RENTON, Wash. - Wide receiver Percy Harvin will play for the Seattle Seahawks in Saturday’s NFC divisional playoff game at CenturyLink Field against the New Orleans Saints after missing most of the season following hip surgery.
Seattle Coach Pete Carroll said Harvin would play following Thursday’s practice. Carroll said there would be no limitations on how the Seahawks use Harvin, including on kickoff returns.
“I’m just glad to be out there helping my team win right now,” Harvin said. “The playoffs, that’s what we all dream about, to have home-field advantage, to have all the things the team has put in place. It would be hard for me to try to not be out there.”
Harvin missed the first 2½ months of the season following hip surgery in early August. He returned in Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings and caught one pass and had a 58-yard kickoff return. Harvin was then sidelined again by what Carroll called “soreness” following his debut.
Harvin’s problems went beyond just soreness. He had fluid buildup and swelling in his hip following that game against the Vikings. He said even during the game, a 41-20 Seattle victory, it felt like something was off in his hip.
The turning point for Harvin came Dec. 30 when Carroll essentially gave an ultimatum, saying the team was considering opening up the roster spot by placing Harvin on injured reserve. Harvin was impressive enough during a 15-minute workout with quarterback Russell Wilson that Carroll delayed making a roster decision.
Sports, Pages 21 on 01/10/2014