Percy Harvin is no longer a Seattle Seahawk. Reports from multiple sources of sports news suggest that he was a problem in the locker room. I have no doubts this is true. However, why would Seattle trade a guy with a bunch of talent after giving up multiple draft picks and giving him a huge contract? The answer to this question is very simple. Percy Harvin is not a very good wide receiver. How many diva wide receivers have kept their jobs despite being ridiculous. Anybody remember Chad Johnson/Ochocinco?
Harvin is exceptionally quick AND exceptionally fast. In fact, he is a faster version of Randall Cobb (much faster). However, his career yards per reception is 11.39 (per Pro Football Reference). This is a good YPC for a running back. For a receiver with the physical tools of Harvin, this is a big, blaring warning siren. Having lived in Minnesota for Harvin's entire tenure here, I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch the recent Vikings train wreck. During this time, Harvin made plays that made my jaw drop. He also routinely ran poor routes and struggled to get open down the field.
This seems like I should have to explain myself further, but the game tape speaks for itself. Percy Harvin can't run good routes, so special plays have to be drawn up to get him the ball. Add to that fact that he is a jerk in the locker room, and it is no surprise that he is moving on to a third team.
sometimes locker room assholes just aren't worth it. Ask the yankees (a-rod), Giants (the legendary barry bonds), the entire nfl (TO, Ochocinco, etc). Notice that generally when teams get rid of these dudes they begin to play good team ball and do better than when these "superstars" were gone. I think a really good example of this take place is Dez Bryant. Dez Bryant was a me first ego maniac when he was drafted. Dallas looked horrible, he was getting in arguments with teammates, now he started playing the role of a team veteran , and the o-line being healthy has turned dallas into a top 3 team in the nfc. boom.
ReplyDeleteYeah, from the stories trickling out, it seems reasonable for the Seahawks to offload him. He's a mercurial talent, and apparently a mercurial guy, and that's a team that strikes me as being focused on steady performance and depth (not that that's working as well this year). Wonder if the trade will piss him off enough that he'll be a model player in New York, because if so, he could present an interesting pairing with a healthy Eric Decker (not explosive, but steady--I remember his college days, too). Of course, you have to figure out how to get either guy the ball, which Geno Smith hasn't done very well so far, and Michael Vick seems uninterested in doing. So. There's that.
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