Harman knows 'cool uncle' won't help him make Cardinals roster
TEMPE, Ariz. -- If you think it's easy being Cardinals wide receiver Trevor Harman, consider this: He took plenty of grief from teammates upon his arrival because coach Bruce Arians is his uncle. There also are outsiders who wonder whether Arizona signed him as a rookie free agent simply because he is family.
"I feel that I do have to do a much better job out here," Harman said Tuesday as the Cardinals opened organized team activities (OTAs) at their headquarters. "The little mistakes, I really, really punish myself for."
Neither nepotism nor publicity had anything to do with signing Harman after he went undrafted, Arians said. Nor was it a favor to Arians' brother, Dennis, who is Harman's grandfather.
"I've watched him play and have known about him for a while," Arians said. "His production in college speaks for itself. He's a big, physical receiver. He's got an opportunity."
Harman earned that NFL opportunity with a standout career at Shippensburg University, a Division II school that competes in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and produced several NFL players including center Rob Davis, defensive back Brent Grimes and running back John Kuhn. Harman set 17 school records and is the conference's all-time leader in receptions (321) and receiving touchdowns (61).
"From what I can tell, he looks like a guy who came from a small school and absolutely dominated," Cardinals QB Carson Palmer said. "He broke every record you could possibly break. It's going to be tough to break that group of guys we have but somebody's going to make the team on special teams ability alone. He's big, he's quick, he's fast and he gets the game, so we'll see."
Harman had no idea the Cardinals were going to sign him. He got calls from several other teams before and during the draft, but the Cardinals were the first team to call after the draft ended.
"I told my agent on the phone, 'I'm just ready for this thing to be over,'" Harman said. "'Let's do this and get going.'"
Harman sheepishly confessed he already was a Cardinals fan before he arrived in camp. He met Palmer during their offseason workouts at the Fischer Institute and Larry Fitzgerald is his favorite NFL receiver.
Ever the practical joker, Fitzgerald labeled Harman an informant when he arrived and then imposed a code of silence.
"I was told I have to keep it in the classroom," Harman said.
Harman has his work cut out for him if he wants to make the roster. The Cardinals top four receivers, Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown and Jaron Brown, are return. Arizona also drafted speedster J.J. Nelson in the fifth round.
"He's not going to be on the team because he's related to anybody," Palmer said. "The best 53 are going to make this roster and that's very well understood by this entire team."
Even though Harman insists Arians is really the cool uncle he portrays himself to be off the field, he isn't sharing any family secrets and insists that persona isn't carrying over to the field at the moment.
"He still rips me apart whenever I make a mistake. There's no love lost out here," said Harman, who had one of those moments on Tuesday. "It was a little route where I took my eye off the ball. I turned and he's looking at me. It was like, 'Shoot, here we go.'"
Harman believes he earned this opportunity with his accomplishments at Shippensburg. He's also grateful to Arians for having the confidence in him to take a chance, regardless of outside perceptions. He knows, however, the rest is up to him.
"If I get cut, I get cut," he said. "Bloodlines don't really mean anything. This is a business when it comes down to it."
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