Legendary wide receiver Marvin Harrison Sr. is not happy with the state of his son’s team.
Harrison Sr. criticized the Arizona Cardinals’ offense, as well as the state of modern NFL offenses in general, ahead of the team’s game Monday against the Dallas Cowboys. Harrison Sr. said it has gotten to the point that he rarely discusses football with his son, as his opinions are so strong.
“It’s very hard for me to watch the Cardinals’ offense. And you can quote me on that,” Harrison Sr. told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. “The style of offense that I am accustomed to, that I’m used to watching as a professional eye, as a wide receiver … I just can’t relate to watching that [current] offense, that style of offense. Basically, I can’t relate to what goes on there.”
Harrison Sr. said he did not seek to criticize how the Cardinals use his son, as he is not in meetings with the team and does not know their gameplan. However, the experience is so bad for him that he does not even attend games anymore.
It is unclear whether Harrison Sr.’s issues are with the Cardinals or the modern NFL. In his era, the league did not use the shotgun formation and motion nearly as much as teams do now. Harrison Sr. also had an elite quarterback who actively sought to get him the ball in the form of Peyton Manning.
On the other hand, Harrison Jr. has been underwhelming since being drafted by the Cardinals. He has a modest 24 catches for 396 yards this season, and only two touchdown receptions. Part of it is that he is not quite as demanding as his father when it comes to asking for the ball, but he has also made some pretty brutal mistakes. It makes sense that Harrison Sr. would not love watching that.
