Percy Harvin Hit by Cheap Shot (GIF)
By Todd Pheifer
Jan 11, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin (11) is helped off the field by medical staff members against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of the 2013 NFC divisional playoff football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Seahawks may lose Percy Harvin to an injury…again. This has been an ongoing storyline all season. Some of the details have changed, but the overall narrative has remained the same. Harvin just can’t seem to get healthy, or stay on the field.
It was clear from the beginning of the game that the New Orleans Saints were going to work hard at knocking Harvin out of the game. The “bountygate” scandal came to mind several times, as some of the hits were a bit beyond the normal physicality required to bring a player down.
Football is obviously a physical sport, but there is a fine line between a good solid hit and a cheap shot. Harvin absorbed several questionable hits, including this one:
You be the judge. Good aggressive defensive play? Or targeted hit intended to injure a player and remove him from the game?
I’ll vote for the latter. At no point does Rafael Bush make an attempt at tackling Harvin. There are times when I think the NFL has been unfair to defensive players, particularly when they make an attempt to tackle the torso and inadvertently hit around the head and neck area.
However, when you look at this particular hit, it seems clear that Bush has no problem earning a personal foul penalty. After all, wouldn’t a team trade 15 yards for the removal of a star on the other side of the ball? Teams aren’t supposed to verbalize this intent, but you have to assume that it is discussed or at least implied in meetings.
Russell Wilson may have one less weapon next week, but he should be used to that by now. Marshawn Lynch will need to keep running the ball. Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin and Zach Miller will need to step up.
In the meantime, Rafael Bush gets to wait for his fine notification from the league office. Something tells me the fine won’t be cheap, even if his hit was.