Tag: Percy Harvin

On this day in history: Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII

On this day in history: Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII

We at Seahawks Wire would not be doing our jobs properly if we did not acknowledge the most Holiest of Holy days on the Seattle sports calendar… the anniversary of the Seahawks’ triumph in Super Bowl XLVIII. After 38 years of existence in the National Football League, the Seahawks finally claimed their first Lombardi, and brought a championship back to the Emerald City… their first major sports title since the 1978-1978 SuperSonics.

The Seahawks narrowly survived against their hated rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, in the NFC Championship thanks to a miraculous tipped interception play from Richard Sherman and Malcolm Smith. But the greatest challenge, or so we thought, was on the horizon: the Denver Broncos and the most explosive offense in NFL history, led by league MVP Peyton Manning.

This was billed as the showdown of the century. The best offense in league history against perhaps the single greatest defense ever. An unstoppable force versus a movable object. A clash of the titan. Who would come out on top!?

Well, we learned the answer to that literally 12 seconds into the game, as the ball sailed past Manning’s head and into the end zone for a safety, giving the Seahawks an early 2-0 lead. A lead that literally proved to be insurmountable. It was the fastest score in Super Bowl history, only matched by Percy Harvin’s kick return to begin the second half… which also took place in 12 seconds.

While the Seahawks are still searching for the always elusive second Lombardi, the fact they claimed one will always be an accomplishment worth celebrating. In fact, since they won to conclude the 2013 season, only one other “first timer” team (the Philadelphia Eagles) won it all, highlighting just how difficult it is to claim the ultimate prize in all of sports.

The greatest team in franchise history, and some of the best players to ever wear a Seahawk uniform, all got to hoist the Lombardi. They all won rings. They will forever be Super Bowl champions.

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A trio of Gators pairs among 50 all-time best playmaking duos

There have been a trio of dynamic duos playing for the Florida Gators over the past three decades.

The University of Florida’s football program has an illustrious history that spans decades, with a superlative run of success from starting when [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag] took over in 1990 to the departure of [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag] after the 2010 campaign.

During that span, the Gators produced a prodigious amount of athletic talent — never mind that Florida is still the only team in the SEC to have a player selected in every draft since the AFL-NFL merger. But the Orange and Blue has also had a few dynamic duos in its midst as well.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports put together his 50 all-time best playmaking duos in college football history and had three UF pairs in his rankings.

Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin

“[autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag]’s list of accolades is expansive, chief among them his Heisman Trophy win in 2007,” Crawford begins. “He was also part of two Florida teams that won a BCS National Championship and was a two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year. He has a statue outside of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, and finished his career with the Gators with 9,286 passing yards and 88 touchdowns to just 16 interceptions while rushing for 1,947 yards and 57 touchdowns.”

But even Tebow could not do it by himself. Without the help of his trusty sidekick [autotag]Percy Harvin[/autotag], those two championships would never have happened.

“While Tebow, Wuerffel and Steve Spurrier all won Heismans at Florida, Harvin might be the most dyamic offensive talent in program history. Harvin was an incredibly versatile player for the Gators.

“In three seasons, Harvin rushed for 1,852 yards, caught 133 passes for 1,929 yards and scored 32 total touchdowns. He was a nightmare for opposing defenses because he could be used in any number of ways and once he got past you, there was no catching up.”

Based on this, Crawford ranks Tebow and Harvin as the second-best college football pair behind the USC Trojans‘ dynamic duo of Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.

Florida’s other two top dynamic duos

Coming it at No. 29 is another Heisman Trophy winner, [autotag]Danny Wueffel[/autotag], along with his favorite wide receiver target, [autotag]Reidel Anthony[/autotag].

“During UF’s national championship season in 1996, Anthony was an explosive offensive player and quarterback Danny Wuerffel’s favorite,” Pat Dooley notes.

The Pouncey Twins — Mike and Maurkice — came in at No. 49, largely due to their contributions to Florida’s two national titles in the aughts.

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4 Vikings things our staff is thankful for

With it being Thanksgiving Day, our staff talked about what we are most thanful for with the Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are quite an interesting franchise. They have sent the fans and those covering the team on a multitude of roller coaster rides throughout their 63-year history.

As we look back and reflect on both this and the entirety of the franchise, our staff at Vikings Wire talked about what we are thankful for with the franchise.

People are reminiscing about peak Percy Harvin on Twitter

Here’s what folks are tweeting about Harvin today.

Every few months the name Percy Harvin is trending on Twitter. The reason? When he was at his peak, Harvin was one of the most electrifying playmakers in the entire sport.

In March of 2013 the Seahawks sent three draft picks including a first-rounder to the Vikings in exchange for Harvin. While that deal ultimately did not work out – Harvin was traded again to the Jets in the middle of the 2014 campaign – the Seahawks still got some special moments from him, including his epic kickoff return to begin the second half of Super Bowl 48. Here’s what folks are tweeting about Harvin today.

12 days until Vikings season opener: Every player to wear No. 12

15 players have worn the No. 12 for the Minnesota Vikings, including WR Percy Harvin.

The Minnesota Vikings will kick off their 2023 regular season in 12 days at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 10.

From now until then, we will take a trip down memory lane and count each day by revisiting the players who have worn that specific jersey number.

Quarterback Nick Mullens currently wears the No. 12 for the Vikings.

With 12 days until kickoff, here’s a look at every player to wear No. 12 in a regular season game with the Vikings (via Pro Football Reference):

Jordan Addison’s route running sets him apart

The Minnesota Vikings drafted an elite route runner and separator in Jordan Addison, and that’s a perfect complement for Justin Jefferson.

The Minnesota Vikings have a really good history of drafting wide receivers in the early 20s. Randy Moss, Percy Harvin and Justin Jefferson were all drafted between pick 21-23. Jordan Addison joins that list after the Vikings selected him at 23rd overall during the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Addison won the Biletnikoff Award in 2021 as the best wide receiver in college football. He was winning with great route running and maximizing his play after the catch.

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His athletic testing left something to be desired and that’s why he was the fourth wide receiver off the board. It is worth noting that he had to pull himself out of drills due to an injury.

The Vikings didn’t draft him for his athleticism, but rather how technically sound of a route runner he is. Addison is the best in the class at it and is a great complement to Jefferson.

15 trades the Vikings have made with first round picks since 2000

Since the year 2000, the Minnesota Vikings have made 15 trades involving first-round picks.

The Minnesota Vikings have been a very active team in the first round. Since the year 2000, they have made 14 trades involving first-round picks, including multiple moves in 2020, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

The majority of those trades came by moving down due to former general manager Rick Spielman’s affinity for having a high quantity of draft picks.

Since 2000, five of their 14 trades involving first-round picks involved veteran players and that could happen again this season. Here are all the trades they have made in the first round.

Oklahoma Sooners make top 12 for 2024 4-Star WR Zion Ragins

The Oklahoma Sooners make the top 12 for a speedster out of Georgia, four-star wide receiver Zion Ragins

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the running for one of the fastest players in the 2024 recruiting class. Four-star wide receiver Zion Ragins trimmed his interest list to 12 teams, which included Oklahoma.

After landing [autotag]Jaquize Pettaway[/autotag] in the 2023 cycle, the Sooners hope to double down with another speedster in Ragins.

Oklahoma is joined in the top 12 by several Power Five schools, including Georgia, Tennessee, Penn State, Notre Dame, Colorado, Miami, South Carolina, Auburn, and Florida State.

Ragins looks a lot like Percy Harvin, the former Florida Gators‘ star. He can do it all. He plays out of the backfield as a running back and will split wide as a receiver. He’s equally adept at running out of the backfield as he is after the catch as a wide receiver.

His speed pops off the screen as he runs by and runs away from opposing defenses. According to 247Sports, he ran a 10.47 100-meter dash for Jones County High School. In addition to his elite speed, he also shows off fantastic athleticism with his ability to make people miss.

It will be a difficult road to land Ragins’ commitment, but Jeff Lebby’s offense provides a great fit to utilize Ragins’ speed and athleticism.

Zion Ragins’ Recruiting Profile

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Five years later, The Athletic looks back on Dan Mullen’s hiring as Florida coach

The Athletic has released its retrospective for the coaches hired in the 2017-2018 hiring cycle, with Florida’s Dan Mullen looking favorable

The Florida Gators dismissed [autotag]Jim McElwain[/autotag] during the 2017 football season after amassing a 22-12 record that included two SEC East division titles.

Afterward, the Gators hired [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] to become the 27th coach in Florida history. Mullen left his position as Mississippi State head coach after eight seasons to return to the place he won two national championships as the Gators’ offensive coordinator.

At the time, the hire was a no-brainer. Mullen was the architect behind the high-scoring offense that brought the best out of guys like [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag], [autotag]Percy Harvin[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Rainey[/autotag]. He also rose the floor at Mississippi State, peaking in 2014 when Mullen led the Bulldogs to a No. 1 ranking in the inaugural College Football Playoff rankings.

His Florida tenure started off with a bang, going 10-3 in his first season including a Peach Bowl victory over Michigan. He followed it up by improving upon that record, going 11-2 in his second year and capping it off with an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia.

His third season fell short of expectations. After two 10-plus win seasons that ended with New Year’s Six bowl game victories, Mullen’s Gators went 8-4, losing multiple close games, and the team visibly gave up towards the end of the season. Mullen’s press conferences were filled with refusals to admit there were issues with the team, along with repeated deflections about the lackluster direction recruiting was going into.

Ultimately, Mullen was let go in the middle of his fourth season in charge. Lots of things were factored into the decision, with recruiting the topic fans latched on to in the aftermath. The Athletic’s regrade has the hire as a B. What was considered to be an A by multiple outlets at the time has to be brought down a bit given how the tenure played out.

Billy Napier is currently in his first season as Florida’s head coach. He started off strong with a summer that saw the Gators enter the top 10 in multiple recruiting rankings, and rode that momentum to a season-opening upset of Utah.

Napier’s next task is facing an LSU team that also has a first-year head coach in Brian Kelly. The game will take place at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Legendary Gators WR to be Mr. Two Bits for season opener against Utah

A Gators legend from the ’90s will don a yellow shirt and a blue and orange tie as the first Mr. Two Bits of the Billy Napier era on Saturday.

It wouldn’t be a Florida Gators game with the Two Bits cheer, and the honorary leader of it on Saturday will be former UF wide receiver [autotag]Reidel Anthony[/autotag], who earned All-America honors in the 1990s while playing for [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag].

Since 2013, Florida has had celebrity dress up in the same yellow shirt and blue and orange tie made famous by Gators superfan George Edmondson to lead the Two Bits chant, and Anthony is the latest Gators legend to claim the honor. [autotag]Percy Harvin[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Doering[/autotag] and [autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag] are among the receivers that have been Mr. Two Bits.

An exciting player in college — he once lept into the stands of Tennessee‘s Neyland Stadium to celebrate a touchdown during a 31-0 rout of the Volunteers — Anthony’s routine should be one of the more explosive in recent memory. He’s not letting anyone know his plans, but the Head Ball Coach’s words of wisdom will be in the back of his mind.

“I haven’t gotten that far yet. First, I need to get the rules and regulations,” Anthony said to the UAA. “Coach Spurrier used to always tell me, ‘You know, Reidel, you’re the only one who ended up in the NCAA’s what-not-to-do video they show teams every year.’ I made it three years in a row, so I guess I better see what they allow.”

Single-game tickets have been sold out for the season opener, so there should be a good crowd in the Swamp for Anthony’s Two Bits. There’s excitement in the air for not only the start of the 2022 season but also for the start of the Billy Napier era at UF. Anthony couldn’t pass up a chance to add to that atmosphere.

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