Flashes of the Future

The seamless transition from the Marvin Harrison era of the past to the present day era of Reggie Wayne, showed that this team knows how to draft and develop receivers. Harrison, a future Hall of Famer, set a precedent that has been followed by several receivers after him, and is still being followed today. Although fans were sad and disappointed to see the demise and ultimate retirement of Harrison, Wayne’s ability to step into the number one role alleviated much of the pain felt by fans. However, Wayne will be turning 32 this season, and he will not be getting any younger. With Wayne’s age starting to become a factor, it might be time to start thinking about who is in line to take over the role as Manning’s go to guy in this dynamic offense.

With Anthony Gonzalez, Austin Collie, and Pierre Garcon all showing flashes of being more than just average NFL receivers, the Colts may be able to promote from within. However, are any of the three behind Wayne capable of one day filling his shoes? Although Gonzalez and Collie do not appear capable of being a number one receiver in the league, Garcon certainly has the talent and ability to emerge as the successor of Wayne.

At 6′0″ and 21o pounds, Garcon is not exactly a big receiver, but neither was Marvin Harrison. Harrison was able to excel because of his quickness, intelligence, hands, and route running ability. Garcon has shown that he has the quickness and hands, and although he was very raw coming out of college, his time learning from Wayne and Manning has already shown dividends. As Garcon continues to grow and develop with Manning, his route running and knowledge of the game will only increase. The scariest part about Garcon’s game is that he is more talented than either Harrison or Wayne. Although he is not as polished as either nor as proven, his ability to succeed so early in his career has shown that he has the right stuff.

In training camp Garcon has been taking reps as the outright number two receiver for this team, showing that he has surpassed both Gonzalez and Collie on the depth chart. In drills he has looked very polished, and he has shown good quickness and technique in his routes. Further cementing Garcon’s solid training camp are reports that the Colts are very impressed with how the third year receiver has progressed.

Although Garcon still has a few years ahead of him before he will be able to unseat Wayne as the number one receiver, he is certainly on the right path. Wayne patiently waited in the shadow of Harrison, and Garcon may just have to do the same. Garcon will have to continue to grow and mature if he hopes to secure his position as the favorite weapon of Manning, but don’t be surprised if the Colts are able to once again make a smooth transition from one dominant receiver era to another.