New Seahawk Percy Harvin may not be the same player he was in Minnesota

The Seattle Seahawks acquisition of Percy Harvin from the Minnesota Vikings raises some questions. Harvin was known to be available by the local sports commentators, and there was discussion concerning whether he would be a good "fit" on the team. After all, the team already had two young slot receivers in Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin, and there is always the possibility that they could "blossom" more than adequately into that position (and they don’t cost as much). On the other hand, Harvin—though an undeniable talent—is injury-prone and one of those "withdrawn" types who do not respond well to authority. Harvin would also likely require a bundle of money to keep on the roster, so while there was respect for what he could potentially bring to the table, there was no great enthusiasm to see him upset the balance. 

But once word came that he had been acquired for a significant price—including a first-round draft pick—people here were far from disappointed; after all, Pete Carroll and John Schneider—unlike the management on other teams like the Raiders or Bengals—have the alchemist's "golden" touch. Their judgment can be trusted implicitly and without question. Even when it appears they don't know what they are doing, one must take it on faith that they divine more than you do (i.e., Tarvaris Jackson). I’m not sure that Harvin will be the difference maker people here think he will be. My impression is that his numbers are most impressive when he is the first, second or third target, usually with a quarterback who is having issues with sitting in the pocket and seeing the field.

In 2009 as a rookie, he had quality numbers but he wasn’t by any stretch Brett Favre’s “go-to” guy; Favre was quite aware of Harvin’s limitations, and in the week 16 overtime game against Chicago (lost after a questionable fumble by Adrian Peterson), the Vikings ran the exact same corner route twice in consecutive plays in the waning seconds of regulation. The first time Harvin was the target, but he didn’t have the height to overreach the defender; the second attempt had the taller Sydney Rice run the route, and this time the pass was caught to tie the game. The following year Rice was out most of the season and Favre was hobbled with a bad ankle dating from the NFC Championship game against New Orleans. Harvin became the main target by default; he led the team with 87 receptions—which would be impressive, unless one considers the fact that the next two receivers, Michael Jenkins and Visanthe Shiancoe, combined for only 74 receptions between them. 

Over the past two seasons, Harvin has been Christian Ponder’s top target—in twenty games, the two have connected 131 times. But he has been more of a safety blanket for Ponder—who last season lived on the short game, averaging only 9.8 yards per pass completion. Harvin’s 62 pass receptions in 9 games was more than team follow-up Kyle Rudolph’s 53 receptions in 16 games. I’m not sure that this is necessarily an indication of Pro Bowl talent—or the fact that he is simply the primary option at the expense of the rest. It also should be pointed out that Harvin’s all-purpose numbers peaked his rookie season, and have decreased each subsequent season.

 I may be wrong, but I doubt that with a quarterback like Russell Wilson, Harvin’s particular skill set will be utilized to its fullest possibilities—provided he stays healthy and doesn’t get on the wrong side of Carroll, which is a possibility.