Some people think he's a diva. Seems like the Indianapolis front office has issues with anybody not named Peyton and badmouthed him
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-directsnap082509&prov=yhoo&type=lgnsMarvin Harrison(notes) turned 37 on Tuesday. However, the former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver shouldn’t expect a new NFL contract as a birthday gift.
At least that’s the opinion of five NFL personnel men who were asked last week about the prospects of Harrison ending up on a roster anytime soon. While that’s hardly definitive (it takes only one team to have a need for Harrison to get a job), a lot of things are working against the second-leading receiver (1,102 catches) in league history.
“The biggest question I have is, can he really play anymore?” said one general manager. “When I watched the tape of him, he really didn’t look like he had that much left. You can see that the knee [injury from 2007] is still bothering him.
The consensus opinion about Harrison, who at 6-foot, 185 pounds never has been an overpowering receiver, is that he has lost a lot of quickness. That quickness allowed him to get away from defenders in the past. Without it, opposing teams regularly were able to cover Harrison, who averaged a career-low 10.6 yards per catch last season, with nickel and dime cornerbacks.
What makes Harrison’s physical condition worse is that he offers limited potential on special teams, the prevailing thought of personnel guys. Though he occasionally could catch punts, backup wide receivers commonly have to be able to play special teams.
In addition, there is a perception that Harrison had an attitude problem. Cleverly hidden for years behind Harrison’s Garbo routine is that he and quarterback Peyton Manning(notes) didn’t get along, which could be the fault of either player. However, there is a memorable exchange that an opposing coach once had with Harrison before a game in 2006. When the coach noticed that Harrison was catching punts in warmups, he walked over to Harrison to ask what was going on.
“Marvin smiled a little, just a little, and then said, serious as a heart attack, ‘It’s the only way to get the ball around here,’ ” the coach said of a player who set an NFL record with 143 grabs in 2002 but was limited to just 80 the past two seasons.
Harrison has been deemed to be just as much a diva as a number of other receivers – without the high-profile public displays. That said, it allegedly annoyed plenty of people, which is why the Colts ultimately cut ties with him in the offseason.
Even more, there’s the off-field issue. Harrison was questioned about a shooting that took place near one of his businesses in his hometown of Philadelphia in April 2008. However, Harrison never was charged with anything.
So while reports surfaced in the offseason that Harrison wasn’t ready to retire, there’s been a stagnant to nonexistent market for his services.
“Normally, you’d think a guy like Marvin would have a few offers out there by now, but I haven’t heard of anything aside from the report that Tennessee called about him,” one personnel executive said. “Really, there’s nothing out there, and it’s not like there are some teams that couldn’t use a guy like that. Jacksonville needs a guy. Miami needs a guy. Kansas City, San Francisco, Washington, they all need somebody.”
