For as high as the Arizona Cardinals were following Week 1, there were still questions about wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who only had a couple of balls even thrown his way. Things got worse in Week 2.
Against the Seattle Seahawks, the entire Cardinals offense was shutdown. They only scored 7 points with 151 total yards for 3.2 yards per play. That included just 81 passing yards. For his part, Harrison was only targeted once and didn’t have a catch.
One bad game is just that, a bad game. Two bad games to open the season is much more concerning, though, and the conversation surrounding Harrison is only getting worse each week.
Arizona Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur on Marvin Harrison Jr.
Following the game, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur was frustrated with the entire offense. However, it would be Marvin Harrison’s lack of production that he’d get questioned about.
“I wouldn’t look into too much — obviously, Trey [McBride] had some but I wouldn’t look into too much of anything right now,” Mike LaFluer said. “Because we didn’t throw the ball for crap anyway. Schematically, it wasn’t good.”
Part of the issue, as LaFleur explained it, was schematic. He wore it being a bad game plan. However, it’s that game plan that helped to limit Harrison’s opportunities, giving more to Michael Wilson.
“I think some of it was obviously being in 13 big,” LaFleur said. “So you only end up having one receiver in there. We were in what we call 13 Z, and that’s where Mike’s our receiver in that. When we’re in 13 X, which we had a couple snaps of that, Marv’s our receiver in that.”
Harrison now has just 1 catch for 33 yards on the season. It’s a major letdown, given that he’s finally healthy again and expectations were higher than ever. Still, LaFleur isn’t worried.
“Not concerned, no. I’m concerned with obviously our execution on offense today. But I think it’s all stuff that we know we can do better, we know we can coach it better, and we have a better standard than that,” LaFleur said.
Michael Wilson Led the Cardinals in WR Snaps
It seemed like a coaching decision to completely limit the number of snaps that Marvin Harrison Jr. was on the field at all. After the fact, PFF seemed to confirm that he was taken out consistently for Michael Wilson instead, as beat writer Theo Mackie pointed out.
“Per PFF, Marvin Harrison Jr. was on the field for just 23/33 offensive snaps and just 4/12 run plays in the first half. Michael Wilson has played every snap,” Mackie wrote.
In fairness, Wilson is an excellent receiver. He had 1,006 yards a season ago and signed a $75 million contract extension this September. So, the fact he’s getting opportunities isn’t unheard of. What’s concerning is that a former top pick in Harrison isn’t getting them.
Week 3 is another week, though. The Cardinals are going to be on the road again, taking on the San Francisco 49ers. That’s a considerable test, which should give Arizona a better idea of where it stands early in the season.
Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur Defends Marvin Harrison Jr. Usage in Seahawks Loss