The 9-1 Seahawks host the 2-7 Vikings Sunday at CenturyLink Field. The match-up has been made more interesting with word that wide receiver Percy Harvin will likely make his much-anticipated debut with the Seahawks against his former team, Minnesota.
Harvin was added to the active roster this week after hip surgery in August. KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says that has a lot of people excited.
He's Got Game, But Also Baggage
Art says Harvin is very talented.
"He was so explosive in Minnesota that he was really regarded as a game changer," he said. "He has a remarkable combination of speed, quickness and even a little bit of power for a small guy (5-foot-10)."
The Seahawks made a big investment in Harvin in the off-season, trading three draft picks and guaranteeing him $25 million.
"Everyone felt as if he were a franchise guy," Art said. "But he also came with a prickly side. He is self-centered, he is temperamental, and he is all about making something happen. Those can be virtues and liabilities in the same game and in the same play."
Harvin had hip surgery in August.
"That was a problem," Art said. "But it didn’t look like it was a big problem on their won-loss record because the Seahawks are 9-1, the best team in the NFC right now by record, and getting closer and closer to becoming a Super Bowl favorite with each passing week. So the idea of Harvin’s entry here now is very, very intriguing to a lot of Seahawks fans."
Big Star = Big Ego Clash?
Will Harvin's arrival in the Seahawks locker room create the same tension as the mid-season arrival of star player Clint Dempsey on the Seattle Sounders? As Art reported in Sportspress Northwest this week, Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer admitted that the acquisition of Dempsey caused ego clashes and other problems.
But Art doesn't think that will happen with Harvin and the Seahawks.
"Pete Carroll has had a long history of working with people who are…with baggage," Art said. "So I suspect that it’s going to work out alright but it is something to watch."
There is a vacancy at wide receiver with Sidney Rice out for the rest of the season with an injury. And Art points out that Harvin is versatile. He can also be a running back and return kickoffs and perhaps punts.
Offensive Line Restored
There's more good news for Seahawks fans this week. The team says starting center Max Unger and starting tackles Russell Okung and Breno Giacomini will return Sunday. That adds more protection for quarterback Russell Wilson.
Rest Up and Get Ready to Rumble
Then everyone gets a chance to rest and regroup. After a bye next week, the Seahawks face the New Orleans Saints and then the San Francisco 49ers—"the most formidable adversaries in the NFC," according to Art. "To go in healthy and rested will be a big deal."
You can find Art Thiel's work at Sportspress Northwest and Crosscut.com.