I was hoping to be the first Vikes fan to come on here, but I guess I got beat to it. Wanted to check out what Seahags fans were saying about the trade, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of you aren't ignorant to the incredible talents of Percy Harvin. It seems a lot of places you go, there are fans who simply look at the numbers and just don't get what he is.
So first off, as a Vikings fan, I would like to say congratulations on getting Percy, as chimpston said before me, it was a heavy price to pay, but Percy will live up to it. There are certainly concerns that come with Percy, but none of them are on the field. He is a special player, an extraordinary talent. I'm always amazed when I see his numbers aren't what you'd expect from a top 5 WR in the NFL, but when you watch the guy, you can't help but feel like he's the best player on the field. He is a clutch player to have in any offense.
However, I've read a few people on this board who have the wrong idea of Percy. He is very versatile, he can be moved all around the offense. However if you're expecting a "#1" WR, he is not it. He is best suited in the slot, and he is most productive in run after the catch. He is not a polished route runner, and although he is fast as hell, he is rarely used as a deep threat. He works best in a short space, and with the ball in his hands. View him as a more dynamic Wes Welker-type.
As for the injuries, he's on the injury report pretty regularly, but rarely misses games because of it. Although the more involvement he gets, the more beating he takes. And his playing style results in a large beating, so I understand where the injury concerns arise from. His career may not be the longest one if he continues to take the beating he did last year.
Anyways, the big, and quite real concern, is going to be Percy's attitude. I've read people say he's just passionate and just wants to win, and that he's not a selfish type player. Unfortunately that's not the case. He certainly is passionate and certainly does want to win. But he an emotional and erratic person. There have been reports that he has very few friends on the Vikings, and even his most loyal fans around Winter Park will admit he's a handful to deal with. He seems to have a problem with authority. This dates back to his days in Florida, where he reportedly threw a weight at a coach. He also took a swing at Brad Childress shortly after Randy Moss was cut in 2010 (although most Viking fans enjoyed this). And if your thinking that Pete Carroll can get him in line, I'm not going to say he can't, but he's got his hands full. After all, for the Childress years Harvin was kept in line by Leslie Frazier who was the defensive coordinator. Harvin hated Childress, but Leslie, who is considered one of the nicest, most level headed coaches in the NFL, was a strong confidant of Harvin's, and was able to keep him in check for the most part. But with Frazier in command, the same issues have arisen and Percy's tirades have turned onto the same man who kept him in check for so long.
I do not agree with the fans who call him a "locker room cancer". His skills on the field far outweigh the headaches (no pun intended) he creates off of it. And ultimately, he is passionate about winning. I just wouldn't fool yourselves into believing it's the only motivation for his blow ups. After all, the Vikings did make the playoffs this season while Percy was AWOL. While his teammates were trying to win a Superbowl, he was in Florida and wouldn't even cheer his boys on.
So as much as I loved Percy as a player, and I wish he were still a Viking, I can see why he was moved. So I would like to congratulate you guys, because you are getting an incredibly exciting player to watch. He'll be your favorite player on the team on most Sundays. Unfortunately, I'm just warning you now not to be surprised when he isn't your favorite from Monday-Saturday. But in the end, I'd say he's well worth the headache. I'm going to miss the little guy
