How the New York Jets Are Getting the Most out of Percy Harvin
New York Jets general manager John Idzik has taken a beating over the course of the season with his team at 1-8 in large part thanks to his decisions, but the midseason acquisition of Percy Harvin is proving to be at least one transaction the embattled Idzik has gotten right.
In just his second week on the team, Harvin had one of the most productive afternoons of his career against the Kansas City Chiefs, reeling in 11 passes for 129 yards.
It is only two weeks in to the Harvin experiment, but the Jets appear to be the early winners of the Harvin trade. He is already producing at a level he rarely reached during his days in Seattle:
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In a matter of days, Harvin has become a versatile chess piece that has squeezed some production out of a once-anemic Jets offense.
On the Perimeter
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapport (via Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com), one of the primary reasons as to why Harvin became a misfit in Seattle was because the Seahawks viewed him as more of a gadget player than a classic wide receiver, writes Rosenthal:
"Seattle had to scheme plays to get him the ball, and they were struggling to do so. Pete Carroll and Schneider run a tight program and Harvin apparently didn't get with it.
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The Jets, however, view Harvin as a much more versatile player than the Seahawks were willing to give him credit for—and they showed it in how he was used against the Kansas City Chiefs. Late in the fourth quarter, Harvin proved his ability as a perimeter receiver by making one of the biggest plays anyone on the Jets has made all season against one of the top cornerbacks in the game (on the top-ranked pass defense in the NFL).
Working against Sean Smith on the perimeter, Harvin runs a classic "go" route. Vick is in trouble, and has no choice but to give Harvin a chance to make a play on a contested catch.
At 5'11", Harvin stands nearly half a foot shorter than Smith (6'4"), but he had beaten Smith badly enough on the route that Smith was unable to turn and look for the ball. Harvin was able to leap over the inattentive Smith to make the spectacular catch near the sideline in traffic.
It is true that shorter receivers have a difficult time against their taller cornerback counterparts, but Harvin is so explosive that he is able to make even the best cornerbacks in the game play with poor technique.
In other words, Harvin's explosiveness makes up for what he lacks in size, which allows him to be used as a classic perimeter receiver—at least situationally—as if he were built like a "classic" No. 1 receiver.
In the Backfield
Harvin is well known for his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands, so it would only be logical for the Jets to follow in the Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings' footsteps and put Harvin in the backfield as a runner.
Harvin is not a better running back that Chris Ivory, but he does dictate personnel in a way that Ivory never could.
With this four-receiver package, the Chiefs are spread out in a nickel package with an extra defensive back on the field to account for Harvin—exposing them against a run. The Chiefs appear to be safe with no running threat out of the huddle, but this is by offensive design.
Harvin is motioned into the backfield, putting the Chiefs at an immediate disadvantage in the event of a run. They only have six players in the box to defend a run against six Jets defenders.
As a result, Harvin is able to get an easy five yards without having to make many defenders miss or break any tackles. To be frank, with one-on-one blocking across the board, the Jets were set up to get a lot more than five yards on this play.
These types of plays don't just help an offense get easy chunks of yardage—they keep opposing defensive coordinators on their heels, constantly guessing where Harvin is going to line up and how the Jets are going to use him.
In the Slot
While the Jets certainly proved that Harvin is more than a prototypical slot receiver, the inside of the formation is where his skill set fits best—and was where the bulk of his production came from against the Chiefs.
This long completion embodies everything that makes Harvin special, starting with how easily he is able to get open.
Foolishly, the Chiefs try to match up with Harvin on-on-one with a free release. Harvin easily gets open to give Vick an easy target, but Harvin really showcases his ability with what he does after the catch.
Within seconds, Chiefs defenders converge to limit the yardage after the catch, just as what one would expect from the top-ranked pass defense. Most receivers would get no more than a few yards falling forward in this situation, but Harvin is not deterred by his daunting numbers disadvantage.
Harvin is able to explode by three defenders to get an extra 10 yards, getting the Jets close to scoring position.
These are the types of plays that the Jets have been missing from their wide receivers. Before Harvin was acquired, Eric Decker was the best receiver on the Jets after the catch—he ranks 81st in the NFL in this category (according to SportingCharts.com).
With explosive players like Harvin now on the roster, no longer do the Jets have to fight and claw for every inch on the field. Vick (or whoever is under center) can let their playmakers do what they get paid to do.
It remains to be seen how Idzik (or whoever is the Jets general manager next winter) handles Harvin's contract situation, but parting ways with this explosive specimen will be impossible if he continues to post this type of production on a weekly basis.
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