Chalk Talk: Doug Baldwin’s touchdown catch and The Percy Harvin Effect
Nov 21, 2013, 10:00 AM | Updated: 10:14 am
By Brady Henderson
The 19-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Doug Baldwin helped Seattle take an 11-point lead into halftime Sunday against Minnesota, and it’s the subject of this week’s edition of “Chalk Talk” with Brock Huard.
More coverage of Seattle’s Week-11 victory over the Vikings at CenturyLink Field.
• Recap | Stats | Photos | Postgame interviews | • O’Neil: What We Learned | • O’Neil: Less is more for Wilson, Seahawks | • Henderson: Harvin shines in Seahawks debut | • Wyman: The Percy Harvin Effect | • Pete Carroll: 10-1 Seahawks only getting better |
The situation: After Minnesota kicked a field goal to pull within four points, Percy Harvin gave Seattle a short field with a 58-yard kickoff return. Four plays and 27 yards later, Seattle faced a second-and-10 from Minnesota’s 19 with 16 seconds left in the half.
The play: Harvin lined up on the right side in the slot, flanked by Zach Miller to his left and Doug Baldwin to his right. All three players ran go-routes, leaving Minnesota’s free safety responsible for the area Harvin and Baldwin were running into. Wilson threw an impeccably accurate throw to Baldwin in the end zone before Minnesota’s Andrew Sendejo could get there.
The statement: “He’s got elite speed, so any time you look at him in the slot or maybe outside, the safety’s got to cheat to his side in case he beats the guy off the line of scrimmage,” Baldwin said of Harvin, “because if he doesn’t get there, then there’s nobody in this league that’s going to catch up with Percy.”