Percy's future w/ Vikings looking uncertain

[NextQuestion]

Can you imagine Harvin taking Welker's spot in NE? Brady to Harvin would be a force.

[csopher]

boy, i would hate to see percy leave. such a BIG part of the offense. i remember when brett farve would always talk about how good sidney rice and percy were! but if he does want to be traded or whatever . i say the vikings trade for draft picks and a WR. the two guys im eyeing in the draft are robert woods from usc.....and the big lineman from florida st. did anyone watch him during orange bowl?i think he was 71 or 75? from great britain. i would also say man'ti teo but his draft stock went sky high this year and he may not be there when the vikings are on the clock

[tmscr]

Why would he say that? That would just be an outright lie. The player has a choice whether he wants to rehab with the team's staff or somewhere else, the only requirement is that he keeps in contact and updated with the Vikings staff if he chooses to look elsewhere. Harvin and his family live in Florida, I do not understand the notion that because he chooses to rehab there that it means he wants out of the organization. It is not uncommon for players who have been placed on IR to rehab on there own, and to decide not to travel with the team. Have you seen Demarcus love on the sidelines?

Frankly I think a few things in his past, namely the outburst in the off season, has the media jumping at any opportunity to blow up a story about harvin because they know it will garner attention. So they blow the arguments he's had out of proportion (keep in mind player-coach arguments are common between even the best character players), then connect those arguments to the surprising IR placement and his absence from the team, and you've created the compelling story of a possible full fledged mutiny.

Just like desean Jackson would never return to phi, lance Briggs and Matt forte with chi, etc etc. Of course once those players got signed, those reports all of a sudden stopped.

was he rehabbing on sunday at 4 pm or watching the game? i totally agree that florida is a much better place to rehab than MN, but i would at least think he should have been on the sidelines for a win or go home game IN minnesota. but that's just my opinion

[VikingPaul73]

Well, IF Frazier really is getting tired of dealing with Harvin, the performance of Jarius Wright definitely won't increase the chances of Percy being back next year. I'm sure he's thinking Jarius is a pretty good alternative for a lower cost and no headaches (literally and figuratively).

I would love to see Percy and Jarius on the field at the same time next year. My fear is that, even if Percy is back, it will just mean Jarius is back on the bench..

[Dark]

this harvin situation is starting to smell worse and worse. although it again doesn't appear to be anything major this time, there's just something in the air with this guy. the little things begin to paint a picture.

trade trade trade trade trade!

Trade?! We are a rebuilding team and you want to get rid of one of the best players on our team? He was first in the league in total yards before his injury, and you want him gone? Unbelievable.

[Demi]

Trade?! We are a rebuilding team and you want to get rid of one of the best players on our team? He was first in the league in total yards before his injury, and you want him gone? Unbelievable.

Yep. Because he's a team killer and coach underminer. A rebuilding team doesn't need a coach berating psychopath that has to be separated from two coaches, and verbally assaults another. A rebuilding team needs chemistry, and players that are willing to buy into what the coach is selling, something Harvin clearly wasn't willing to do on a number of occasions.

We won as many games without his production as with it, and with less headache. Good riddance to bad rubbish. This team finally got rid of the rest of the trash they spent years collected, about time they get rid of that final little rotten piece of tissue before it can spread or cause more problems. Looking at the team he's the only player left with any recent issues! Nice to see a team start standing up to these bullies and big headed athletes. Don't want to be a part of the team, find another team to not be a part of.

[tmscr]

Trade?! We are a rebuilding team and you want to get rid of one of the best players on our team? He was first in the league in total yards before his injury, and you want him gone? Unbelievable.

you know what wouldn't be unbelievable? if harvin asks for more than the vikings can/want to pay, and he ends up testing the free agent market where someone will pay him. unless the vikings franchise him, that is a very real possibility. the vikings have to get something decent for him while they have good leverage.

[Dark]

Yep. Because he's a team killer and coach underminer. A rebuilding team doesn't need a coach berating psychopath that has to be separated from two coaches, and verbally assaults another. A rebuilding team needs chemistry, and players that are willing to buy into what the coach is selling, something Harvin clearly wasn't willing to do on a number of occasions.

We won as many games without his production as with it, and with less headache. Good riddance to bad rubbish. This team finally got rid of the rest of the trash they spent years collected, about time they get rid of that final little rotten piece of tissue before it can spread or cause more problems. Looking at the team he's the only player left with any recent issues! Nice to see a team start standing up to these bullies and big headed athletes. Don't want to be a part of the team, find another team to not be a part of.

Thank you for writing this. You have chamged my thinking of this situation. Great points!

[PurplePPLEater]

Thank you for writing this. You have chamged my thinking of this situation. Great points!

+1, +1

Not sure whether to credit Frazier or Musgrave but I think one of these two coaches need to be recognized more. Adjusting to losing a player like this and not even seeing much of a difference in play/record is unbelievable!! I think Percy is an AWESOME football player but if we can win with Wright in the slot then I feel a lot better about letting go of him. He has the potential to ruin a team's chemistry. Not that he has a history of doing so, but he has the scary combination of talent/personality to do so.

EDIT: I think the worst thing about losing Percy would be seeing him succeed with another team. The dude is SERIOUSLY talented. Wherever he plays he will put up big numbers as long as he's on the field playing with the team.

[saint33]

was he rehabbing on sunday at 4 pm or watching the game? i totally agree that florida is a much better place to rehab than MN, but i would at least think he should have been on the sidelines for a win or go home game IN minnesota. but that's just my opinion

I absolutely agree, but I wasnt trying to paint harvin as a model teammate.

I'm just trying to point out that his behaviour, while not what you'd hope, does not mean he doesn't want to be a Viking., or that there's a feud between him and the coaches.

[dead_poet]

Wiederer: Harvin questions keep popping up, but few answers

Around the locker room, teammates notice reminders of Harvin's mysterious absence, such as the unopened packages stacking up inside his locker stall. But many players shrug it off. They have never felt Harvin was a significant distraction or divisive force to this team. Just a complex personality whose moodiness is part of the deal.

Safety Jamarca Sanford, one of Harvin's closest friends, offered a similar report. In frequent communication with Harvin, mostly by text, Sanford said Harvin has recently expressed enjoyment of this Vikings' run and disappointment for not being able to contribute.

"He tells me he's really proud of us," Sanford said. "I know it was hard for him [to go on IR]. He wants to be helping this team win. But unluckily he got hurt. That's part of the game. So all he can do is sit back and watch."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... ml?refer=y

[dead_poet]

Two reader comments to the above story that I found interesting.

Of coarse there is more to this story. No one goes from practicing on the ankle to see if he can play to being on the IR without even a chance that it might heal by 64 days of recovery. There is no such thing as a sprain that requires no surgery but takes a player out for the season after game 9. At the very least, they would keep rehabbing and see if it gets better and every week they would see how fast he was healing. Then if it didn't get better for 60 days, then there would need to be surgery or something else because it is not just a sprain. They decided he was not playing the rest of the season and it had nothing to do with his ankle if you ask me. There is nothing wrong with this story either. Everyone has been wondering what is going on with him and no one believes this ridiculous story that he was put on the IR for an ankle injury for this long of a time and no one wanted to see if it would heal over the 60 days. If this story is true, we have bigger issues. Our team doctors, trainers and coaches are idiots if they shut him down for the last half of the season and the playoffs without thinking that it would likely heal in this much time. At the very least, they would keep him off the season ending IR if this was all it is. It is the worst ankle injury ever if he had no chance of healing after 2 months of healing.

Perfect time for the Vikes to trade Harvin to Jacksonville. Tebow will sign there and the fan base would LOVE to have Harvin play there too. Trade now for their #2 pick and use it to pick up the top college player

If (stress IF) there's some kind of rift, I'd take the #2 pick for Harvin, even if I find that scenario highly unlikely for several reasons.

[Cliff]

Two reader comments to the above story that I found interesting.
If (stress IF) there's some kind of rift, I'd take the #2 pick for Harvin, even if I find that scenario highly unlikely for several reasons.

Prior to the Vikings' 4-2 ending I would have said it was crazy to trade Harvin ... now after the team has shown they can beat quality teams without him and his continued absense/offseason trade request, if we can get a decent 1st rounder for him I wouldn't be horribly opposed.

[Mothman]

Wiederer: Harvin questions keep popping up, but few answers
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... ml?refer=y

I think The answer to this issue might be in this quote:

Sure, it might be torture for a guy that competitive to watch practices and games without being able to participate.

I realize there might be fire behind all the media smoke but I'm still inclined to take a straightforward view of this and look at simple explanations. For example, Harvin is known as a competitive player. His heated exchange with Frazier in practice may have involved unhappiness at being held back from pushing the ankle or with being told they were considering placing him on IR. His abrupt departure and decision to stay in Florida could have also been related to frustration at being placed on IR when he desperately wants to participate or it could just be a preference to spend December and January in warm Florida instead of wintry Minnesota.

Contrary to what the reader comment quoted above said, a severe high ankle sprain can take much longer than 60+ days to heal.

One of the worst case scenarios people are throwing out there could be true but it's pretty obvious that even the Vikings beat writers have nothing on this and they are just fishing for a story, throwing the paltry bits of information they have out there and speculating that there might be a bigger problem.

Regarding a trade: if Harvin wants out, I doubt the Vikes could get a first round pick for him. If they could, I suspect it would be a mid-to-late first round pick at best.

[PurpleMustReign]

Regarding a trade: if Harvin wants out, I doubt the Vikes could get a first round pick for him. If they could, I suspect it would be a mid-to-late first round pick at best.

I am with DP on this as well... IF there is a rift, Jacksonville would be an awesome place to trade him to... maybe we could package someting and get the #2 pick.

With that said, I would be shocked if he is traded. He is too valuable to the team. Put him, Wright, Rudolph, and AD together and that is a great start to the offense.