Marvin Harrison Jr. said on June 2 that last season’s injuries have given him a greater appreciation for playing football, as he continues to recover from lingering foot issues and missed significant time due to various ailments.
“It sucks not playing,” the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver said. “I’ve never been injured or missed a game, from little league to high school to college, so staying on the sidelines, that definitely sucks for half the year basically. I don’t want to say it lights a fire, just makes you appreciate the game more.”
Harrison described how a concussion in Week 6 against the Colts initially sidelined him, followed by emergency appendicitis surgery in November and subsequent heel and foot injuries. These setbacks disrupted his rhythm throughout the season; he played in 12 games with 41 receptions for 609 yards and four touchdowns. His best performances came against teams like the Seahawks, Titans, and Cowboys but were often followed by further injuries.
“Comfort me? No,” Harrison said when asked about positive takeaways from strong individual games. “I don’t really look at any positives, it’s always kind of the negative. I don’t really think about the Dallas game much or any of the other games before, just what to improve on,” he said. He attributed this mindset to his father, Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison Sr.
With a new offense being implemented under coach Mike LaFleur, there are opportunities for Harrison in his third year alongside teammates Michael Wilson and Trey McBride as well as draft pick Jeremiyah Love. LaFleur outlined how Harrison’s size fits into an outside X receiver role but noted that he can be moved around within formations: “What’s unique about this system… is you can move them inside and outside on a whim in terms of our formations, our motions… (Marv) is our X receiver, but again you can move him around that sometimes he is and sometimes he’s not.” LaFleur compared Harrison’s potential usage to roles previously held by Davante Adams with the Rams and Julio Jones with the Falcons.
LaFleur praised Harrison’s process: “I keep telling that whole eligible room that we need to get you between the defender and the ball because we do have a lot of size and we have really good hands within this group… Good stuff is going to happen. I hope they believe that because I certainly do.” He also highlighted Harrison’s football intelligence: “because Harrison’s football I.Q. is so high, he doesn’t have to hear the lesson multiple times for him to understand it.” For his part, Harrison said learning LaFleur’s offense has been exciting while staying healthy remains his main focus: “I feel like if I’m out there everything is going to take care of itself… I’m just doing my best I can make sure my body is right week in week out.”
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional football team based in Glendale serving greater Phoenix as part of NFC West division play; they are recognized as both one of America’s oldest continuously operating franchises as well as NFC champions from 2008, according to their official website.
