Marvin Harrison Jr.’s NFL debut was one of the biggest storylines heading into the Cardinals’ first game of the season against the Buffalo Bills. It wasn’t the debut anyone was hoping for, as Harrison was only targeted three times in the game, catching one of them for four yards.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Former Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin came on Wolf and Luke on Tuesday to discuss Harrison’s lackluster debut.
“That kid is talented. I think we’ve seen that over the past couple years, especially last year at Ohio State. You have to give him time, I know we’re in a day and age where everybody wants you to be successful right out the gate. I think you should take your time and allow him to develop into the receiver he’s going to be.”
There were a lot of factors as to why their top draft pick wasn’t as involved in the passing game as some fans hoped. The Bills were aggressive in putting safety help on Harrison and take away the downfield passing game of the Cardinals. Even though he hadn’t played in an NFL game, the amount of respect he was getting was a statement on the talent and abilities he possesses.
“For a guy that talented, I’m surprised they didn’t try to get the ball in his hands more. You have to move him around, you have to find ways to get the ball in his hands to make him more comfortable early on and get rapport with the quarterback.”
There are some advantages to when one player demands so much attention and respect. It takes defenders away from other pass catchers such as Trey McBride, Greg Dortch, and Michael Wilson. It also opens up the run game between the tackles, something the Cardinals were successful at early in the game but went away from in the second half.
Another area where he struggled was in route running at NFL game speed and developing a rapport with quarterback Kyler Murray. That may be an indictment of the team’s approach to the preseason, with Murray not playing and Harrison only getting three snaps with no targets. The rookie receiver had a miscommunication on a back-shoulder throw on a go route and dropped an easy completion on his second target. Those are situations where the only way to fix that is to get him more game reps.
“As a receiver, you’re dependent on everything else around you. Not only the quarterback but the offensive line blocking. You being able to catch the ball depends on the other 10 guys doing their jobs correctly. Building a rapport with a quarterback is spending time and going through the reps. When you put things down on paper, everything looks good, but in order to build a rapport with a guy you really have to spend time. You have to understand how he’s seeing the game, how he likes reps being run, he has to understand how you want the ball being placed. That takes time, it takes going through film, taking on the field, making sure you’re on the same page all the time.”
It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals try to get their top pick involved in their second game of the season against the Los Angeles Rams. While winning is the primary goal for a team that is 0-1, it will also be important to get the guy who’s expected to carry this receiving corps for the next few seasons up to speed as soon as possible.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
