Marvin Harrison Is THAT Good
| 12
|
by user Joebook
As I was looking at some football numbers for no reason, I stumbled upon the career numbers of Marvin Harrison. Every year, I preach to nobody that Harrison is too small, or too slow to be an elite receiver... and every year since 1997, he's proved me wrong.
A simple glance at his totals reveals that he ranks among football's immortals. He already has 52 catches this season, bringing his career total to 979, good for 4th in history. He'll likely pass Tim Brown's 1094 catches next season and Cris Carter's 1101 toward the end of the 2007 season or the beginning of '08.
His five touchdowns this year bumps his career number to 115, #3 all-time. Carter is next on that list, with 130. And yardage? Add his 698 yards at the halfway point of this season onto the career yards, and he has 13029. He should pass Steve Largent (13089) next week, and could take sole possession of 2nd rank by the end of the '07 season.
Can he catch Jerry Rice?
Maybe... but it would take a hell of an effort.
Harrison is only 34 years old, and while that's an age that usually spells a slowdown for receivers, several players have bucked the trend. Isaac Bruce is on pace for another 1000+ yard season at 34, Joey Galloway is still burning defenders at 35, and Keenan McCardell comes off a 900+ yard, 9 TD season at 36.
Rice himself played until he was 42, but was ineffective the last two seasons of his storied career. After the season that he was 34, Rice continued on for 499 more catches, 6518 yards and 43 touchdowns. This includes the 1997 season in which Rice only played two games due to injury.
If you complete Harrison's 2006 season with 90 catches, 1300 yards and 10 TD, and add Rice's numbers post-34 years old, Harrison is dangerously close to eclipsing number 80. Will this happen? Probably not.
What does all of this mean? Harrison will probably finish his career as the #2 wide receiver in the history of professional football. It also means that nobody will ever catch Jerry Rice in many categories.
There aren't many who would have predicted greatness for the skinny kid out of Syracuse, but he's achieved levels only one man ever has been able to reach.
Let's appreciate Marvin Harrison while he's around.
