Harrison’s future best determined by. . . Harrison

By Anthony Bialy  |   Wednesday, February 13, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Indianapolis Colts
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The only one who gets to decide what's in store for Marvin Harrison is Marvin Harrison. The curiosity over his future is understandable, but it's still never right for an outsider to lecture a player about when it's time to contemplate leaving the league, as some have been rumbling in the wideout's case. More crucially, even though his knee injury was clearly more serious than it first appeared, that doesn't mean that he's facing such a precipitous decline that he may as well retire right now.

Regardless of what decision he makes, overwhelmingly superior numbers have become the prominent feature of Harrison's career. He's caught 1,042 passes for 13,944 yards while getting into the end zone 123 times since he entered the league in 1996. Unlike with other receivers who have recently had their chains yanked by the selection committee, he will get in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, as Harrison has rapidly ascended into all-time great territory.

Of course, the pressing concern is that he only caught 20 of those passes this past season. But, even though he appeared in a mere five regular contests in 2007, the most important positive fact is that this was the first occasion where Harrison was inactive for a duration lasting longer than a season's quarter.

The only other time before last year that Harrison had been held out for consecutive weeks was on account of a separated shoulder that relegated him to the sideline during 1998's final four games. Throw in a single missed contest in both 2003 and 2005, and we have a portrait of a player who hasn't faced questions regarding durability before. He established a sold track record of attendance throughout the 11 previous seasons he spent in the NFL before this past one.

That said, age could be a factor in his decision. Harrison will be 36 by 2008's Week 1, and a serious injury at this point in time is a bigger issue than it would have been a decade ago. But a player renowned for staying in excellent shape should have a high chance of making it back if he chooses to make an attempt at doing so, even if the quantity of birthdays he's had was one of the reasons his knee nagged him for as long as it did.

Talk of Harrison retiring is reminiscent of commentary regarding whether his coach Tony Dungy should have been contemplating leaving the ranks at his relatively young age. The criticism of Dungy was based on him leaving too soon while that aimed at Harrison is in regard to him staying too long, but the tone is the same.

Certainly, coaches also don't face the physical wear that players must consider when deciding if to stay in the game for another season, but, regardless of the job title of the individual in question, there remains a particular segment of bossy fans and commentators who feel they know what to do on behalf of those employed by NFL franchises.

Aside from the arrogance of making career decisions for others, the talk also ignores the obvious fact that Harrison will get until nearly fall to rehab completely. It's much too early and there's way too little information to speculate about whether this might be the end of Harrison's fantastic career; we'll just have to wait until the one person whose opinion matters, namely Harrison himself, either makes a very understated retirement announcement or shows up quietly to camp.
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