Please help me settle a football argument-Colts

[holeplug]

I think both Harrison and Wayne benefit from each other since they are so talented. It is hard for defenses to set up schemes to stop both of them and hold James in check. If you noticed last season Terrell Owen's numbers started to drop off during the 2nd half of the season when teams really started to slant coverages his way since Todd Pinkston won't run over the middle of the field. Teams can't do this against Indy since both of their receivers are so good. If the Colts don't resign him next year we will find out very soon if Reggie Wayne is another Peerless Price or not.

Harrison--and I don't even think it's close. He is so keenly in tune with Manning that it's eerie. That would be very hard to replace. IMHO, Edge could be replaced by any number of running backs. Harrison could not be easily replaced--at least not as long as Manning is there.

[Bulldog]

Harrison's recent stats reflect the respect he is getting as a record-setting wide receiver. Compare to:

1996 Dallas Cowboys
George Teague 53 tackles, 3 interceptions
Deion Sanders 40 tackles, 2 interceptions
Yep, that's a tough decision based on stats. Or the easiest call ever for anyone who understands the first thing about football.

[Soul Daddy]

I don't really feel like continuing the argument if you're going to throw in ridiculous comparisons to defensive backs in 1996, where one didn't see many balls thrown his way because he was so good. Unless you are under the mistaken impression that Harrison is doubled on every down, I have no clue how you think this is comparable. At this point I don't really care.

Are you always this trollish? I've never noticed it before. I'm sorry I let you bait me into it in the first place. Let's just go back to the "you keep your opinion, I'll keep mine" that you threw out earlier.

[DMBFan23]

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So refute it.

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Refute what? That Harrison is BY FAR the best receiver on the Colts right now? I don't really think I need to, it's a ridiculous statement. It's obvious that Wayne is at worst a step behind. But he's really not. At 6 years younger, if you'd rather have Harrison, you're insane.

Look at the yards per catch, targets, everything except for TDs over the past year and a half. Watch them play, Wayne is far more explosive, his routes are near as precise. Harrison doesn't draw double coverage anymore, and there are few shutdown corners in the league, so there is no reason that their stats would be equal and Manning would look for them equally unless they are on par with each other. Factor in upside and I'll take Wayne in a second from this point forward.

Congrats on your successful baiting. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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Soul Daddy,

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but I think there's a very significant 'Randy Moss' factor here working in Wayne's favor. Harrison is drawing the safety rolls, the #1 DBs, the double teams, etc. That's gonna open up Wayne's game alot, even though he is a good receiver in his own right. think of it like shania in poker if you want.

The same could be said for ANY Colts WR and the fact that Edge sets up the passing game so well with his runs, particularly since the Colts dig the play action so much.

How can you dog a guy that catches 122 passes in a season even when everyone is gunning for him?

EDIT: and one can certainly come up with examples supporting my theory (Peerless in Buffalo) or refuting it (T.O. in SF)

[Soul Daddy]

Dude, I am not dogging anyone. Marvin Harrison is a fantastic receiver, among the best I have seen. I just think Reggie Wayne is nearly as good as he is NOW. Not in Harrison's absolute prime, which he is no longer in. That is all I am arguing.

Harrison does not see constant double teams, the Colts have too many weapons for that to occur. So I don't really buy that Wayne is only as good because Harrison takes attention away from him. They tried several people in that role before Wayne exploded over the last two years. The guy doesn't get the respect he deserves, and is nearly Harrison's equal at this point.

All of their skill players benefit from both the system they play in and the skill level of each other. Again, no one can really key on any one of them because the others are so established and so dangerous. In that respect, they are all probably not quite as good as their stats might indicate and would probably all suffer a bit of decline on other teams. Still, Manning, Edge, Harrison, AND WAYNE are among the best at their positions in the game.

[DMBFan23]

as long as we can agree that stokely gets BIG TIME help from playing with both of these guys [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Soul Daddy]

Yes. His money should have gone to Wayne.

[Jack of Arcades]

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Yes. His money should have gone to Wayne.

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d00d, don't dog on one half of Jake'n'Bake like that. Bake's always been an above average receiver, but he's just never been given a chance to produce until he came to the Colts. He was targeted 50 times in one year once before he became a Colt - Baltimore, 2002, when he had a combination of Chris Redman and Jeff Blake throwing to him.

[Bulldog]

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Soul Daddy,

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but I think there's a very significant 'Randy Moss' factor here working in Wayne's favor. Harrison is drawing the safety rolls, the #1 DBs, the double teams, etc.

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Thanks for making my point far more eloquently than I.