Larry Brown Sports

It would be silly of us to expect Percy Harvin to dog on the Minnesota Vikings organization after forcing his way out of town, but he may have gotten a bit carried away during his introductory press conference with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday. Harvin, who almost looked as if he was fighting back tears at one point, spoke to the media about how blessed he felt to be in Seattle. Video of the entire session can be seen here.

During an interview with KJR in Seattle’s Dave “Softy” Mahler on Tuesday, Harvin again expressed how much of a privilege it is to be able to play for the Seahawks.

“It’s a huge, huge relief,” Harvin said, via Sports Radio Interviews. “I think I can finally get some sleep tonight. It definitely was a long process, had its ups and downs, but I landed at a dream spot for me. To play with these caliber guys, it all worked out, so I’m not complaining at all.”

If the endless evidence of unrest between Harvin and the Vikings wasn’t already enough to prove that their relationship had gone sour, that should seal the deal. However, he insisted in the next breath that there were no problems between him and his former team.

“First off, me and the Vikings organization, we have a great relationship, despite all the rumors that you hear,” Harvin said. “It really was media-blown, but like I said, we have a great relationship. And I’m thankful for the four years they gave me and I’m definitely happy to be here.”

If this report is true, it’s possible Harvin’s biggest relief comes from the fact that he no longer has to play with Christian Ponder. However, all indications are that it ran much deeper than that. Having said that, we’re not going to criticize him for not bashing his former team on his way out the door. Taking the high road is almost always the better option.

Photo credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin has reportedly been traded to the Seattle Seahawks. According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, Seattle has agreed to send draft picks to Minnesota in exchange for Harvin, pending a physical exam.

It is widely believed that Harvin is looking for a massive contract extension that the Vikings either cannot afford or are not willing to pay, which means their only option was to trade him while he still had value instead of letting him walk after next season. The Seattle Seahawks have arguably the best defense in the NFL and exciting potential on offense with Russell Wilson running the show. Adding Harvin to an offense that already includes Wilson and Marshawn Lynch will give opposing defenses plenty to account for.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that the trade is also contingent upon a contract extension for Harvin, which should be completed within the next 48 hours. Schefter also said the deal is expected to include Seattle’s first round pick in the upcoming draft.

It’s safe to assume a number of teams did their due diligence on Harvin with it being a known fact that he wanted out of Minnesota. He should be a nice fit in Seattle, where Pete Carroll has turned an inexperienced team into a contender over the last few seasons. Richard Sherman was one of the biggest reasons for the Seahawks’ success last year, and he welcomed his new teammate when the news broke on Monday.

Welcome to the Team bruh @percy_harvin … Happy to have ya

— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) March 11, 2013

An already dangerous team just added one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in football.

Photo credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE

Russell Wilson is vehemently denying a report that said he asked the Seattle Seahawks for a new contract.

On Sunday, ESPN’s Chris Mortsenesen reported that a representative of Wilson told the Seahawks something had to be done about the rookie quarterback’s contract.

Wilson’s agent, Bus Cook, reportedly was “irate” over the report. He told NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport that the report was B.S.

Cook called the report B.S. because under the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, players cannot address/alter their contracts until they have completed their first three seasons.

Wilson understands the CBA rules, and he told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King that he has not and will not ask the Seahawks for a new deal.

“I speak for myself, and I never demanded or asked for a restructured contract … I have complete understanding and respect for the new CBA rules … Anyone who knows me knows I play for the love of the game. I play for the challenge of being the best one day and know I have a long way to go.

“I respect the NFL, respect the new CBA, respect my teammates, respect all of the other players across the league, and respect the Seattle Seahawks,” Wilson told King.

Wilson was drafted in the third round by Seattle. Per Rotoworld, he signed a four-year, $2.198 million contract in May. The deal included a $619,472 signing bonus. He is scheduled to earn $526,217 in 2013, $662,434 in 2014, and $798,651 in 2015.

Wilson tied an NFL rookie record with 26 touchdown passes and set a rookie mark with a 100.0 passer rating. He completed 64.1 percent of his passes and threw for 3,118 yards with 10 interceptions while also rushing for 489 yards and four touchdowns in leading Seattle to an 11-5 record and playoff berth. In the postseason he threw for 572 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 127 yards and a score in two games, including the Seahawks’ first road playoff win since 1983, beating Washington in the wild-card round. He likely will be one of the biggest bargains in the league the next two seasons.

The Seattle Seahawks received tremendous news on Thursday as cornerback Richard Sherman has reportedly won his appeal, meaning the four-game suspension he faced for failing a performance-enhancing drug test last month has been lifted.

Sherman announced the news himself on Twitter, and NFL.com’s Abert Breer later confirmed that the defense Sherman’s attorneys used in his appeal case actually worked. He won because of a major problem with the collection procedure.

Thank you @nfl for upholding the truth! To the 12s Thank you your faith is rewarded! Thank you lord

— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) December 27, 2012

Some people will undoubtedly remain skeptical, thinking that Sherman won on a technicality like the one Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun benefitted from rather than believing he is actually clean and innocent. The Seahawks and their fans likely couldn’t care less. All that matters now is they will have their best cornerback when the playoffs begin.

In his second NFL season, Sherman has established himself as arguably the league’s best corner. Seattle’s defense has allowed only 15.5 points per game this season — the best in the NFL — and Sherman is a major reason why they have been so successful. Brandon Browner, the Seahawks’ other starting cornerback who also tested positive last month, decided to serve his suspension starting in Week 14. He is scheduled to return on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.

Now that the Seahawks will have both Sherman and Browner when the playoffs begin, opposing offenses have to be dreading the challenge Seattle could pose. I’m sure no team is itching to play the Seahawks at any point during the postseason.

The Seattle Seahawks were not shy in admitting that they were happy to stick it to Jim Harbaugh with a 42-13 blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. According to Seattle safety Earl Thomas, Harbaugh honked and sarcastically saluted the Seahawks’ team bus earlier in the season after the Niners won the first of two match-ups between the teams. Harbaugh says that never happened.

“No. No, that did not occur,” he said according to SFGate.com. “That’s a fabrication … I can’t remember a time where I left the game and the other team has still been there this entire season.”

I believe that means somebody is lying. Either Harbaugh did something to piss the Seahawks off and isn’t admitting to it, or they have some pretty wild imaginations that led to them wanting serious revenge against San Francisco.

Whatever the case, these two teams don’t like each other. That has become obvious this season. Seattle made an extremely loud statement by demolishing the Niners on national television. It’s starting to look like the Seahawks — not the Niners —  may have the NFL’s best defense. Many consider San Francisco to be the team to beat after the way they played in New England, but it’s doubtful any team in the NFC is excited about the prospect of playing Seattle in the playoffs.

The Seattle Seahawks were fighting for more than just playoff position when they destroyed the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. Pride was also at stake.

Earlier this season, the Niners won a hard-fought 13-6 battle against the Seahawks. After that game, Seattle safety Earl Thomas says Jim Harbaugh gave the Seahawks’ bus a sarcastic salute as he drove away from the stadium. On Sunday, which also happened to be Harbaugh’s 49th birthday, Thomas slung some sarcasm back at the Niners coach.

“Happy Birthday — that’s what you get,” Thomas told Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports. “Yeah, he [honked at us]. It seems like he tries to be a professional in front of the camera, but he does his antics, like that, when the cameras aren’t around. He’s just a big kid. We don’t worry about that stuff. We just play the game. The best team won [Sunday], and it was convincing.”

There was the honking incident, and there is also the long history between Harbaugh and Pete Carroll that dates back to their days at Stanford and USC. Harbaugh’s Cardinals held a 27-point lead over Carroll’s Trojans late in a game back in 2009, and Harbaugh decided to go for two. Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who had a similar “happy birthday” message for Harbaugh after the game, wanted Carroll to return the favor on Sunday when Seattle held a 42-6 lead.

“I’m not gonna lie to you,” Sherman said. ”I told Pete, ‘Let’s score and go for two.’ He said, ‘We have more class than that.’”

It’s easy to get the impression that these are two teams that don’t feel any fuzzy feelings toward one another, and there are many reasons why. Should they meet again in the playoffs next month, the rivalry would make for great entertainment.

The Seattle Seahawks rolled to victory for the second week in a row, blasting the Buffalo Bills 50-17 in Toronto on Sunday. They became the third team in NFL history to score at least 50 points in consecutive weeks, and they may have hurt some feelings in the process.

With less than 13 minutes left in the game and his team up by 30, coach Pete Carroll let his team run a fake punt. Michael Robinson took a handoff after the snap and gained 29 yards to take his team down to the Buffalo 14. The Seahawks ended up kicking a field goal on the drive to make it 50-17, which was the final score.

After the game, Carroll was apologetic for what many felt was an unsportsmanlike act.

“I feel bad about this,” Carroll told the media after the game. “I hear from the guys about the fake punt. That was part of our game plan. It was something I could have called off and I didn’t. It was an automatic for us, and I didn’t do it. It just happened. We’re trying to make first downs, so I let it go. It’s unfortunate that it comes across that we’re doing something wrong there. That’s my fault totally for not stopping it from happening.

“It was a very well executed play, we were looking forward to doing it, and when it popped up, it was just late in the game,” he said.

Carroll has no reason to feel badly in our eyes. Back in the day, I would have called this act unsportsmanlike, but I’ve seen way too many improbable comebacks in the NFL to complain about teams going hard despite having a big lead. There are professionals on both sides of the ball who are paid to go hard for 60 minutes, so nobody should apologize for that. I will, however, call Carroll stupid for letting his team run the fake punt.

Carroll could be seen smiling on the sidelines after the play was successful, and he even told his assistants “good job.” He knew exactly what he was doing, and it’s actions like that that can come back to burn them in the future. Buffalo will remember this, and they’ll be ticked the next time the teams meet (as long as that’s not in 3 or 4 years). Don’t lie, Pete, you knew what your team was doing and you were happy about it. Just give a Bill Belichick answer next time and say you don’t apologize for always going hard.