I have to disagree with some of the Harvin sentiment.
Percy Harvin would absolutely flourish in this offense. I believed that in the 09 Draft and still believe it today.
He is a perfect target for the Patriots to pursue at WR, IMO.
- Separates extremely well from man coverage due to his explosiveness/quickness/speed. He's never going to be a great technician in terms of route running, but his first step off the line and ability to cut on a dime enable him to separate quickly from virtually anyone. I remember back when Revis was in his prime on the Jets in 2010, Harvin absolutely roasted him on a good number of routes and scored a TD on him as a member of the Vikings.
- Electric home run threat with the ball in his hands every time he touches it.
- Extremely effective when asked to work the middle of the field whether it's out of the slot or on the outside.
- Has the speed to be a deep threat, but is also a tough customer over the middle despite his lack of size. He doesn't get enough credit for that IMO. He is so fast and elusive in the open field but he'll also lower his shoulder and run guys over.
- Versatile weapon - WR inside and outside, can line up in backfield as a RB/H-Back, very dangerous on end arounds and reverses, extremely dynamic kick returner.
- His value is probably at an all time low at the moment. You can probably get him on a cheap, incentive-Laden one year deal right now despite the fact that he's only going to be 28 years old.
The concerns people have:
Health/his body holding up - legitimate concern but since he will be here on such a cheap deal in all likelihood, you can bring in another guy or two so we have solid depth at the position.
Attitude/character - I don't buy the stories of this guy checking out or pulling out of games. I've followed this guy since he was in college. He's highly competitive. He's played through injuries. I've never watched him play and got the feeling i sometimes had with Moss like "okay this guy is going into a shell and checking out today."
If you want to say maybe he's handful to deal with, a bit of a headache or diva, that's a possibility.
However, he has never played for a coach like BB or a QB like Brady. If you look at the coaches he's played for, they are all guys who really can't control a locker room and sometimes just let the players run wild, failing to discipline guys. Urban Meyer, Brad Childress, Leslie Frazier, Pete Carroll, Rex Ryan. Maybe at times he took advantage of that and was petulant if he didn't get what he wanted. I don't know.
And the quarterbacks he's played for, not exactly a great list - over the hill Favre and McNabb, Christian Ponder, Russell Wilson, Geno Smith, Tyrod Taylor. The best guy on that list is Wilson, and even he's still a below average passer who Jimmy Graham was frustrated with this year. I could easily see a talented WR like Harvin playing with a QB that can't consistently get him the ball becoming frustrated at times under those circumstances. All WR's do.
I don't think you'd have to deal with any of those stories if he came here and played for a no-nonsense disciplinarian like Belichick and a great QB like Brady. I think he'd shut up, work his ass off, and put up great numbers on a great team in hopes of rehabbing his value and cashing in on the open market one more time before he hits the age of 30.
