The Chicago Bears’ cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman told Sports Illustrated’s Robert Klemko that in his 12 years of NFL experience, former Colts’ wide receiver great Marvin Harrison was his toughest cover. His word carries quite a bit of weight, as Tillman is a 2-time Pro Bowler and 1-time All-Pro, having played his entire career with the Chicago Bears.
Unfortunately, he was placed on season-ending IR in Week 2 this season, when he re-injured his triceps against the San Francisco 49ers, but it’s given him more free time to mingle with the media while rehabbing. More media interviews mean more nuggets of information like this from a seasoned, yet sensible professional cornerback:
"THE MMQB: Who’s the best offensive player you ever played against?TILLMAN: Marvin Harrison. We played a lot of Tampa 2 with coach Smith, and I could never touch him, couldn’t jam him. He was so quick, like a little rabbit. I missed every time. Hardest person I ever had to cover. And most people don’t think that. Like, who would you have guessed I would say?THE MMQB: Randy Moss or Calvin Johnson.TILLMAN: Nope. Marvin Harrison. He was unstoppable. The best I ever played against. He made me look terrible."
Of course, this likely doesn’t come as too big of a surprise to Colts’ fans, who saw Harrison catch 1,102 receptions for 14,580 receiving yards, and 128 touchdowns in his 13-year future Hall of Fame career, all with Indianapolis. There was a time when the short-slant route from Peyton Manning to Harrison was nearly unstoppable.
He may not have had the freak athleticism of a Randy Moss or Calvin Johnson, but Harrison was remarkably consistent. In addition to his great hands, he ran every route like it was the same with tremendous elusive speed. Defensive backs never knew whether he was going to run a curl or make a double move to gash them deep. It didn’t matter.
It’s worth noting that Harrison was an 8-time Pro Bowler, 3-Time First Team All-Pro, and 5-Time 2nd Team All-Pro. He was on the NFL 2000’s All-Decade Team. It’s a nice tip of the crown from Tillman to an all-time great wide receiver, who should be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year after last year’s snub.