Marvin Harrison Should be a Lock for Hall of Fame

Former Colts’ wide receiver Marvin Harrison is widely considered one of the best players at his position in the history of the NFL.But somehow, he was snubbed from making the Hall of Fame in 2014. 

He’ll have another shot to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame this Saturday when the voters meet

The eight time Pro Bowler and three time All Pro player was left off in favor of former Buffalo Bills receiver Andre Reed. The general thought being that Reed had waited long enough to make it into the Hall after being eligible for eight years for enshrinement.

There has been a log jam at the receiver position to get into the Hall, but more talented receivers had always made it over Reed (like Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin).

Harrison’s numbers are staggering. In 190 games, Harrison had 1,102 receptions for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns.

Those numbers are better than Reed and Cris Carter who are both in the Hall of Fame. They are also far better numbers than Tim Brown who is also eligible for the Hall. Harrison often draws criticism for being too close to these three players to be taken seriously as a candidate.

Of the four players, only Harrison and Carter have made the All Pro roster (and Harrison one more time than Carter).

Harrison also played 44 fewer games than Carter and Reed and 65 less than Brown. That is nearly three fewer seasons for Harrison and his numbers are still better than the other three players.

Harrison holds the record for most receptions in a single season at 143. He’s third all-time in receptions, behind Rice and tight end Tony Gonzalez. Harrison is seventh in receiving yards (just ahead of Reggie Wayne) and fifth all-time in touchdowns.

Might just be me, but if you rank in the top 10 in statistics at your position, it seems like you should be a Hall of Famer (especially when you do it with in three fewer years than all the other players).

Rumor has it that Harrison will be snubbed again. The reason being that it is Brown’s turn to get into the Hall. The question is should Harrison jump to the front of the line? Absolutely yes, because he is a more worthy candidate than Brown and was a better receiver.

Last year, former Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore considered Harrison a lock for the Hall.

"“To me it’s a no-brainer,” Moore said. “What more can a guy do? If he didn’t do enough, what do you have to do? Tell me that.Nobody has his production over a long period of time. To me, he’s what the Hall of Fame is all about.”"

That was just days before the announcement was made that Harrison had missed the Hall.

Nothing has changed in the past year. The numbers are the same and there isn’t a more worthy candidate to make the cut than Harrison.

Tony Dungy was shocked that Harrison didn’t make the Hall of Fame last season and spoke about in an interview with Mike Chapple at The Indy Channel.

"“I was more hurt last year that Marvin didn’t go in than me,” Dungy said. “If there ever is a definition of a first-ballot Hall of Famer, it would be Marvin.” Later adding, “Marvin was the receiver of his decade. To me, it should have been a slam-dunk.”"

If the voters overlook Harrison again, then something is seriously wrong with the process (there already is something wrong considering there are no voters from Indianapolis). The only thing that could possibly prevent Harrison from getting in is the sketchy details of some off field issues near the end of his career.

Harrison was implicated in a shooting, but never formally (or informally) charged with a shooting in Philadelphia where he lives. The details were outlined to the public in a piece on ESPN and in GQ, both of which didn’t interview Harrison and focused on the testimony of a convicted liar with a well known grudge against Harrison.

Considering nothing was ever proven, and the issue is long past over with the case being closed, this isn’t nearly enough to take him out of Hall of Fame consideration.

We’ve looked at the other former members of the Colts that are eligible for the Hall of Fame this year. For Colts fans, Dungy seems like a lock for the Hall. Bill Polian shouldn’t even be a question.

Polian built a model of consistency in Indianapolis and was responsible for six Super Bowl appearances between the Colts and Bills.

There is no doubt that the Colts should be well represented in the voting room. Lets just hope they make a better decision than last year.