Harvin

I have made some references to this previously, but thought today would be a good opportunity to explore it a little further.  Coach Childress has made allusions to the possibility of using Percy Harvin on punt returns for the second half of the season.

Harvin practiced in this role during training camp, but it was widely reported that he did not appear comfortable and it was unnatural to him.  Darius Reynaud won the job and was extremely productive.  On his first seven attempts, Reynaud was averaging 17.3 yards per punt return.  A hamstring injury sidelined Reynaud and Jaymar Johnson was given the duty of returning punts.  Johnson has averaged a respectable 8.4 yards on 16 attempts.

With Reynaud expecting to be healthy after the bye week, one would assume he would get the job back, but it appears that the Vikings coaches would like to have Harvin touch the ball more.  What better way than to have him return punts?  If Harvin has been practicing and improving in this area, then obviously putting him in the open field with the ball in his hands could be quite exciting.  He is a game changer.

Still, I have to question the wisdom of putting Harvin in harm’s way, fulfilling the duties of a position he has little experience at, while a perfectly good option is sitting on the sidelines in Reynaud. 

While I wouldn’t cry if Harvin becomes our punt returner (after all, he’s on my fantasy team) I expect that the Vikings coaches will play it safe and see if Reynaud can continue his success.  It’ll be an interesting move, either way, and perhaps one that will determine exactly how much our special teams has improved.