Harvin’s Happiness And My Inner Turmoil
For those that don’t visit Vikings Territory often, we do a segment here every now and then called “Coin Toss.” My cohort Adam and I debate various topics that we disagree on. Readers then vote for who they agree with more (or, in other words, who won the Coin Toss). Typically I walk away the victor. But every now and then, Adam has been known to squeak out a win.
Well, the past couple of days, I’ve been having a Coin Toss of my own. Yep, right in my own head – no opponent needed.
You see, this whole Percy Harvin situation has me a little torn. And every single time I think I’ve wrapped my head around my opinion of this whole controversy, a new piece of information comes out that completely throws a wrench in my stance. So, I’ve come to accept that maybe I don’t have to have a definite stance on this. And instead of forming an opinion and only sharing that perspective, I’d relay both views and just let it play itself out.
But first, let’s recap this whole thing.
“Percy Drama Timeline”
Tuesday: Percy Harvin tells reporters he is not happy with the Vikings. He doesn’t want go into specifics on the matter. Percy just wants people to know that “[I] haven’t been really happy lately.” But don’t ask why!
Head Coach Leslie Frazier tells reporters that both him and his disgruntled receiver need to chat things over “in depth.”
The blogosphere whirls with speculation.
Wednesday: Percy Harvin (supposedly) requests to be traded by the Vikings. The plea for a trade was originally reported by the Associated Press. According to this article though in the Star Tribune, it was confirmed by a “source close to the situation.” Rick Spielman promptly met with the media and announced that the team had “not interest” in trading Harvin. Harvin does not show up to Wednesday’s afternoon practice. Percy ‘tweeted’ later that evening that his issues with the Vikings have nothing to do with money. He will still not disclose what his problem is, but it is not money.
Thursday: Uhhh… Percy Harvin has an intense migraine causing short-term amnesia of the previous days events. (Sarcasm.) The previously disgruntled receiver returns to the Vikings practice on Thursday. After practice, Percy takes to Twitter again to express his confusion over his supposed trade request. Harvin tweets, “I’m really clueless on the crazy reports… see u at Mankato…” Right…
The Minnesota Vikings Should Trade Percy Harvin
Prepare yourselves because I am about to go on a ranting spree for I am so, so sick of football players acting like divas.
For starters – Mr. Harvin, keep your mouth shut. Why did this issue even need to be brought up in front of the media? Was this not something you could discuss privately with the organization? It seems pretty obvious that the front office was caught completely off guard by the whole thing. But if you are going to approach reporters and express your displeasure with the team, commit to it. Don’t tell everyone your upset but refuse to tell them why. It’s childish. Like a kid running around the playground telling everyone he has a secret, leading people on but never disclosing any more information. What are you accomplishing?
If the initial reports were correct and Harvin did request to be traded, I sincerely believe he should be shown the door. Of course, I think the Vikings should try and get the best deal they can for him, but seriously – trade him.
If there are players on this team who do not want to be players on this team, they should not be players on this team. Clear enough?
The Vikings are an incredibly young team – the third youngest in the NFL. One of the Vikings youngest units is its new receiving core featuring Arkansas rookies Jarius Wright and Greg Childs. These young players need veteran leadership that can show them the ropes. Not a diva who is whining about being unhappy and demanding trades.
I believe that you don’t win championships in football as individuals – you win as a team. Harvin’s recent tantrum suggest that he is a player who is interested in himself, not the well being of the franchise.
The Minnesota Vikings Shouldn’t Even Think About Trading Harvin
Coming off one of their worst seasons in franchise history, the Vikings simply cannot afford to lose a playmaker like Harvin. Yeah, he’s a diva. Yeah, he’s not the most reliable player on the team and frequently suffers from mysterious migraines. Yeah, he just had a minor shoulder surgery that, personally, I think will at some point become an issue this season.
But even with all that being true, his contribution to the Vikings offense cannot be overlooked.
Without Harvin, the Vikings receiving unit could look something like this for the first three games of the season (while Jerome Simpson is serving his suspension): Michael Jenkins, Jarius Wright and Greg Childs. If I’m Christian Ponder, I am not liking the way that looks.
Plus, it seems like all of this is going to blow over anyway. Whatever issues Harvin had seemed to have been resolved for the time being and, as of right now, it appears he will participate in training camp at Mankato in a few weeks.
And let’s face it, Harvin’s current compensation isn’t exactly consistent with his contributions to the team. Does that mean I think he should hold out for a new contract two years before his rookie deal has run its course? No. Does that mean I think he should express his displeasure to the media? Absolutely not. But I can understand why it may have Harvin a little irked.
Over For Now?
Regardless of which way you look at it, the whole controversy seems to be over for now. Harvin participated in the final day of minicamp and is playing dumb about his recent outbursts. There may be more development between now and Mankato, but part of me expects this thing to be over with for a while.
Still, though, after a season where Percy seemed to be a professional and really taking a step in the right direction, he recent actions are disappointing and have me worried that he cannot be the leader this team needs. Thankfully for the Vikings, we still have guys like Adrian Peterson who always seem to go about these issues in the most professional manner and can be a great example for this very young squad.
What are your thoughts on this issue? How would you handle things if you were the Vikings GM?
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