When Seahawks coach Pete Carroll recently said receiver Percy Harvin has returned to New York for rehab on his hip, some viewed that as a sign that Harvin may not be as ahead of schedule as he hinted early this month, when he suggested that fans keep an eye on Week Seven.
Per a league source, Harvin’s return to New York actually means he’s doing extremely well in his effort to recover from surgery to repair a hip problem that was flagged in his training camp physical. But that doesn’t mean we’ll see him in Week Seven, or soon thereafter.
The challenge for Carroll and G.M. John Schneider will be to determine the right time to bring Harvin back. If the team, which could go to 4-0 for the first time in franchise history on Sunday, continues to thrive without Harvin, the powers-that-be may be inclined to unleash him, Kraken-style, as late as possible, with an eye toward getting maximum pop in the postseason.
For players on the reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list, the return to practice can happen anywhere from after Week Six to after Week 11. Once at practice, a three-week window opens to put the player on the active roster or shut him down.
It means that Harvin can be placed on the 53-man roster as early as Week Seven, and that he must be placed on the 53-man roster at the latest by Week 15.
Even if he’s on the active roster, they don’t have to play him. By Week 15, the Seahawks could have clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
While it’s unlikely, there’s a chance Harvin’s debut will come in the divisional round. Which would make the crowd at CenturyLink Field even louder.
If that’s even possible.
