Only days after the Seahawks were within hours of putting receiver Percy Harvin on injured reserve, Harvin continues to show that he could suit up and play as soon as next Saturday, when Seattle hosts the Packers, 49ers, or Saints in the divisional round of the playoffs.
According Clare Farnsworth of Seahawks.com, Harvin practiced again on Friday -- doing much more than he did on Thursday.
“He really did fine,” coach Pete Carroll said. “He looked [good], and I think he felt pretty good about it.”
That’s a far cry from the tune Carroll was singing last week, when he openly discussed the possibility of putting Harvin on injured reserve. As of Sunday, the Seahawks were expected to shut Harvin down for the rest of the season as soon as Monday.
“We’ll just keep working until we have more information,” Carroll said regarding when he may know about whether Harvin will play. “We will not rush to the decision at any time. We’ll continue to take all the information in and encourage him and be encouraged by his efforts and stuff and see what happens.”
Harvin had hip surgery in early August, and he has played in only one game all season. The team opted in recent weeks to take a long-term approach to the investment they’ve made in Harvin, both from a draft-pick and cash-money perspective. But he’s done enough this week to show that he may be able to play in the postseason without jeopardizing his preparations for the 2014 season.
“I’m really proud of him,” Carroll said. “I’m so excited about how he’s fought to get to this point. He would not back off it. He might have had the opportunity to waver and kind of give into it, ‘OK, I’ll just have to wait.’ He’s been challenged, because it means so much to him.”
That last comment could make a cynic wonder whether the Seahawks opted to talk openly about putting Harvin on injured reserve to get the attention of Harvin at a time when he maybe had gotten complacent. If that’s what happened, it looks like it worked.