Vikings’ Harvin is a different kind of dangerous
Nov 1, 2012, 6:58 PM | Updated: 7:09 pm
By Brady Henderson
Minnesota’s Percy Harvin has taken an unconventional route to ammass 667 receiving yards through eight games, a total that ranks fifth in the league.
Using his blazing speed to run by defenders and catch deep passes from Christian Ponder? Not exactly.
This nugget from ESPN Stats & Information helps tell the story: Ponder’s average pass attempt this season has traveled just 5.8 yards downfield. That figure is the lowest in the NFL and the only one under 7 yards.
The fact that Harvin has racked up so many yards despite catching so many passes not far beyond the line of scrimmage underscores just how much damage he can do with the ball in his hands.
“He can definitely hurt you in a lot of different ways. He’s a pass catcher and he’s very dangerous after he gets the ball,” nickelback Marcus Trufant told “Bob and Groz” on Thursday. “They may throw him a 2-yard screen but he can turn that into 50 yards. It’s just one of those things, you’ve got to always have one eye on him and know where he is at all times becuase he can hurt you in a lot of different ways.”
Bob Stelton and Dave Grosby share additional thoughts on Harvin in the video below.
You can listen to Thursday’s podcast here.