Merril Hoge: It's sad watching Marvin

by rudy0498 on Sep 18, 2008 10:03 AM EDT Comment 34 comments

I'm not sure many people heard this, so I figured I'd pass it on. I was listening to the Kravitz and Eddie (1070AM) on my way home from work yesterday, and they had Merril Hoge on as a guest. He said that when he was breaking down the tape from the Vikings game that it was "sad" watching Marvin Harrison run routes. This isn't a direct quote, but he basically said that Marvin isn't running as good of routes as he used to and that he's gotten "old", "lacked explosiveness", and "is a shadow of himself".

It's an interesting interview. He also talks about the impact of Bob Sanders, the problems with our running game, and that he thinks we'll be able to run the ball against the Jags, but they'll have trouble running on us.

Click Here for Interview

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.

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I Find It Sad

Watching football commentary on ESPN.

http://naptownsfinest.com

by Colts Homer on Sep 18, 2008 10:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

to watch these (maybe) previously intelligent analysts

be reduced to severely dumbing down reports/breakdowns and saying things just to provoke reader/listener response. Just disheartening to see.

"I'm not racin', I'm just sprintin'
Cuz I don't wanna finish
they diminish, I replenish"
-Lil Wayne "Let the beat build"

by shake n bake on Sep 18, 2008 10:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

but seriously

he had a big physical corner sitting on top of him giving no respect to the deep ball since Peyton almost never got time to throw it. Marvin’s never been a physical receiver so has to counter a CB playing him tight by going deep, which they couldn’t do.

"I'm not racin', I'm just sprintin'
Cuz I don't wanna finish
they diminish, I replenish"
-Lil Wayne "Let the beat build"

by shake n bake on Sep 18, 2008 10:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

well not a big CB

but very physical

"I'm not racin', I'm just sprintin'
Cuz I don't wanna finish
they diminish, I replenish"
-Lil Wayne "Let the beat build"

by shake n bake on Sep 18, 2008 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Marvin

He’s caught 9 balls for 92 yards, averaging 10.2 a catch in two games. The Vikings put their best corner on him, and the result was 9 catches for 137 yards for Gonzo and 5 catches for 93 yards and a TD for Reggie.

Yep, real sad watching Marvin. Merrill Hoge = dumbass, Steelers-homer schmuck.

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by BigBlueShoe on Sep 18, 2008 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's What Will Happen Every Game

Let’s say the Jags put Mathis on Wayne. Marvin will have a 100 yard game. The Colts have 3 wide receivers who would be the main target on almost every other team in the league. No team has 3 corners who would be the best defender on almost every other team in the league. The Colts should have the best aerial assault in the league when Saturday, Lilja, Pollak, Ugoh, and Clark return.

http://naptownsfinest.com

by Colts Homer on Sep 18, 2008 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

well...

Those are decent numbers for one game, not two…..Especially with Peyton throwing the ball 45 times per game since we can’t run the ball. You’d think Marvin would have gotten more looks than he has. Marvin’s been going up against a teams best corner with safety help over the top for years and still found a way to put up big numbers. Should be be benched….no. Is it of concerning…hell yes.

by rudy0498 on Sep 18, 2008 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In Hoge's defense

he does hate Vince Young

"I'm not racin', I'm just sprintin'
Cuz I don't wanna finish
they diminish, I replenish"
-Lil Wayne "Let the beat build"

by shake n bake on Sep 18, 2008 11:03 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

and he has nice things to say about Bobzilla

"I'm not racin', I'm just sprintin'
Cuz I don't wanna finish
they diminish, I replenish"
-Lil Wayne "Let the beat build"

by shake n bake on Sep 18, 2008 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

HARD TO KEEP HIM ON THE FIELD?!?!?

The Vikings had their #1 CB on him. If a guy is drawing the opponents top CB he sure as hell belongs on the field.

"I'm not racin', I'm just sprintin'
Cuz I don't wanna finish
they diminish, I replenish"
-Lil Wayne "Let the beat build"

by shake n bake on Sep 18, 2008 11:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

concussion

Did Merrill Hodge have some concussion issues in his career? That’s probably explains some of his comments. I don’t put to much stock in anything the goobers at ESPN have to say. Having Harrison in the game is great even if it’s to get our other receivers open easier. It’s great to have several amazing receivers.

by Ayrshire on Sep 18, 2008 1:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Clearly ...

Just having Marvin on the field is a huge advantage … he takes away a top CB and is still good enough at 36 to demand that … that’s insane … it’s like facing a teams 3-4-5 in baseball … even if you get the first guy out you still have two more guys ready to do some major damage

When Dallas comes back and if Roy Hall ever gets healthy, along with Jacob Tamme, this is going to be a very, very scary offense

"Ryno for President 08"

by ClarkFan44 on Sep 18, 2008 1:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

so basically the jist of the last few comments is that Marvin is a 10 mil a season decoy and if he has a good player on him it is justified why he doesn’t get open even though you pay WRs 10 mil a year to get open regardless who is covering them. Got it.

I would not say marvin is too old and stuff but he clearly hasn’t done anything of value in the 2 games other than fumble and drop what would have been a TD vs the Bears.

by go colts on Sep 18, 2008 4:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah 9 catches for 92 yards

is worthless

"I'm not racin', I'm just sprintin'
Cuz I don't wanna finish
they diminish, I replenish"
-Lil Wayne "Let the beat build"

by shake n bake on Sep 18, 2008 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

and taking the pressure

off TG and Reggie is not good either.

April in CA

by peytonsthebest on Sep 18, 2008 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with go colts

That’s too much for a decoy. Hopefully he’ll back to his former self sooner or later, everything included. That means drawing double coverage all day, and still make plays, or have single coverage and make them pay in a serious way all day. :)

by jocre on Sep 18, 2008 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I see the media has got it done, fans of the Colts questioning whether Harrison has it still or not.

I for one won’t count him done and as for the fumbles, yes they were costly but he’ll more than not make up for them during the season.

by Ufanforreal on Sep 18, 2008 4:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree.

He has some rust to shake off, too. I would bet $$ that he is good for a TD this Sunday.

April in CA

by peytonsthebest on Sep 18, 2008 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

decoy or not

It really doesn’t matter as long as someone catches the passes because of him being out there. And, it’s only been two games. He and the Colts offense are due for a major break out game. Hopefully, that will be Sunday! I think he definitely still has it!

by Ayrshire on Sep 18, 2008 7:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Big picture

Facts:

A large part of the success of the Manning-Harrison connection is uncanny familiarity. Marvin missed most of last year. Peyton missed all of preaseason. The OLine is porous in pass protection right now (at least by Colts’ standards). The running game has yet to be established enough to enable the play-action pass. The Colts have been unable (or unwilling) to use their 2-TE set for a significant portion of the young season. Marvin has often started slowly in his career.

Conclusion:

Forming opinions about Marvin’s current ability is a kind of pointless exercise. When the offense is clicking, we’ll see how he fares. He looks healthy to me. Everything is somewhat out of sorts at the moment. I expect the Colts offense to improve as the season goes on. I think Marvin will be a major contributor, as usual.

by ctnyc on Sep 18, 2008 8:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Also

Isn’t it true that Manning hasn’t ran the passing tree before the games like he ALWAYS does with Reggie and Marv?

I also blog at Speed Blue Nation

by Bullard47 on Sep 18, 2008 10:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Absolute worst case

the Colts are paying 12 million to get a teams #2 CB on Wayne and #3 on Gonzo/Clark. Even that’s far from a waste of money. What’s a franchise CB cost? 8-9 million. Worst case Marvin is making a 8 million dollar player disappear.

"I'm not racin', I'm just sprintin'
Cuz I don't wanna finish
they diminish, I replenish"
-Lil Wayne "Let the beat build"

by shake n bake on Sep 19, 2008 12:34 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nobody has 4 DBs...

who can run with Wayne, Harrison, Gonzo and Clark. Week to week the #1 guy might move around a little, but someone is going to get some as long as Manning stays upright – which is down to the O-line.

There’s nothing wrong with this passing game that good pass protection and Manning getting some mobility back into that knee won’t fix. Massive overreaction from most media commentators, in my opinion.

by eltharion_doa on Sep 19, 2008 4:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Exactly.

by coltsfanawalt on Sep 19, 2008 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kravitz seemed to think enough of Hoge and Dr. Z to write about this...

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080919/SPORTS15/809190415/

by Matic on Sep 19, 2008 9:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Link didn't work.

What did he say, in a nutshell?

by coltsfanawalt on Sep 19, 2008 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

here it is

link

it mostly just summarized the people saying he’s declined and what they said. He points out the line issues and Manning’s rust as possible issues. He points out Marvin was matched up on two great CBs Charles Tillman and Antoine Winfield. He points out that if Marvin was 26 instead of 36 no one would think twice about one mediocre game followed by a bad one. Then finishes with some optimistic quotes from Dungy.

"I'm not racin', I'm just sprintin'
Cuz I don't wanna finish
they diminish, I replenish"
-Lil Wayne "Let the beat build"

by shake n bake on Sep 19, 2008 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dungy... optimistic... nooooo

"This balls got a chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannce, GONE!" - Pat Hughes

by SouthsideCUBSfan on Sep 19, 2008 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why?

was the article even written? Its two games into the season. Both Manning and Marv have had some rust to shake off.

April in CA

by peytonsthebest on Sep 19, 2008 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks.

by coltsfanawalt on Sep 19, 2008 1:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Shake

by coltsfanawalt on Sep 19, 2008 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You know what I think? Screw Merril Hoge and his gay ass first name.

We Colts fans did not pay $720 million dollars in public funds to build a brand new stadium that will get opened on Sunday Night Football by Jim Friggin Sorgi.

by KingRichard on Sep 19, 2008 6:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

magical marvin

One of the best wr ever in my opinion. 12 great years he has given the colts and their fans (with no holding back) He is getting older but he still scares corner backs and is a magic force that gets the job done. 8 pro bowls 1 super bowl and some amazing ’did you see that ’ catches. And now he is mentoring the next generation of great colts receivers we are watching greatness and merril should sit with his mouth closed , in awe.

by sassyblue on Sep 20, 2008 8:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs