Could the Cardinals’ 2nd year workout warrior emerge as the Secretariat of NFC West?
Yesterday, as the Arizona Cardinals began their 2025 training camp, my pals Trish, Kerry, Phil and I, while on vacation in upstate New York, went to test our luck at the Saratoga Springs Race Course.
What a spectacle these horse races at Saratoga Springs are. To watch the sheer size, speed and strength of the thoroughbreds as they thunder around the track with such tenacious alacrity and grace is absolutely breathtaking.
Yet, as I was watching the thoroughbreds in awe while thinking of Day 1 of the Cardinals training camp, all I could think of was our very own Marvin Harrison Jr., particularly in light of the way that he has feverishly toned up in preparation for his second run in the NFL.
Upon our return to our Vrbo house in Averill Park, I was greeted with this marvelous presser:
Weighing in at 220 pounds, Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is already seeing the benefits of bulking up with training camp underway. pic.twitter.com/sd6d6SOCHM
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 23, 2025
“I feel great. I feel more faster, powerful, stronger and I am ready to showcase it.”
#Cardinals Marvin Harrison Jr is going to play at 220 pounds this season
Marvin hit the gym hard this summer pic.twitter.com/coNJ0K2bY6
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) July 24, 2025
Marv talks about how and why he sees a great leader in Kyler Murray:
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray’s leadership is shining through even more in the eyes of WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and TE Trey McBride.
“He kinda has this perception of what a lot of people think of him. When I got here, it was the total opposite. He’s been such a great leader.” pic.twitter.com/3zuTNyqSQS
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 23, 2025
This season, the Cardinals need Kyler Murray to run the offense like a clever, veteran jockey —- and this time around the track, Kyler needs to be able to get his horses across the finish line when the races are for the roses.
Watching Marvin Harrison Jr. on the football field is such a delight —- the way that he runs with such strength and how he gathers speed with each stride. Once he’s out in the open, he can kick his heels into that exhilarating extra special gear.
Marvin Harrison Jr. hit a max speed of 20.0 on his 2nd TD
h/t @NextGenStats
: @SharpFootball pic.twitter.com/vC3JEUc1qB https://t.co/fHfB1CJ8oY
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) September 15, 2024
Can Marvin Harrison Jr. develop into the Secretariat of NFL West wide receivers?
As a two-year-old colt, Secretariat, also known as “Big Red,” finished 4th in his first race, but then won seven of his final eight races, which earned him the Eclipse Award for the nation’s most prolific 2-year-old, plus the 1972 Horse of the Year Award.
In year three, Secretariat ran away with the Triple Crown and was named 1973 Horse of the Year. His victory at the Belmont Stakes, in which he won by a historic 31 lengths is still considered the all-time most outstanding performance from a thoroughbred racehorse. You want to see something breathtaking?
I was able to take this photo yesterday of Secretariat’s statue at Saratoga Springs.
It gave me goosebumps…the way rewatching this “marvelous” TD always does:
MARVIN HARRISON JR TOUCHDOWN!
Throw it up to 18 and good things happen. pic.twitter.com/lt0BfPH7EO
— TorresOnTheBuckeyes (@TorresOnOhioSt) October 27, 2024
C’mon Marv! C’mon Big Red!