Lambeau Field seems to bring out the best of the Vikings’ rookie wide receivers.
In 1998, Randy Moss had a huge game against the Packers on MNF in Green Bay. He had two touchdown passes, both of which came on the deep pass (jump ball to be exact). Packer fans were witnesses to one of the best rookie wide outs to come into the league, and it just so happened that Lambeau Field was the venue. Moss went onto to “rip up the NFL” (as he said) for 17 touchdowns en route to a historical season for the Vikings.
Yesterday, Percy Harvin had his biggest day as a pro. He had 5 catches for 81 yards, which included a 51-yard touchdown that was reminiscent of Randy Moss. Amidst three defenders, Harvin snatched the ball out of the air, spun and sped into the endzone for an electric score.
His receiving, however, was not the best part of his performance. On kickoffs, Harvin had 5 returns for an astounding 175 yards. The first kickoff set the tone, as it went for 77 yards and set up the first touchdown of the day.
Harvin’s kickoff returns were not only critical in terms of field position, but were timely. After Green Bay had cut the lead to 24-20 in the end of the third quarter, Harvin returned the ensuing kick for 48 yards. This led to touchdown by Jeff Dugan in the beginning of the fourth quarter, pushing the score back up to 31-20.
Whether it’s the mystique of playing in historic Lambeau Field or the fact that so many Minnesotans make the drive down to Green Bay, rookie wide receivers seemed to save their best performance for this game (although some would argue Moss’ best performance was on Thanksgiving Day, where he had 3 catches for 169 yards and 3 TD’s).
The season is only halfway over and Harvin has defined himself as a dangerous kickoff specialist. On Sunday, Harvin also demonstrated how dynamic he is in the passing game, by out jumping opponents for the ball and speeding to the endzone.
It is likely that Harvin will have another big day in the passing and kick off game, but Sunday will forever be known as his coming out party.
[Shahaab Tehrani can be reached at: shahaabt@yahoo.com]
