Marvin Harrison Sr., the father of Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., doesn't sound too happy about the way his son's offense has performed so far this season.
Heading into Monday night's Week 9-closing contest against the Cowboys, Arizona is scoring the 11th fewest points per game in the NFL (21.9), gaining the 11th fewest yards per game (310.3), and has lost five straight contests since its 2-0 start to the season. Additionally, Harrison Jr. has hauled in just two passes on a mere eight targets in each of their last two games, and hasn't scored a touchdown in over a month.
Harrison Sr. spoke with ESPN's Josh Weinfuss ahead of the Cardinals' primetime matchup in Dallas, and didn't mince words about how he feels watching his son's team play.
"It's very hard for me to watch the Cardinals' offense," he said, candidly. "And you can quote me on that."
Harrison Sr. knows a thing or two about being a great NFL wide receiver. The now-53-year-old spent his entire 12-year career with the Colts from 1996 to '08, earning first-team All-Pro honors three times, leading the NFL in receptions and receiving yards twice, and winning Super Bowl XLI with Indianapolis before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
"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 [the current] offense, that style of offense," Harrison Sr. continued. "Basically, I can't relate to what goes on there ... I think that's just peacefully put, without pointing fingers or anything. It's just me. I'm giving you the professional eye. I can't relate to it. It don't add up to me. I can't deal with it."
The elder Harrison also admitted that he doesn't attend Cardinals games to save his "mental capacity," and instead opts to watch on TV from his home in Philadelphia.
"It's hard for him to watch," said Harrison Jr., via ESPN. "I think it's a combination of what he's used to. Obviously, if you're a parent who's never played football and you see your kid playing, this is all you know, but he's been in the locker room, been on an NFL team, been in the best offense with one of the best quarterbacks of all time. So, he kind of sees it all from a different perspective. I think that's what kind of makes it hard to watch for him."
Harrison Jr. was drafted by the Cardinals out of Ohio State with the fourth pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Through the first seven games of his second season in Arizona, he's been targeted 40 times, catching 24 passes for 396 yards and two touchdowns.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Marvin Harrison Sr. Rips Son's Cardinals Offense: 'It's Very Hard for Me to Watch'.