Percy Harvin is ready to start making an impact again.
After sitting out Seattle’s 23-17 NFC Championship win against the San Francisco 49ers with a concussion, the fifth-year wide receiver was cleared on Thursday to play in Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos on Sunday at 6:25 p.m..
But Harvin is not complacent with just being on the Seahawks’ active roster in MetLife Stadium
“I definitely think I can be a factor in this game,” Harvin said during Super Bowl Media Day on Tuesday. “The concussion was an unfortunate situation that I wish hadn’t happened, but I’m ready to play football.”
An injury-riddled season limited Harvin’s contributions during the Seahawks’ quest for the Lombardi Trophy this season. Harvin, who had hip surgery on Aug. 1, 2013, played in only one regular-season game.
In that lone game, against the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 17, 2013, Harvin returned a late second-quarter kickoff 58 yards to the Minnesota 46-yard line.
The Seahawks scored a touchdown five plays later to extend their lead to 24-13 entering halftime. Harvin also recorded one catch for 17 yards in Seattle’s 41-20 win.
Harvin returned to action during the Divisional Round of the playoffs, recording three catches for 21 yards in the first half of Seattle’s 23-15 victory against the New Orleans Saints on Jan. 11 before suffering the concussion.
Harvin’s presence on the field will be a boost for a Seahawks offense that ended the regular season 26th in passing offense, averaging a meager 202.3 yards per game.
The 5-foot-11, 184-pound Harvin gives Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson a deep-threat in addition to starters Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin, who combined for 43.6 percent of Wilson’s completed passes during the regular season.
Before becoming a victim of the injury bug and missing 22 regular season games since Nov. 11, 2012, Harvin proved to be a valuable asset on offense.
The 22nd overall draft pick by Minnesota in 2009, Harvin recorded 3,212 yards of offense for the Vikings and 20 touchdowns during his first three seasons in the NFL. He also added four touchdowns on kick returns while averaging 26.6 yards per return in 45 games.
Harvin continued his success to start the 2012 season, leading the Vikings in receiving yards during seven of the team’s first eight contests, six of which saw Harvin gain at least 84 yards.
Caldwell, Mincey play for Denver: In addition to Harvin, two other former Gators will see action in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Wide receiver Andre Caldwell, who teamed up with Harvin at Florida from 2006-07, and defensive end Jeremy Mincey, who played for UF from 2004-05, will try to help the Denver Broncos win their first Super Bowl since 1998.
Caldwell, a third-round draft pick in the 2008 NFL draft, recorded 16 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns for the Broncos this season.
In his six years in the NFL — four with the Cincinnati Bengals and two with Denver — Caldwell has recorded 141 catches for 1,390 yards and nine touchdowns in 75 games.
In 2013, Mincey played in 10 regular season games — eight with Jacksonville and two with Denver — and recorded 17 tackles and two sacks.
A sixth-round pick by the New England Patriots in the 2006 NFL draft, Mincey has logged 161 tackles and 20 sacks in his career.
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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin talks to reporters after his team’s practice on Thursday in Renton, Wash. The Seahawks face the Denver Broncos on Sunday at 6:25 p.m. in Super Bowl XLVIII.
