RENTON, Wash. — Percy Harvin has been a ghost in uniform. Or maybe The Loch Ness Monster is a more apt description. There have been infrequent sightings followed by tales of feats that strain reality.
Speaking for only the fifth time to the media this season, Harvin talked confidently about playing in the Super Bowl, but not about his uncertain health.
“I don’t know if I felt the exact same as I was in Minnesota. But I know I felt good enough to play in a football game,” said Harvin on Thursday when asked about his condition during his cameo against the New Orleans Saints’ in a divisional game before suffering a concussion.
Harvin profiles as a playmaker, his speed as a slot receiver and kick returner capable of creating memorable moments. Since signing a six-year, $67-million contract with a $12-million signing bonus last summer with the Seahawks, Harvin caught one pass and returned one kick in the regular season, limited by a torn labrum in his hip.
Asked if the Super Bowl offered a chance to prove his value, Harvin bristled.
“Not at all. I am a football player. I am confident in my game.,” Harvin said. “Unfortunate situations happen in life and in this game.”
Harvin is dynamic when on the field. He averaged 35.9 yards per return last season with the Vikings, has scored on five kickoffs in his career and his best receiving game came against the Broncos in 2011.
“It’s really hard to stop him because he creates match-up problems,” quarterback Russell Wilson said. “He can bring a special element to the game — his speed — and that fear factor is definitely alive.”
Enjoy the rainbow Running back Marshawn Lynch doesn’t talk much to the press. He sits at his locker and jams hard core rap as the Seahawks’ resident Dee-Jay. In a rare moment two weeks ago, he did explain why he eats Skittles during games to NFL Japan.
“My mom gave them to me to settle my stomach when I was in youth football,” Lynch said.
He keeps the Skittles in the trainer’s kit so he can pop a few like aspirin. Seattle fans love his strange nutrition, raining the field with the candies when he scores a touchdown.
Footnotes If it’s cold in New Jersey, Peyton Manning and his glove will become a storyline. But the Seahawks aren’t exactly filled with a roster of Mr. Freezes. Wilson admitted that he’s played only one game in the snow in his life. … Lynch (knee) and receiver Doug Baldwin (hip) did not participate in practice the past two days. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said this is by design as he looks to give them time to rest and recover. … Baldwin didn’t see any reason the Seahawks would change their game plan despite the Broncos’ issue, at times, defending the pass this season. “I don’t know why we would. We have been playing at a pretty good pace when we hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch.”
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
