POLL: Should Percy be returning kicks?

Remember that kickoffs are by far the most dangerous play in football. So much so that Roger Goodell keeps looking for ways to make them safer - already implementing rules moving the line up to the 35 and eliminating the wedge, and even proposing replacing kickoffs with much safer punts.

Punt coverage teams have five or six slow offensive linemen wearing gear on their hands that makes it extremely difficult for them to tackle quick returners who have already built up speed, and then two or three blockers behind them who do not release until after the punt is in the air -- they rarely make the tackles. The tiny gunners make most of the tackles and as we saw in the Chicago game, the punt returners are now protected by the defenseless receiver rule.

The kick return team has the athletes who have the best combination of speed and power, who are best able to destroy the kick returner, who unlike the eight or nine blockers on punt cover teams, get a running start and cross the line as soon as the ball is kicked. They are worked up to be brutal, frothing, maniacal assasins whose mission is to destroy the kick returner

Are you okay with a possibly fragile Percy Harvin, who has recently missed a year and a half with injuries, doing what is, by far, the most dangerous job in football?

.

He's one of if not the best kick returners in the league, hell yes I want Percy doing it.

I don't think he's as fragile as some of you make him out to be.

POLL:Should Russell Wilson throw passes?

Only 19 quarterbacks started all 16 games last year - many playing through injury.

With our offensive line struggles the scope for injury is increased, surely benching him will mitigate that risk?

themunn":5qotgewu said:

POLL:Should Russell Wilson throw passes?

Only 19 quarterbacks started all 16 games last year - many playing through injury.

With our offensive line struggles the scope for injury is increased, surely benching him will mitigate that risk?

Click to expand...

Yea, I suppose you're right, We really can win it all without Percy if need be, we did without him for 99% of the time last season, plus, we would have won the SB without his kick return, so he wouldn't be missed too much if he got hurt with a cheap shot, like he did in the game against the Aints.

Percy Harvin will make the whole Offense better with his mere presence, and I know that I'm in a minority on this issue, but I'd rather see him out there scaring the shit out of the Defenses who will be lined up across from him for most of the Season.

Anyone else remember Robert Turbin returning kicks last year? I think he returned six or seven before he got past the 20.

The difference in field position between Harvin and a replacement level KR is probably 10 yards of field position per non-touchback kick, maybe more. Considering that an average Seahawks drive last year went 30 yards, that 10+ yard boost at the start is a pretty big deal.

And then of course you have the occasional cheap TD or massive return that swings momentum and helps set up an easy score.

I guess we could have Baldwin return kicks and he's no slouch, but he's injury prone as well and plays a pretty big role in our offense.

scutterhawk":236nvx17 said:

themunn":236nvx17 said:

POLL:Should Russell Wilson throw passes?

Only 19 quarterbacks started all 16 games last year - many playing through injury.

With our offensive line struggles the scope for injury is increased, surely benching him will mitigate that risk?

Click to expand...

Yea, I suppose you're right, We really can win it all without Percy if need be, we did without him for 99% of the time last season, plus, we would have won the SB without his kick return, so he wouldn't be missed too much if he got hurt with a cheap shot, like he did in the game against the Aints.

Percy Harvin will make the whole Offense better with his mere presence, and I know that I'm in a minority on this issue, but I'd rather see him out there scaring the shit out of the Defenses who will be lined up across from him for most of the Season.

Click to expand...

When did he get hit with a cheap shot?
Was it when he ran a route? Harvin has returned 3 kickoffs as a Hawk for 58, 87(T) and 46 tards, and you're scared that he might get injured when he's proven time and time again he can do that in a regular play? Harvin is never going to defenseless in a kickoff return in the way he is in a receiving play - he got laid out several times against the Saints all without going near a kickoff.

This is a game where people hit other people really hard. Stop worrying about it happening

kearly":1luuys29 said:

Anyone else remember Robert Turbin returning kicks last year? I think he returned six or seven before he got past the 20.

The difference in field position between Harvin and a replacement level KR is probably 10 yards of field position per non-touchback kick, maybe more. Considering that an average Seahawks drive last year went 30 yards, that 10+ yard boost at the start is a pretty big deal.

And then of course you have the occasional cheap TD or massive return that swings momentum and helps set up an easy score.

I guess we could have Baldwin return kicks and he's no slouch, but he's injury prone as well and plays a pretty big role in our offense.

Click to expand...

This. And I think we won't see Percy take a knee this year, or very rarely at least.
As for Baldwin, also remember that Baldwin's return after Krap's jump pass TD in the NFCCG got us right back in scoring range. I thought it was a huge play in the game in terms of re-gaining momentum.