It was obvious and well-known around the NFL that Harrison wanted out. When he hired Athletes First agents Todd France and Tory Dandy recently to help him navigate a trade, the business of football accelerated.

"There are a lot of factors," Harrison said. "I think with any situation, you always want to take accountability for yourself. I'm always going to take accountability on my part and my role that I played in things. I'm just looking forward to the future now at this point and moving forward."

What did he learn from the experience?

"Those things I keep to myself really truthfully," Harrison said. "What I learned in Arizona, I think I definitely learned a lot. Moving forward, I'm really just looking forward."

Yes, Harrison had more than a feeling that his time in Arizona was coming to an end.

"It's hard to pinpoint an exact moment," Harrison said. "When I knew, I think just kind of playing the game, understanding the business side of it, kind of get a feel for some things."

At Ohio State, Harrison forged a strong reputation for his tireless work ethic.

And Stroud advocated for the Texans to make the move to bring Harrison to Houston, vouching for his character and his game.

"He'll fit in fine," Stroud said. "He's all about what we believe in this organization and be great for us I just asked for them to include me in things like that since I got here. I was just appreciative that they gave me an opportunity to even explain who I thought he was, the player I thought he was. I really don't have like that type of push or say so. I try to do my job and leave it up to our front office to make those decisions. I'm very happy he's here."

In the past, Harrison was a productive player. He caught 62 passes for 885 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie and 41 catches or 608 yards and four touchdowns last season when he was dealing with appendicitis and a foot issue. There is some rough tape, though, this year where Harrison, a physical player at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, looks sluggish on his blocking assignments and disinterested in selling routes when the football isn't going his way.

"He has to learn it and he's a really smart kid," Stroud said. "He's somebody who I'm not worried about. At the end of the day it's football. You run some very similar routes, just different ways. I'm very vocal on how I like things done. He knows that. We've had a conversations, we'll continue to just get on the same page, but a lot of the things are similar from where he's coming from. I think just the way I talk to him I think it helps. ..

"He's really good at running great routes. He gets open on time, I think he's a very quarterback friendly receiver. The better you are with getting the ball at your hands on time, the better he is. I think that's why him and I had so much success because I'm a pocket quarterback that likes to throw it to him on time. That's when he's at his best. That's one of the great things he does."

Stroud stuck up for Harrison, whom he collaborated with in Columbus, Ohio for huge numbers.

The relationship between Stroud and Harrison is a strong one.

He believes in him.

"I don't think anybody ever is a finished product," Stroud said. "He's a heck of a player. I don't agree with some of the things that are being said about him. At the end of the day, that's what people who are on the outside are saying.

"I'm a firm believer of really focus on what you can control and then whatever other people say or have their opinions, kudos to them. They have platforms and things that they can say on, but that doesn't really affect you unless you make it. I think he'll be fine. He's a confident dude. He'll be fine."

Harrison learned of the trade, which was essentially agreed to between Texans general manager Nick Caserio and Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort, his former New England Patriots colleague, Friday night, from his agent shortly before Ryans made the announcement at the end of his press conference following a road win over the Tennessee Titans. The Cardinals wanted the deal kept under wraps until after the game.

Known in college as 'Maserati Marv,' for his penchant for game-changing plays, Harrison was a two-time consensus All-American and a Fred Biletnikoff winner. He's wearing his old No. 18 jersey again, his college number.

In his final collegiate season, he piled up 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns on 73 catches with Stroud delivering throws to him as the focal point of the Buckeyes offense.

Doug Pike