Colts Owner Irsay thinks Harrison will be back to old form
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay is very eager to have the 2008 season open, since this season will be the ignagural season for Lucas Oil Stadium. Later on in the interview with the Indianapolis Star Irsay went on to say he is confident that Harrison will return to old form, after missing 11 games to injury last year.
The matter of the fact is that Harrison’s better days are gone. in a game that can leave people paralyzed, Harrison getting into his 11th season without having suffered a major injruy is remarkable. From the first round of the 1996 draft Harrison is one of the few that are still effective.
The players that played last year that still play from that round one include Jonathan Ogden, Simeon Rice, Terry Glenn, Walt Harris, Eddie Kennison, Pete Kendall, Eric Moulds, and Ray Lewis. Ogden is most likely going to retire, Rice was cut twice last year, Harris has been a journeyman, Glenn has injury problems, and Moulds is a shadow of what he was with the Buffalo Bills.
Irsay said this to the Indystar on Harrison, “I’m not a doctor. It really comes down to their expertise. But the type of problems he’s had, there’s just no reason (for him not to fully recover). There’s no reason both knees can’t be sound. The one knee (left) that had the cartilage problem, that’s pretty much sound and ready to go. The other knee is coming along and there’s no reason he can’t be ready (for ‘08).'’
Even if Harrison come back completely healthy, with his age, how can one be sure he will not miss significant time again. Also, at some point his play will start to slip, and will probably start to show this year.
Irsay went on that he would like Harrison to retire as a Colt, but that depends on Harrison. “That’s the way you hope it turns out, but you just don’t know. Sometimes a player is not ready to say, ‘I’m ready to retire,’ and you’re saying, ‘You should retire.’ Ideally you want that storybook type of thing. Wouldn’t it have been nice if Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice retired as 49ers and Cowboys? Yes, but you just never know,'’ said Irsay.
Only time will tell how this storied career will end.