Is Marvin Harrison Responsible for Peyton Manning’s Success?
Marvin Harrison’s Indianapolis Colts’ career officially ended when the Indianapolis Colts granted him his release.
The release marks the end of the most prolific quarterback and wide receiver duo in NFL history.
During their magnificent journey together, Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison set NFL records for completions (971), receiving yards (13,090), and touchdowns (110).
The Colts had to make the move. Marvin Harrison is clearly on the downside of his NFL career.
He was set to make approximately $9 million dollars in 2009. The Colts receive over $6 million dollars in cap relief by making this move.
That was too much salary for a player coming off a season where his quarterback was the MVP of the NFL, yet Harrison only recorded 60 receptions for 636 yards and five touchdowns.
Two of those five touchdowns came in a 31-3 win over the Ravens, and Harrison recorded zero 100-yard games in 2008.
The question that is going to come up is who was more responsible for the others success?
Is Peyton Manning in position to be a Hall of Fame quarterback because he played with a receiver as great as Marvin Harrison, or did Peyton Manning turn Marvin Harrison into a Hall of Fame receiver?
While it is obviously a little bit of both, I think Peyton Manning was more responsible for turning Marvin Harrison into a Hall of Fame wide receiver than the other way around.
I think Marvin Harrison is the main reason that Peyton Manning had such early success from 1999-2002. Once Tony Dungy arrived, the Colts became more balanced and Peyton Manning was the reason that Marvin Harrison stayed as productive as he was from 2003 to 2006.
Seeing the most successful years of Peyton Manning’s career come from 2003 going forward, I think Peyton Manning is going to go down as the guy that was more responsible for Marvin Harrison’s Hall of Fame resume.
Marvin Harrison would have been a great receiver no matter where he played. However, he wasn’t 6’ 5” tall. He didn’t run the 40-yard dash in 4.2 seconds. He was not the most physically gifted receiver of all time, but he ran very good routes and had exceptional hands. It served him very well early in his career.
From 1999 to 2002, he could have played anywhere and been one of the elite receivers in the NFL. After 2002, he turned 30 years old and was still a very good receiver, but not the elite receiver in the NFL.
Had he not played with someone like Peyton Manning it is possible his numbers would have tailed off even more and sooner. It is debatable whether 1999 to 2002 would have been enough to get him in the Hall of Fame.
Marvin Harrison played two years before the Colts drafted Peyton Manning. His rookie season he had 64 catches for 836 yards and eight touchdowns. His second year he had 73 catches for 866 yards and six touchdowns.
When Manning came to Indy as a rookie, Harrison had 59 catches for 776 yards and seven touchdowns. Because those numbers are pretty pedestrian, many people will make the conclusion that Peyton Manning made Marvin Harrison his entire career.
Keep in mind that receivers take a little longer to develop than running backs do. Receivers usually don’t break out until their third year in the league. I chalk some of Harrison’s pedestrian numbers early in his career to not having a dominant quarterback to go along with learning the NFL passing system.
Reggie Wayne has been so productive for so long that many forget why the Colts took him in the first round. They lacked a stable force at the No. 2 spot prior to Wayne getting there.
From 1999 to 2002, Harrison put up numbers the league had never seen.
He had four consecutive seasons with over 100 catches. He had four consecutive seasons with over 10 touchdowns. He had four consecutive seasons with over 1,400 yards.
His 1,722 yards in 2002 is the fourth-highest single-season total in NFL history.
His 1,663 yards receiving in 1999 rank seventh.
The only other receiver with two seasons in the top-10 is Torry Holt (2000 & 2003).
Harrison also set a NFL record with 143 receptions in 2002. Chris Carter is second with 123.
In those four seasons, Marvin Harrison averaged 117.25 receptions for 1,580.5 receiving yards, and 13 receiving touchdowns.
Furthermore, the Colts had no other quality receivers.
In 1999, Terrence Wilkins finished second among receivers on the Colts with 42 catches for 565 yards and four touchdowns.
In 2000, Jerome Pathon emerged as the No. 2 receiver with 50 receptions for 646 yards and three touchdowns.
In 2001, Marcus Pollard emerged at tight end.
That year, the receiver with the most yards not named Harrison was rookie Reggie Wayne with 345.
In 2002, Wayne had 49 catches for 716 yards and four touchdowns. Wayne would finally break out in 2003 and the rest was history.
You’d be kidding yourself if you didn’t think that Marvin Harrison made Peyton Manning from 1999 to 2002. Harrison was the only threat the Colts had at the receiver spot. His numbers dwarfed the competition on his own squad. He was arguably the best receiver in the NFL for those four years. Manning made three Pro Bowls from 1999 to 2002 and averaged 28 touchdown passes per season. A stunning 46.4 percent of those touchdown passes were to Harrison. He wouldn’t be doing that without Harrison given the supporting cast that was in place.
Once Tony Dungy came aboard, the Colts became a different team. The year 2002 was Dungy’s first season there. The following season, 2003, was Wayne’s breakout year.
From 2003 to 2008, the Colts went 86-48. Peyton Manning won three MVP awards. The Colts won the Super Bowl in 2006. Those are the Colts teams that will be remembered in Indianapolis.
From 2003 to 2006, Manning threw 137 touchdown passes. Harrison only accounted for 49 of those or 35.7 percent of the touchdown throws. Edgerrin James still put up his big numbers. Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes would resume those responsibilities from 2006 forward.
However, Harrison wasn’t the only weapon in the passing game anymore. He never had over 100 receptions from 2003 forward. Reggie Wayne, Marcus Pollard, Brandon Stokley, and a host of other players became a major part of the offense. Containing Harrison was the least of opponents’ worries. There was no answer for all the weapons the Colts could put on the field.
In fact, Manning hasn’t really missed Harrison the last two seasons. Reggie Wayne has emerged as their No. 1 threat. Manning had 31 touchdown passes in 2007. He had 27 touchdown passes in 2008 and won the NFL MVP. Both seasons he threw over 4,000 yards.
Harrison only accounted for 883 of those yards and six of those touchdowns.
Quarterbacks are remembered for the high points of their career. When you think of Johnny Unitas, you think of the guy from 1958 to 1967.
When you think of Montana, you think of the guy from 1981 to 1990.
I believe that when Peyton Manning hangs them up he will be remembered as the guy from 2003 to 2008 that won three MVP awards, threw for 49 touchdowns in 2004, and won the Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP award in 2006 under Coach Dungy.
Marvin Harrison was good for many of those years, but he wasn’t the dominant player he was from 1999 to 2002. In that sense, Peyton Manning will be remembered for making Harrison a great wide receiver during the prime years of Manning’s career.
However, you can’t underestimate the role that Marvin Harrison played in Peyton Manning’s development from 1998 to 2002. Without those formative years, Peyton Manning would not be the Peyton Manning he is today. He would not be in position to break Brett Favre’s career records.
In that regard, Marvin Harrison was largely responsible for Peyton Manning becoming that MVP quarterback from 2003 to 2008, even though Marvin Harrison’s role in the offense diminished when compared to his 1999 to 2002 production.
Without Harrison Manning is still a Hall of Fame quarterback, but probably not one of the 10 best to ever play the position at just 33-years old.
The only knock on Harrison, just like the other Colts players, is that he never came up big in the postseason.
In 16 playoff games, he was downright dreadful. The only 100- yard game he tallied was in a 2004 wildcard game against Denver. The only two playoff touchdowns he ever scored were also in that game.
If you take out that one Denver game, this was a typical line for Marvin Harrison: 3.9 catches for 49.9 yards and zero touchdowns. In eight of his 16 playoff games he failed to tally more than 50 yards receiving.
Reggie Wayne was the much more dominant playoff performer scoring eight touchdowns in 13 playoff games. Harrison made disappearing in the playoffs a routine part of his January’s NFL career.
Just as interesting as the who made whose career more memorable is who was more responsible for the Colts playoff losses from 1999 to 2008?
Was it Peyton Manning’s fault and thus the receivers couldn’t do their job, or were the receivers to blame for Manning’s struggles in the playoffs?
In the eight playoff losses since 1999 the Colts have averaged a mere 13 points per game, despite ranking in the top-five in scoring offense seven of those nine times. Harrison disappearing in the postseason had a lot to do with that.
Regardless of the playoff failures, Marvin Harrison’s legacy is secure.
He ranks second in career receptions with 1,102. He ranks fourth in receiving yards with 14,580 yards. He ranks fifth in receiving touchdowns with 128.
Yes, he played with a Hall of Fame quarterback. Who cares? Jerry Rice played with two. Harrison is without question one of the top-10 receivers in NFL history. Harrison is an eight-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All Pro First team selection. He won a Super Bowl in 2006.
Harrison will finish his career in another uniform, but he will always be remembered as an Indianapolis Colt. He and Peyton Manning will be also remembered as the most prolific quarterback-receiving combo in NFL history.
The NFL landscape is changing.
Brett Favre appears to be retired for good. Last year it was strange to see him in a Jets’ uniform. Ray Lewis will explore free agency and could end up in a different uniform this upcoming season. There is not guarantee that LaDainian Tomlinson will be back with the Chargers.
These are the biggest names in the game over the past 20 seasons.
Marvin Harrison in a different uniform will be just as strange as those other developments. It is a shame that free agency and the salary cap make it hard for people to keep the faces of their franchise in the twilight of their career.
There is something to be said for spending your entire career with one team. Marvin Harrison should have retired a Colt, but then again Favre should have retired a Packer, Rice a 49er, and Smith a Cowboy. Harrison won’t be the first Hall of Famer to change uniforms at the end of his career and he certainly won’t be the last.
Playing your entire career with one team is very hard to accomplish today.
A part of me will be sad that Marvin Harrison is no longer a Colt. It will be interesting to see if he can help another team become a contender in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career. While he is no longer the guy that was good for over 100 catches, 1,500 yards, and 12 touchdowns, he still has a lot to offer as a third down receiver and as a team leader. Whoever lands him has the potential to really improve their team, especially in the intangible areas.
I think it would be fitting if he signed with the Giants. Plaxico Burress has legal dilemmas; they need veteran receivers, and who better to throw to Marvin Harrison than Eli Manning?
If that does happen, it will be one of the more interesting storylines of the offseason. Stay tuned.
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3 Responses to “Is Marvin Harrison Responsible for Peyton Manning’s Success?”
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WHAT???
Ken Dilger, Terrence Wilkins 1999 – 2002
Pollard 2000
Wayne arrived in 2001
Troy Walters 2002 then Stokely 2003…
Peytons success was NOT based soley on Harrison. Tom Moore is, was, and will continue to be the reason for his success from a team standpoint.
Tony – Thanks for the comments. Name one place in that article where I said Harrison was the sole reason for Peyton Manning’s success. Tom Moore was very important for Manning. As was Edge James.
Terrence Wilkins had 144 catches for 1,307 yards and 3 touchdowns from 1996 to 2002. Compare that to Harrison who had 143 catches for 1,722 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2002 alone. In that 2002 season Walters chipped in with 18 catches for 207 yards an 0 touchdowns.
Let’s be realistic. Harrison was the only real NFL weapon Manning had at receiver from 1999 to 2002. Once Wayne, Stokely, Pollard, and Clark developed it became a much more balanced offense. Those guys came in to their own in 2003 and after.
Peyton Manning couldn’t put up 4,000 yards and 30 touchdown passes with Stokely on his left, Walters on his right, and Dilger as his tight end. In order to succeed in the NFL you have to have someone that NFL defenses fear. From 1999 to 2002 that was Harrison. That is why I was saying Manning owes a lot of his success early in his career to Harrison. That doesn’t mean all his success. But Harrison played a pretty big role.
wow,it’s a helluva lot easier to make the argument that manning made harrison than the other way around. the fact that you are attributing manning’s early success to harrison is purely speculative conjecture. As real proof of what they are without one another, consider last year, when Manning posted over 4000 yards and 30 tds in his 3rd mvp campaign, more importantly, without harrison. it is hard to make the argument that harrison was responsible for manning’s success when you consider that his best years all came under manning and the ones in which he didnt, certainly didnt achieve the same level of production. It really sounds like you’re making excuses for WHY harrison had 3 bad campaigns without manning rather than HOW harrison made manning the qb he is today.