Indianapolis Colts Mishandled Marvin Harrison Knee Injury From Start to Finish

The Indianapolis Colts' pathetic handling of the knee injury to wide receiver Marvin Harrison is a big part of the reason their season is over.

When Harrison first hurt the knee, ESPN's Ed Werder reported -- correctly -- that it was a serious injury that threatened Harrison's injury. The Colts responded by saying Werder didn't know what he was talking about.

If the Colts had simply put Harrison on injured reserve when he got hurt in October, they might very well have won the game against the San Diego Chargers Sunday. Harrison's fumble -- the kind of thing that happens when a guy who's hurt and rusty is sent out on the field for the playoffs -- was incredibly costly; the Colts looked like they were ready to march down the field for a touchdown on the drive before Harrison dropped the ball after a fairly ordinary hit.

And then came the end of the game, when Harrison couldn't play on the injured knee, even when Reggie Wayne got hurt before the final play. Harrison said this after the game:

"I did what I can do. That's the bottom line," Harrison said. "It was a coaching decision. I don't know how it came down, but at that point in the game we were better off probably without me out there."

It's not Harrison's fault that he was hurt. But it is the Colts' fault that they put him on the field yesterday while he was hurt. He had no business being out there.