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I had a very tough time picking a player of the game this week. I mean, most people would automatically say that it is Adrian Peterson, because the man ran for 180 yards, 3 TDs, and manhandled defenders on his way to a 64 yard touchdown run.
But when it came down to finally making the decision, I figured Adrian Peterson has gotten several player of the game awards from me on my old blog, and I’m sure he’ll have many more chances to earn them from me as time goes on.
So Vikings fans, I present to you the Viking Ship Player of the Game for Week 1: Percy Harvin
It was Harvin’s first real NFL game, and he did not disappoint. He lined up in the backfield, he lined up in the slot, he returned kicks, he caught balls, he took fake handoffs, he made first downs, he stretched for touchdowns…
When the Vikings drafted Harvin #22 overall, we were all told how versatile he’d be for Minnesota. It sure didn’t take him long to prove it.
Harvin took over kick off duties. He returned 3 kicks for an average of 33 yards, a definite improvement from the 22.4 yards per return the team averaged last year. He also made it apparent that sooner or later he’s going to take a kick return all the way. His speed is blinding, and as soon as he touches the ball, he puts you on the edge of your seat.
He also took two handoffs, running 11 yards each time. Obviously when a team has Adrian Peterson, a guy like Harvin isn’t going to get a ton of runs, but giving Harvin a couple rushes per game is going to keep other defenses on their heels.
And finally Harvin made himself seen in the passing game, grabbing 3 catches for 36 yards and a touchdown. He had one big catch of 21 yards that came on a Vikings 2nd and long deep in their own territory. His touchdown catch was a 6 yard grab where he stretched the ball across the goal line as he was being tackled.
Even when Harvin wasn’t touching the ball he was making an impact. For being such a small guy, he’s willing to work hard on blocking, and he threw a couple good blocks for Adrian Peterson during the game. He’s also a great decoy… and with a guy like Favre under center who is willing to look foolish to sell a fake, that’s going to come in handy. On a couple occasions Favre faked a reverse to Harvin after handing off to Peterson, and because of Harvin’s explosiveness, I think defenders have to stop and look when things like that happen. When Harvin lines up in the slot or in the backfield on a passing play, there is no linebacker in the world who can hope to cover him, so his presence on the field will sometimes demand a nickel defense (which opens up the run), or in the least makes teams think twice about blitzing (which opens up other defenders).
But the biggest reason I gave Harvin and his 157 all purpose yards the nod over Peterson’s 198 all purpose yards… it was Harvin’s very first NFL game.
The guy is going to be an impact player, and he didn’t want to wait long to show it.
