That time Marvin Harrison dusted Deion Sanders

SAN FRANCISCO – Marvin Harrison victimized many defenders in his day.

As it turns out, Deion Sanders is among that number.

Perhaps the greatest cover cornerback in history, Sanders still has a moment seared in his memory from the time Harrison, the Indianapolis Colts’ all-time leading receiver and Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist, dusted him.

This was 1999, in a game pitting the Colts against the Dallas Cowboys, and Sanders made a fatal mistake against one of the best receivers in NFL history. Consequently, he learned a hard lesson.

“I got caught looking at the naked hand,” the Hall-of-Fame cornerback said.

The what?

“So, Edgerrin James was running the ball well and you want to get up there and stop that before it gets started,” Sanders said during a break from his pre-Super Bowl television appearances on NFL Network. “And I’m peeking in the backfield. But you know once you see that naked hand (when the quarterback fakes the handoff), it’s six fingers, not five fingers. I looked back there and Marvin ran a deep post for six, man.”

Why Marvin Harrison belongs in the Hall of Fame

Before Sanders could recover, Harrison was streaking toward the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown reception from Peyton Manning.

“It looked like it was the (fault of) safety because it was in the middle of the field,” Sanders said. “The coach blasted the safety when we got back to the sideline. I said, ‘No, that was me.’ I took it.”

The Colts went on to beat the Cowboys 34-24 that day. Harrison caught six passes for 85 yards.

The Colts great is a finalist for the Hall of Fame, with voting to come Saturday night here on the eve of Super Bowl 50.

James, who, like Sanders, is a native of the Fort Myers, Fla., area, also is a finalist. And Sanders made it clear how he feels about James’ candidacy.

“When you have a quarterback of that nature (Manning), he tends to get a lot of the credit,” Sanders said. “That’s not wrong. But you have to think about who Peyton has played with. Peyton has played with some grown men who have helped him get to this point. Those guys deserve the accolades just as Peyton does.”

Follow Star reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.