Percy Harvin was on the field for 21 plays during his debut appearance with the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
He caught just one pass for 17 yards and got one kickoff return opportunity that he broke for a 58-yard gain, but the Seahawks weren’t going to load him up with too much during his first game in over a year.
That’s expected to change when the Seahawks return from their bye week.
“When we come back, if everything goes like we hope, then he’ll be right back in the mix and he’ll be in normal rotation and returning kicks and the whole thing,” head coach Pete Carroll said Monday.
Carroll said Harvin was understandably a bit sore after his first football game since Nov. 4, 2012. Carroll hadn’t planned on using Harvin on kickoff returns against the Minnesota Vikings but Seattle lost Jermaine Kearse, their starting kick returner, to a concussion in the first quarter and Harvin began to plead for an opportunity. Carroll finally relented and Harivn rewarded him with the big return to setup a touchdown drive to end the first half.
The job will be his when Seattle gets back to prepare for the New Orleans Saints next week.
Carroll said the offense won’t change to accommodate Harvin’s return. They plan to just fit him into their offense and have him be a part of what they do.
“We don’t have to hold back and count plays and stuff like that. He’ll play a regular amount as we go. He won’t play every play; we’re going to still rotate our guys. We’re not changing the offense,” Carroll said. “I told Percy that the first night I talked to him. I told him we’re not going to change because you’re coming to our team, we’re just going to add you in and hope you can be a factor to help us, which he’s going to be.”