We hear a lot about vertical passing games – driving the ball downfield. Up in Seattle, they’ve got a receiver who’s running routes that are unusually horizontal.
A third of the way into the season, Percy Harvin is averaging only 6.0 yards per catch.
Harvin is really fast, but most of the balls they throw him are either receiver screens, or routes where Harvin is running across defenses. They’re trying to get him to run/create after the catch.
Thus far, Harvin is catching plenty of passes (4.4 per game) but doesn’t have any games with 60 receiving yards, and he’s not breaking many long passes.
This is unusual, especially for a receiver of Harvin’s speed and ability.
In the last 20 years, only 17 wide receivers have caught 50-plus passes and averaged under 10 yards per catch. Right now, Harvin is averaging over 2 yards per game less than all of those guys.
RECEIVERS UNDER 10 YARDS PER CATCH | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | No | Yards | Avg |
2010 | Danny Amendola, St.L. | 85 | 689 | 8.1 |
2009 | Andre Caldwell, Cin. | 51 | 432 | 8.5 |
2012 | Dexter McCluster, K.C. | 52 | 452 | 8.7 |
1994 | Ricky Sanders, Atl. | 67 | 599 | 8.9 |
2005 | Jabar Gaffney, Hou. | 55 | 492 | 8.9 |
2002 | Troy Brown, N.E. | 97 | 890 | 9.2 |
2011 | Austin Collie, Ind. | 54 | 514 | 9.5 |
2013 | Ace Sanders, Jac. | 51 | 484 | 9.5 |
2001 | Peter Warrick, Cin. | 70 | 667 | 9.5 |
2013 | Dexter McCluster, K.C. | 53 | 511 | 9.6 |
2006 | Eric Moulds, Hou. | 57 | 557 | 9.8 |
2008 | T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cin. | 92 | 904 | 9.8 |
2012 | Kendall Wright, Tenn. | 64 | 626 | 9.8 |
2006 | Rod Smith, Den. | 52 | 512 | 9.8 |
2010 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 86 | 848 | 9.9 |
2009 | Davone Bess, Mia. | 76 | 758 | 10.0 |
2000 | Eddie Kennison, Chi. | 55 | 549 | 10.0 |
—Ian Allan