Official NFL Discussion Thread....

[quadman]

We'll get this one started off with a bang. The Colt's have agreed to release sure hall of fame receiver Marvin Harrison.

http://www.theindychannel.com/sports/18779227/detail.html

He was to count 13.5 million against this years salary cap making him the highest paid receiver in the league this year. He was not interested in re-working his contract. Too bad really. His storied career with Peyton Manning was extremely fun to watch and could have been even more dynamic. But, Marvin has increasingly become withdrawn from team mates and even fans not to mention the media the last couple of years. He's also rummored to have been un-happy with team mate Reggie Wayne taking over the #1 receiver option for Manning.

[madpoet]

Jets are going to get Ray Lewis this year... but I have no idea if that's a good thing or a bad thing for us.

[rumonkey2]

Although I'm not an NFL Fan....

...Andre Smith was projected #1 by a handful of folks....

HA!!!:raspberry::fryingpan::moon:
Great first impression 'Bammer -
WAR DAMN EAGLE!!!!

[skullguise]

We'll get this one started off with a bang. The Colt's have agreed to release sure hall of fame receiver Marvin Harrison.

http://www.theindychannel.com/sports/18779227/detail.html

He was to count 13.5 million against this years salary cap making him the highest paid receiver in the league this year. He was not interested in re-working his contract. Too bad really. His storied career with Peyton Manning was extremely fun to watch and could have been even more dynamic. But, Marvin has increasingly become withdrawn from team mates and even fans not to mention the media the last couple of years. He's also rummored to have been un-happy with team mate Reggie Wayne taking over the #1 receiver option for Manning.

Not even a Colts fan, but I'm sad to see this. Harrison is a HELL of a player, and from what I've seen, a true class act. I hope he lands in a place where he will shine, and continue to make the plays that assure his place in the HOF.

As for me, I just want to see what the Patriots will do to bolster their defense.....

[BinaryLinguist]

Jets are going to get Ray Lewis this year... but I have no idea if that's a good thing or a bad thing for us.

Leonhard is a definite, but I think the Jets may go for Bart Scott instead of Lewis and I prefer that. I do no want Ray Lewis on this team.

[madpoet]

I wouldn't mind Bart Scott. We need SOMETHING! Of course, the black hole at QB is going to really haunt us.

[quadman]

Interesting.... Marvin may not be gone after all....

http://nationalpost.pa-sportsticker.com/default.aspx?s=nfl-news-display&nid=A26081751235503215A

A story in the local paper, says the Colts have called a 5:30 press conference in which owner Jim Irsay will address the media.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090224/SPORTS03/90224062/1004/SPORTS

So as of an hour ago according to the first source, Jim Irsay was going to speak with Marvin and now they announce a "media event."

So either Jim and Marv got something worked out or #88 convinced Irsay that he wanted to play elsewhere and they will in fact let him go. Or I guess Jim could just be calling the media event just so say they are talking and there is nothing new to report. Which I find pretty unlikely.

Is #88 available in Philly or Miami? Those are my "gut" choices with where he would land. With Philly getting the nod 90/10 percent over Miami.

[quadman]

Nope.... he's gone. Like I said.... really too bad. It would have been ubber cool to see him and Peyton finish their careers here together.

I wish him well, wherever he ends up.

[Drunkonjack]

I heard Kurt Warner is seeking a 2 year 30 mil deal .

WOW !

[craigsub]

I heard Kurt Warner is seeking a 2 year 30 mil deal .

WOW !

Do they know you will take the job for half of that ?

[etcarroll]

I'd love to see Ray Lewis show up in Dallas - 1st time TO shoots his mouth off, Ray would tear it off.

[Kevin_Wadsworth]

My brother and I are Philly fans, and while he's excitied about the prospect of Marvin in green, I'm not so sure. For his career, he's one of the best and a sure HOF'er. But I think he's pretty close to washed up at this point. Last year he was probably the 4th best receiver on his own team.

On the other hand, Deshaun Jackson looks liek the real deal but the rest of our receiving corps is medicre at best. If we could get #88 for cheap it would proably be worth it, if nothing else but to teach the younger receivers discipline/route runing/etc.

Now, if we could get both him and Boldin...

[quadman]

My brother and I are Philly fans, and while he's excitied about the prospect of Marvin in green, I'm not so sure. For his career, he's one of the best and a sure HOF'er. But I think he's pretty close to washed up at this point. Last year he was probably the 4th best receiver on his own team.

On the other hand, Deshaun Jackson looks liek the real deal but the rest of our receiving corps is medicre at best. If we could get #88 for cheap it would proably be worth it, if nothing else but to teach the younger receivers discipline/route runing/etc.

Now, if we could get both him and Boldin...

Marvin has been slowed a half step or so the last couple of years with several "proceedures" on his knees. We never got the skinny on how serious the proceedures were, but they obviously slowed him up by a step. Last year I think was maybe more of his and Peyton's timing being off because Peyton took ZERO reps all through training camp and the pre-season.

The other thing about Marvin, is he's used to those precise timing routes. He going to need to be with a QB who is capable of being on target more than not. While #88 could fly by DB's early in his career, that's not so much the case now. Plus, he has gotten more and more adverse to taking a hit. On slant routes last year he would practically go to the ground immedietly if a LB or Safety was close by.

As for "teaching" the other receivers, he never did that at all around here. In fact, on game day when he's not in the game playing, he's at the end of the bench alone. He's been that way from day one. So, I don't see him all of a sudden becoming an extra coach in practice or on gamedays.

But, who knows, maybe a fresh start will change all that. it would be awesome for the young receivers in Philly if he did.

[madpoet]

Yeah... I mean, I think Donovan has gotten the short end of the stick sometimes but I think Marvin would be in for a world of difference tring to catch passes from him vs. from Manning. He's just not as good a passer.

[quadman]

Some nice words from Peyton on #88....

Peyton Manning's vacation in Florida was interrupted Tuesday by news he had anticipated, but dreaded nonetheless. Marvin Harrison, his longtime teammate, was no longer an Indianapolis Colt.

"I'm indebted to him," Manning said in a telephone interview with The Star. "I'm sad he won't be here. There's no way I would be at the place I am right now if I hadn't played with Marvin for 11 years.


"In my opinion, he's always going to be a Colt."

Unable to reach a deal to retain a 36-year-old receiver who carried a cumbersome $13.4 million salary cap figure in 2009 -- and with Harrison unwilling to take a pay cut -- the Colts terminated his contract. Team president Bill Polian sent the paperwork to the NFL office Tuesday. The transaction becomes official today.

Irsay met with Harrison on Tuesday afternoon, making certain the owner and player -- "partners'' Irsay called his relationship with Harrison -- had completely thought through the process and were comfortable with the outcome.

"He was the way Marvin is: very matter of fact. 'I think I can still play. I want to still play. And so I'm going to go out and do that,' '' Irsay said.

Polian described Tuesday as "a sad day for the Colts . . . he's a Hall of Famer, no question. He takes his place with Raymond Berry as the two greatest receivers in this club's history."

Harrison, who was not present at the late afternoon news conference, ranks second in NFL history with 1,102 receptions, fourth with 14,580 receiving yards and fifth with 128 touchdowns.

The vast majority of his body of work was compiled with Manning delivering the football. The two hold league records by a quarterback-receiver duo for touchdowns (112), completions (953) and yards (12,766).

"I'm more proud that the time he and I were setting those tandem records, he and I were winning a lot of ballgames," Manning said. "That always was the objective."

During their 11-year association, Manning and Harrison contributed to the Colts winning 117 regular-season games. They made the playoffs nine times, including a Super Bowl XLI win.

Harrison, the Colts' 1996 first-round draft pick, still was developing as a No. 1 receiver in 1998 when Manning, the first overall pick in the draft, arrived. Harrison lined up wide right, which just happened to be the first step in Manning's passing progression.

Appropriately, Manning's first pass in his rookie minicamp went to Harrison. His first pass in game conditions -- a preseason game at Seattle -- also went to Harrison, who promptly took the quick slant 48 yards for a touchdown.

"I remember thinking, 'Wow, throwing to Marvin Harrison sounds like a pretty good idea. All he's going to do is catch it and run for 50-yard touchdowns,' '' Manning said. "And that's pretty much all he did for 11 years.

"I could throw a 15-yard sideline (route) to Marvin with my eyes closed because I knew exactly where he was going to be."

Their pre-snap adjustments were legendary.

"Can't tell you how many times there was no signal," Manning said. "It was just kind of a head-nod or a wink, maybe a slight point. He knew what I meant, I knew what he meant. And when we did that it wasn't to get a 5-yard completion. It was usually something deep."

And now, no more Harrison.

"It hits me now," Manning said, "but it'll hit me more at our first official team minicamp when he's not out there on the right. It'll hit me in training camp.

"And it'll definitely hit me in that first game. The one constant I've always known in my career is that No. 88 was going to be out there. I'm going to miss him."