The pre-draft concerns about Percy Harvin mostly revolved around reports of a failed drug test at the Combine, and somewhat non-specific rumblings about his less-than-exemplary behavior while playing at Florida.
Since becoming a Viking, however, Harvin has been mostly a model citizen. The only blots on his record were a couple of somewhat suspicious preseason illnesses that led to a lot of bad jokes and not much else.
As the season has worn on, though, a new issue has come to the fore: Harvin’s susceptibility to migraines. The headaches have caused the rookie sensation to miss scattered practices throughout the season, and this week, they have come on with such ferocity that Harvin has been unable to practice at all, leading to speculation that he will have to sit out Sunday’s game with the Bengals.
Harvin has now become an important enough cog in the offense that losing him would be a major blow. He has become one of Brett Favre‘s favorite targets in third-and-long situations, is a giant red zone threat and has added home run ability to the Vikings’ kick return game.
He is also one of the toughest buggers you’re going to find playing wide receiver in the NFL, a guy who is fearless going over the middle, and is almost never brought down by the first tackler.
Losing Harvin would not only be a bummer for the offense, it would be a major buzzkill from an entertainment point-of-view. Next to Adrian Peterson, Harvin is the most electrifying skill position player on the Purple.
Unfortunately, the migraine issue looks like something that can’t be handled with a few aspirin and some rest. Hopefully Percy will again be able to shake off whatever ill-effects he might suffer due to his lack of practice time, and bring his usual dynamic game to the field in a very important contest this Sunday.