Monday, November 5, 2012

Minnesota Vikings: Percy Harvin's blowup with coach in 'heat of the moment'

Minnesota Vikings' Percy Harvin is examined by a trainer on the field after he was injured on a play against the Seattle Seahawks in the second half Sunday, Nov. 4, in Seattle. (Associated Press: John Froschauer)

SEATTLE -- Percy Harvin wore a scowl that betrayed a long afternoon of pain and frustration as the Vikings' star wide receiver coped with questions about his team's frail passing attack and his wounded legs.

A third-quarter ankle injury diminished Harvin's effectiveness and robbed quarterback Christian Ponder of his most reliable target in an incredibly shrinking scheme.

But it was images of Harvin haranguing coach Leslie Frazier in the second quarter after another red-zone drive resulted in three points instead of a touchdown that crystallized Minnesota's 30-20 loss to the Seahawks.

"I just want to score points," Harvin said Sunday, Nov. 4. "It's frustrating not scoring."

Harvin demurred when asked what he was yelling about.

"I'm not going to talk about what the coach and I discussed. We had a conversation in the heat of the moment, trying to get things right. That's all it was."

Frazier also downplayed the blowup, which television cameras captured and replayed.

"He wants to win. He was frustrated, as we all were at that moment," Frazier said. "He is a competitor. We're all frustrated. We're all trying to come away with touchdowns, instead of field goals."

The Vikings milked running back Adrian Peterson's 182 yards for 20 points, managing to stay relevant into the fourth quarter despite Ponder's 11-for-22, 63-yard performance.

Harvin finished with just two receptions for 10 yards,

"We have to be better," Harvin said. "We have to go back

to the drawing board and see what is going on, and see what we did wrong. We are kind of one dimensional right now. Adrian is running the ball incredibly. The line is blocking for him real good. We just have to dial up better pass plays."

Harvin, who already was nursing a sore right hamstring in the second half, had his left ankle rolled up on a gang tackle late in the third quarter. He gingerly limped off the field and had his ankle taped. After warming up on the sidelines, he rejoined the offense on the next series but clearly was hampered as he struggled to connect with Ponder on a couple of passes.

"We'll do further evaluations on Monday. Right now, it is just sore," he said.

Whatever serviceable passing game the Vikings enjoyed early in the season has completely dissolved. Their 16 completions of 20-plus yards are dead last in the NFL while their 207 yards per game rank 27th.

It's a wonder there have not been more meltdowns.

"We have great leadership on this team and Percy's one of our great leaders," Ponder said. "We're not going to let it become a problem. We know that we have to fix it and we're going to use it as motivation. We know we're better than that."

Follow Brian Murphy on twitter.com/bmurphPiPress

Source: http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_21929472/percy-harvins-blowup-minnesota-vikings-coach-heat-moment?source=rss_viewed

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