J. Kapp 11 wrote:Don't you think, with the lack of talent this team has had at WR since 2009, that the coaching staff would have lined Percy up outside if he were an effective outside receiver?
I would hope, but I'm not so sure. It could honestly be a situation where he's just that much more effective in the slot. And they want to keep him on a snap count given his aggressive playing style (meaning, not playing him on the outside in base and slot in three-wide sets). They could've viewed him, like you, as someone that's "too short" to play outside (even though there are many players his size or shorter than have been effective outside receivers). I rarely saw him line up outside, even in the preseason. They may have liked their outside guys. Rice was a starter and Berrian had the contract of a starter too. Neither Rice nor Berrian are "slot guys" and it wouldn't have made a lot of sense to bench one of them, especially if Harvin wasn't getting reps on the outside to try and "unseat" one of them.
I admit that I might be off base, but I'd love to hear from someone in the organization why he was used primarily out of the slot. In my eyes, he can succeed in that role. Better than his prowess in the slot? That's a good question. Lack of a proficient complete route tree/timing?
And I also greatly disagree that he's not a "game changer" at receiver. I really wish he would've played a full season in 2012. Looking at his averages in 2012, extrapolated to 16 games and his stat line would've read: 120 receptions, 1,344 yards, 6 TDs.
Here's what one AFC personnel man said about Harvin:
"He's got more versatility and big-play ability than Bowe," the personnel director said. "He's younger than Jennings. He can get vertical like Wallace can, but Wallace is a real straightline (player) and Percy's got a whole lot more wiggle to him. He's got (Wes) Welker's quickness, but far better speed. Arguably, you can say he might be the top guy of that group."
And I remember this relevant exchange:
Last year, around this time, Vikings coach Leslie Frazier kept hearing about Percy Harvin.
First, while coaching the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and later at the 2012 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Frazier was repeatedly approached by opposing coaches, who in casual conversation just kept mentioning how much of a headache it was to defend Harvin.
The energetic slot receiver was just so slippery, so dynamic, so explosive.
The more Frazier heard from peers and foes about the stress Harvin could cause an opposing defense, the more he realized Harvin had to become an even bigger cog in the Vikings’ attack. And so plans were tweaked, Harvin’s role was enhanced and for eight games in 2012, the explosive playmaker did a little bit of everything.
He took bubble screens and short quick-hit passes and turned them into big gains. He lined up in the backfield and displayed his demolition derby style as a running back. He lobbied for more action on special teams and continued to be one of the league’s most electrifying return men, evidenced best by his 105-yard score in Week 4 in Detroit.
At the season’s midpoint, Harvin was the Vikings star being propped up as a league MVP candidate, not Adrian Peterson. Harvin was the one who seemed more responsible for the team’s 5-3 start, amassing a league-best 60 catches and totaling 739 yards from scrimmage with five total touchdowns mixed in. (Peterson, for the record, had 914 yards from scrimmage and four TDs after eight games.)
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 14531.html
I consider a guy that's a threat to take the ball to the house every time he touches it, a guy that defensive coordinators fear and specifically game plan for, who can burn you in a multitude of ways, I say that is the epitome of a "game changer." Of course YMMV.
