The Seattle Seahawks were one of the most impressive teams in football last year after making the playoffs behind rookie quarterback Russell Wilson and the team should be even better next year, as they pulled off a trade for Minnesota Vikings wideout Percy Harvin on Monday.
The team is giving up draft picks for the receiver, who the Vikings had wanted to get rid of after he wanted more money and got into some arguments with coaches on the team. Harvin is one of the most explosive players in the NFL, but the Vikings felt they could last without him due to the availability of some players on the market and the fact that they have Adrian Peterson.
Harvin was hurt at the end of last season, but he will now be able to pair with Sidney Rice to give Wilson some excellent targets down the field. He also could be a threat in the return game, which is something he excelled at in Minnesota.
Harvin was an early MVP candidate last season after getting off to a great starts, but he faded later on and eventually missed the last part of the season with injuries. The Vikings now have a hole at receiver, but they feel they can make up for it with draft picks and possible signings, including Greg Jennings or Wes Welker or even Mike Wallace.
The Seahawks were explosive on offense at times last season, including when the scored 58 on the Cardinals and now they could be even more high scoring, as they have a solid running game and the wideouts to keep the chains moving all game long. Russell Wilson will only benefit from having Harvin.
Wilson has been the most surprising and dynamic player for the Seahawks all season and he continued that play against the Flacons in the playoffs by passing for 385 yards and two touchdowns with one interception while completing 24-of-36 passes.
The secondary is one of the best in the league and will be able to matchup against anyone with skilled cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman, who was tied for second in the NFL with eight interceptions. With their own two receivers, the corners should have fun in practice as well.
Seattle will have a distinct home advantage after going 8-0 at home this season. The team was just 3-5 on the road, but each of those losses was to conference opponents during the early stages of the season when Seattle looked like a different team. During the second half of the season, no team was better in the NFL than the Seahawks, who allowed 17 points or less in each of its last five games, including in a 42-13 win over the NFC West division champion 49ers.
The Seahawks were not expected to be one of the top teams in the NFC this season, but head coach Pete Carroll turned the Seahawks into a defensive powerhouse and turned their home stadium into an impossible place to win. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson was better than anyone imagined and the team will still have players like Marshawn Lynch, Golden Tate and Russell Okung next year.