So it seems the Colts are going to cut Marvin Harrison in the next few. The move is largely a financial one as it will save the Colts roughly $6 million this season. Even with Harrison's drop-off in production these past two seasons, I thought that he and the Colts would reach some sort of deal to keep Harrison in Indianapolis.
Harrison was drafted in the first round by the Colts back in 1996. He has played with Peyton Manning since 1998 (when Manning entered the league) and the two hold all kinds of records because of each other. They hold the record for the most touchdowns thrown between two players ever, though they're lucky Jerry Rice had his time with the Niners split between two quarterbacks.
Anyways, it's hard to imagine Marvin Harrison playing anywhere else but Indianapolis. But then, I suppose it was hard to imagine Brett Favre playing anywhere else but Green Bay, but he was in New York last year so clearly it can happen. Wait, didn't I write about how sick I was of hearing about Favre a little while ago? And here I am, bringing him back to relevancy. What have I done?
But Harrison will be gone. Early rumors have him possibly signing with his hometown Eagles to play alongside Donovan McNabb, whom Harrison played alongside with at Syracuse. I can see New England also making a fake run at him, if for nothing else then to freak out fans in Indy. I wouldn't put something like that past Belichick, would you? Arizona would also make some sense to me as they could use a compliment for Larry Fitzgerald next season and are likely to lose Anquan Boldin this offseason. This scenario though is unlikely as they are going to commit a lot of money to Kurt Warner (or at least they hope he'll take their money and stay) but it would give the Cards as a shot to make it back to the Super Bowl.
It would seem that Harrison moving on won't hurt the Colts so much on the field as they haven't relied on him as much the past few years. However, I think this is a huge loss for the Colts. I think Manning cares a whole lot about his public image. Why else would he do so many commercials save for trying to get people to like him? If the Colts start out 2-3, how will Manning react now lacking the other half of his dynamic duo? Add on to that the fact that the Colts also have a new coach (albeit from within their organization and the proclaimed successor to Tony Dungy) this season, and this could be a long season for Indy fans.
Aside from maybe New England and Pittsburgh where football is 100% business, a cohesive football locker room is huge. Look at what T.O. did in Dallas. Look at what Ocho Cinco did to Cincinnati, well that and the damage to Carson Palmer's knee. Harrison and Dungy are now gone. How will Indy's locker room react without two obvious team leaders? Check back around Week 8.
While I'm on the topic of recently cut face of the franchises, let's talk about Fred Taylor for a bit. When he was cut I remember seeing an interview with John Clayton saying he would likely sign with a contender that needs a feature running back. It took until the Patriots brought him in to workout for NFL experts to realize that he might end up in New England.
It took me and my room mate all of reading the scroll bar before seeing Clayton to realize he might end up a Patriot. What doesn't make sense about this? Chance at a ring. Ability to start, or at least, get a bulk of the carries. Kind of reminds me when the Pats picked up Corey Dillon at the end of his career and went on to win the Super Bowl.
Teams should be afraid of going against stars in the twilight of their career after they have been let go by the one team they are associated with, that is, unless said star is Brett Favre in the second half of a season (I'm Ok with bringing Favre up again if it is to mock him). You don't want to go against a star who still has some gas left in their tank and has a chip on their shoulder wanting to prove it. I expect big things from Harrison and Taylor next year.
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