Thread: Daily Mailbag: Harvin as a RB?

Every play that starts with him in the backfield is one less play where he is pressuring defenses downfield or at least taking attention away from somewhere else.

Daily Mailbag: Harvin as a RB?

I completely disagree with that statement. I think putting him back there at RB really would stress the defense. It would force them to either commit to thier run package or guess and roll out thier nickle package just in case he went into motion.

Regardless what each decides to do, it would cause the defense to hesitate just that little fraction of a second. In this day and age, thats all you need when it comes to matchups.

given the issues Harvin has had with migraines then I'm not sure this is such a good idea. Getting dinged every play as a RB is not going to do him any favours on that front.

On the offensive scheming then it would get the defence guessing, then again wasn't that the idea of developing the Wildcat plays to take advantage of his skills?

AngloVike wrote:

given the issues Harvin has had with migraines then I'm not sure this is such a good idea. Getting dinged every play as a RB is not going to do him any favours on that front.

On the offensive scheming then it would get the defence guessing, then again wasn't that the idea of developing the Wildcat plays to take advantage of his skills?

I think that getting laid out over the middle by a hard charging S or a MLB would cause more headaches that getting tackled by a big fat NT. Both would hurt though.

As to the Wildcat. I think the Wildcat was formed to overcome a deficiency in QB.

I'm not sure if I like Harvin in the slot or as a RB on third down more. The beauty of the point though, is that either is definitely an option, at least IMO.

I agree with Marr, no matter where Harvin is lined up, he poses a serious problem for the defense.

AngloVike wrote:

given the issues Harvin has had with migraines

Ey married man ,don´t trust anyone who says to you "I have a terrible migraine" even if it is your wife

El Vikingo wrote:

AngloVike wrote:

given the issues Harvin has had with migraines

Ey married man ,don´t trust anyone who says to you "I have a terrible migraine" even if it is your wife

she's not a subtle as that ..just get " not tonight " and a withering look that would put paid to any such inclination ..lol

It's a cool idea, but I don't think it maximizes our talents in the offense.

Who are we going to put in the slot on 3rd downs if Harvin is in the backfield? Shank? Jaymar Johnson? Pssh. AD in the backfield and Harvin in the slot is by far a better option.

Now people will cry, "AD isn't good on 3rd downs!" and I say, even so, that is easily our best 3rd down package. That or we grab a real 3rd down back who can give us the same dynamic that Chester did.

-V-

V-Unit wrote:

It's a cool idea, but I don't think it maximizes our talents in the offense.

Who are we going to put in the slot on 3rd downs if Harvin is in the backfield? Shank? Jaymar Johnson? Pssh. AD in the backfield and Harvin in the slot is by far a better option.

Now people will cry, "AD isn't good on 3rd downs!" and I say, even so, that is easily our best 3rd down package. That or we grab a real 3rd down back who can give us the same dynamic that Chester did.

-V-

I think that's our best package on every down.

If defenses are gonna stack the box, at least force them to spread out a little, and if they have the wrong package in, they're forced to cover that slot guy(Harvin) with a linebacker or safety.

Granted it gives us one less blocker, but which is worse blocking 7 or 8 in the box with 5, or blocking 8 or 9 in the box with 6? And let's be real here, most linebackers and safeties on the backside of a play aren't catching up with Peterson if there is a hole for him to hit. If our O-line steps up as a unit and stays healthy, I never want to see a heavy set. We've got too much speed, too much talent, and too much respect from defenses to run out of TE+FB sets.

Code:

BB              Mac Hutch Sully Hererra Load         Rice
            Shank         Favre                 pH
                         Peterson

or:

Code:

BB        Mac Hutch Sully Herrerra Load                  Rice
                    Favre                    pH(both sides)  
                    
            Someone Better than Tahi

                   Peterson

In both cases you have 3 burners on the field, Peterson, Berrian, and Harvin, guys who can flat out run. Move guys around and you have mismatches for certain.

No more:

Code:

        Sauce Mac Hutch Sully Herrerra Load             Rice
                        Favre              Shank

                         Tahi

                       Peterson

You've got two TEs, a fullback, and a 6'4" receiver who moves well, but creates space with his length, leaping ability, and body control, not his speed. So what do they do? Load up, at least 8 in the box. Even if Kleinsasser or Shiancoe are running routes, it doesn't matter, their coverman, whether it's a backer or safety can be up in the box, putting him closer to runner than he'd normally be.


Since defenses don't give Peterson any room to move, we need to create some. Not to mention the gadgets we could pull with Harvin and Peterson on running downs.

There's so much we can do, I'd like to see the Chiller implement some tricky stuff this season.

I like the idea of using Percy Harvin as the backup for Adrian Peterson after Chester Taylor is gone (it hurts everytime I say it ) but before the coaches make that decision, they need to answer two questions:

1. Can Percy Harvin play halfback?

My answer: I'm pretty confident that Percy can be as productive in the backfield as he is out wide. Perhaps even better... because in my eyes, Percy Harvin both looks and runs like great scat back who just happens to have a pair of solid hands and the mentality to go over the middle. Percy Harvin is perhaps the most versatile player on the Minnesota Vikings. I have no doubt in my mind that he can be a productive runningback. The only question is: can he block?

2. Who can take Harvin's place in the slot or out wide?

My answer: Our wide receiver group can be split in half.
The one half is Sidney Rice, Bernard Berrian, and Percy Harvin. They are the proven guys. Their place on the roster is a safe bet.

The other half is Jaymar Johnson, Darius Reynaud, and Greg Lewis (or whoever guy they decide to sign off the practice squad). This half is the unproven guys. These guys have not performed on a high level on a consistent basis, and they're always fighting for a roster spot.

I believe that the Vikings have a great group of wide receivers, better than the majority of other NFL teams. However, the biggest gap is between the 3rd stringer and the 4th stringer. I'm not sure who's the 3rd and 4th stringer, but it should be pretty obvious who the first three players are. Because of the huge gap, the Vikings might be better of using Adrian Peterson, Albert Young, or Ian Johnson on passing downs.

The young guys did a good job in both pass protection and as receivers out of the backfield in pre-season, but Adrian Peterson is being slightly underrated as a 3rd down back. His blocking skills has drastically improved, he has decent hands, and not to mention that he's ridiculous dangerous in the open field. Adrian is definitely not Chester Taylor, but he's still a good option because of his freakishly talent.

Conclusive, I think Harvin can be a great halfback, but I think it's a stupid idea to take the best offensive player (Peterson) off the field as long as we don't have a fourth receiver who can take Harvin's spot.
The problem is not Percy Harvin, but the depth behind him.

In other words, what would you rather prefer:
a. Peterson, Berrian, Sidney, Shiancoe, and Harvin?
or
b. Harvin, Sidney, Berrian, Shiancoe, and Jaymar Johnson?

It's really a simple math question in my opinion!

Ops! I saw that both V-Unit and Mr. Anderson already posted the same stuff after I posted my post. Damn, I could have saved my self for a lot of typing haha :lol: