Jets in Position to Jump-Start Percy Harvin with New Role, Emphasis on Speed

It has been eight days since the Percy Harvin trade to New York, and the early returns—as reported by the New York media—have already been encouraging.

In a piece for the New York Post, Brian Costello wrote that Jets coaches are “giddy with the idea of what Harvin can do,” with wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal saying, "I see sky's the limit.” Of course, Harvin has yet to appear in game action for the Jets, and his tryout officially begins tomorrow, as he makes his team debut in a home matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

Rich Cimini of ESPN New York wrote that the Jets “believe they can take [Harvin] out of the slot and make him a downfield threat,” which is music to the ears of Harvin, Jets fans and fantasy football owners after the dynamic receiver was relegated to short routes and gadget plays with the Seattle Seahawks.

Given what the Jets coaching staff has said and what the New York media has reported, it seems clear the New York version of Percy Harvin will differ greatly than the Seattle version.

Harry How/Getty Images

Cimini noted the Seahawks made a “concerted effort” to feed him the ball with screens and running plays, but that he did not “get the ball in the natural flow of the offense as a conventional wide receiver.” As such, the Seahawks underutilized his strengths and went away from what made Harvin successful in Minnesota.

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Harvin was targeted 26 times this season with the Seahawks, and only four of those targets (15.4 percent) came on passes over 10 yards downfield. In his final season with the Minnesota Vikings, 23 of his 81 targets (28.4 percent) were on passes of 10 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage, including five targets of at least 20 yards—compared to zero with the Seahawks this season. 

Hat tip to Arif Hasan, editor for VikingsTerritory.com, for that lead. Hasan offered further insight into the situation:

"

Even then the Vikings were underutilizing his deep-threat capability, in part because of the [Bill] Musgrave offense and in part because of Christian Ponder’s arm—limitations that the Seahawks [did] not have...The Seahawks were not particularly creative with him, giving him a lot of hitches and screens, when he really has a large route tree to draw upon.

"

Per ESPN Stats & Info, his air yards per target have declined every season over his career, from 9.49 as a rookie in 2009 to 3.08 in his five games with the Seahawks this season. Of note, Brett Favre started 29 of a possible 32 regular games in 2009-10 before retiring, and then Ponder took over for Donovan McNabb after six games in the following season.

Seth Walder of the New York Daily News broke down how the Seahawks used Harvin this season, which was as a slot receiver far more often than as an outside receiver:

The Jets will seemingly attempt to move away from that ratio of slot usage, as Jets receivers coach Sanjay Lal told Newsday’s Kimberley A. Martin:

"

He's got vertical speed, he's a route-runner, he's got good hands. I don't see why he can't do whatever he puts his mind to...Maybe he's been on teams where they have those other components and that's where he fits. I don't know that. But as far as just him, ability-wise, I don't see why he eventually can't do all of that.

"

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Harvin has unfairly been labeled a player with a limited route tree, in part because his basic statistics—6.0 yards per reception, lowest among qualifying wide receivers this season—support that claim. The bigger picture suggests he can do more—that he's capable of being a downfield threat—while the Seahawks offensive scheme chose to use him in the screen game and on short patterns instead.

Harvin admitted following the trade he was frustrated with his role in Seattle:

Regarding Harvin's projected role in New York, Jane McManus of ESPN New York wrote that Harvin said he has the speed and route-running ability to be an outside receiver and is “looking to take my game to the next level.”

As for the Week 8 outlook of his new receiver, head coach Rex Ryan said Harvin will have a “small role” on offense, according to Cimini (via Twitter), telling the Buffalo media the Jets will have a package of plays for him in this week’s game plan: “It’s awful hard to come in and, ‘Oh by the way here’s the offense. Learn it in a week.’ I don’t know if that’s realistic. But we’ll have some plays for him and get him back there to return a kick and things like that.”

In their five games this season with Harvin on the active roster, the Seahawks offense averaged 63.2 snaps and Harvin played on 60.1 percent of them, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), equating to 38 snaps per game. He has eclipsed 50 snaps only once this season (Week 3 vs. Denver) so reaching that figure in his Jets debut is out of the question, though not unobtainable down the line as he gets more acclimated to the playbook and becomes more comfortable in the Jets offense.

As his contract is structured with no more guaranteed money due to him after this season, Harvin has nine games to show the Jets exactly what he can bring to the table. The early indications suggest quite a contrast in usage compared to what we saw already this season with the Seahawks, and we will get our first glimpse of that tomorrow.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

The timing of the trade was precarious for the Jets, who are 1-6 and virtually already out of playoff contention. The trade does, however, give quarterback Geno Smith a full complement of receiving weapons with Eric Decker and Harvin outside and Jeremy Kerley holding on to slot duties. Harvin's audition gives the Jets time to evaluate that group moving forward, and the remainder of the season could determine how they want to invest their money—either by keeping Harvin, or investing in a high draft pick—in the position in the future.

As an aside, the Jets are the first 1-6 team to be favored over an opponent with a winning record, and New York has won four straight and 12 of their last 16 home games in the head-to-head matchup against the Bills.