Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr. Reacts to Disappointing Debut

Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. knows better football is ahead.

Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) against the New Orleans Saints during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- It wasn't the debut Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. envisioned.

Arriving to the desert as the No. 4 overall pick, Harrison carries quite the load of expectations on his shoulders. The Cardinals' top selection was labeled as generational heading into the draft process, and he's very much at the forefront of helping turn the Cardinals into a winning organization.

So when Harrison's moment finally arrived after playing just three preseason snaps, the football world was in awe for all the wrong reasons after a one-catch performance against the Buffalo Bills started his career.

"It wasn't what I wanted to happen," Harrison told reporters outside of his locker after practice. "It wasn't what the team wanted to happen."

Full interview:

Everybody in the facility - including his head coach Jonathan Gannon - knows Harrison will bounce back from the stumble out of the gates.

“Yeah, he'll be fine. Marvin will be fine. He'll get back at it and go to work, but no one's going to put more expectation and pressure and or him wanting to do well than himself," Gannon said on Harrison.

"He’ll be perfectly fine.”

Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing says Harrison is at the "forefront" of the offensive game plan after receiving just three targets all game.

"Certainly he is on the forefront of our minds in terms of getting him the ball," Petzing told reporters earlier this week.

"I think (the Bills) did some things to take him away and certainly I could've called some plays to get him more involved early but I thought it was a good start. We have some work to do."

The last time Harrison recorded just a single catch in a game, he was a freshman at Ohio State.

Harrison's four receiving yards on Sunday was the least amount for a receiver taken as a top-five pick in their debut since Desmond Howard in 1992, according to ESPN.

Despite the 0-1 record and lackluster box score, Harrison isn't worried about himself - or the team.

"I don't think we're in a bad place right now at all," he said.

Harrison and the Cardinals look to bounce back in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams.

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