just behind Lee Evans’ 63, and his 636 yards would have put him in second place for Buffalo in that category, too. Of course, Harrison was catching passes from best-ever candidate Peyton Manning and not the fluctuating Trent Edwards or the comically erratic J.P. Losman; on the other hand, Manning also got to throw to players like Harrison.

Figuring out if the quarterback made the wideout an all-time star or vice versa is a much nicer discussion to have than, say, what caused a team to miss the playoffs nine straight times. One argument in the receiver’s favor is that Harrison returned from a 2007 knee injury that some thought would either end his career on its own or at least push him toward the conclusion that retirement was the best option. But he rebounded respectably enough this past season to convince doubters that he could still be valuable even if he’d need to jump out of a plane to be as fast as he once was.

It’s not that Harrison’s is quite all upside at this point. He will be 37 by Week 1 of the 2009 season, and, the Philadelphia native’s 10.6 yards per reception this past season was less than Josh Reed’s rate, if that’s possible.

But the risk is worth it, as the potential advantage is that his great history isn’t through being written. This team has needed a non-Evans threat ever since a declining Eric Moulds left, and luckily the even older Harrison is still better now than Moulds was when the latter joined his second franchise.

If nothing else, they need at least a stopgap. James Hardy may eventually grow into a suitable second option, but he may not, too. Judging by his rookie season, he’s either going to take his time evolving into an NFL threat or be content to underachieve throughout a disappointing career, and the pertinent fact is that Harrison would be useful under both scenarios.

Regardless of his advanced age, the grounded player remains one of the best ever at gaining ground. Harrison has picked up over eight miles during his career, and the Bills would be foolish to think he couldn’t add around 700 more yards or so to the 14,580 he’s already gained. Harrison may have lost a step, but he hasn’t lost the precision that’s allowed him to enjoy a career as the best non-named-Rice receiver ever.

Best, the Bills don’t need Harrison to play like the circa 2002 version of himself; rather, he would merely need to function as a great sideman to current virtuoso Evans. His mere presence as a veteran with over 1,100 receptions would help both the team’s top wideout and a young quarterback in Edwards who could use such a prestigious target, and best is that he’s not stopped yet. Not only has Harrison been there, but he’s still sort of not far away from being there.
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