First Look: Percy Harvin

The Minnesota Vikings got their first good look at Percy Harvin at this weekend’s mandatory mini-camp. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Chip Scoggins, Harvin was “the story of the weekend”. His blog can be viewed here.

I won’t repeat too much of what was already said, but some opining of my own is in order.

Harvin As a Player
Obviously Harvin has a ton of natural skill and raw talent, but how the Vikings choose to utilize him is the difficult task. It’s been reported that 15 to 20 plays have already been added to the playbook with Harvin in mind specifically. Some of these plays use the Wildcat formation that the Miami Dolphins used last year to surprise the league. I have no doubt in my mind that this formation would fit him perfectly, but will it fit into Coach Brad Childress’ gameplan? He has been known to be very…methodically conservative…in his play calling. Will he stretch the boundaries of his normal gameplan to include these new plays in actual game situations or is this all something used to distract teams into wasting time on new schemes to defend it? Either way I’d say it’s a positive for the team. The less time other defenses spend trying to figure out how to defend Adrian Peterson, the better.

The next problem the Vikings have is reigning the rebellious Harvin in. In addition to the widely publicized failed drug test at the 2009 NFL Combine, he was suspended twice from football games in high school and eventually banned from all High School athletic competition because of a conflict during a basketball game in his senior season. He was suspended one game in his junior year for unsportsmanlike conduct and two games in his senior year for shoving a referee. The benches-clearing scuffle at the end of a basketball game in his Senior year was the final straw that led to his ban from all high school competition by the Virginia High School League. This ban prevented him from defending his 5 gold medals in the annual state track meet.

So enough of stating the facts, here’s my opinion. If I was in charge of deciding who to draft, I wouldn’t have drafted Harvin. He is too much of a wildcard and if you want to say that you are the “Culture of Accountability”, then you better abide by that no matter the talent level. It’s too late for that now, though, so what does the team do with him now that they have him? I think the team has to go with designing and implementing new plays with Harvin in mind. He can be lined up on the edge, in the slot, or in the backfield. Defenses have to respect him no matter where he’s lined up. He can burn any linebacker in the league and most defensive backs. If defenses keep putting 8 men in the box to defend Peterson, then the Vikings have to make those defenses pay by hitting quick slants to Harvin out of the slot. His ability to make defenders miss was seen all of his college career at the University of Florida. I feel, if they can keep him reigned in, that Harvin will be vital to taking some defensive attention away from Peterson this year and that is key to improving this offense’s potency.

How Will Harvin Do?
I think the answer to that question depends on his ability to learn the playbook, how Coach Childress decides to use him, and his willingness to adapt to not being the star. All of his athletic career, he’s been it. He has been the player opponents fear the most, but with the best RB in the league on his team, he is no longer that guy. He will not outshine Peterson this year. If he learns his role and becomes the teachable, moldable athlete everyone hopes he can be, then I think he has a legitimate chance at being in the conversation for Rookie of the Year. He is a niche player. He’s not the prototypical running back or wide receiver, so predicting his stats, especially at this point in the offseason, is somewhat absurd. So for the sake of saving face and not having to change my prediction midway through the preseason games, I won’t give exact stat predictions. I will say that I expect him to make an impact this year, whether it be with his own stats or affecting the attention Peterson gets and thereby improving Peterson’s stats.

Final Thoughts
I hope this whole experiment pans out for the Vikings. Adding another versatile weapon to this offense is crucial to their improvement. TE Visanthe Shiancoe showed he can perform at a high level last season, WR Bernard Berrian proved he was worth the money, Chester Taylor is the most talented #2 RB in the league, and Adrian Peterson is Adrian Peterson.

One other person that hopes this pans out is Coach Childress. I’m pretty sure his job is on the line this season and part of that is the decision to draft Harvin. If it works out, Childress will be praised. If it doesn’t work, he won’t be the coach next year. This team must win a playoff game this year, or they are underachieving, and we all know what happens to coaches in the NFL when a team underachieves.

I’ll do a follow-up piece on Harvin midway through Preseason and include more detailed predictions then, when I have a better idea of how the team plans to utilize him. Until then, enjoy hearing about his game-breaking speed week in and week out via the local Newspapers. I’ll post links to the more interesting articles as they come up. If you want to read all about Harvin’s history, click here for his WikiPedia page.

Tags: Adrian Peterson, Bernard Berrian, Brad Childress, Chester Taylor, Draft, Harvin, Percy Harvin, Vikings, Visanthe Shiancoe