It has been common knowledge for some time that Percy Harvin is not happy at the Minnesota Vikings. Reports have emanated that he is unhappy with the way the Vikings have dealt with his injury; Harvin is currently recovering from surgery on his shoulder. It has been suggested he is dissatisfied with the Vikings’ reluctance to offer him a new contract which more accurately represents his contribution to the team. Whilst none of these rumors have been confirmed, with both Harvin and the Vikings preferring to settle these issues in-house, it has resulted in Harvin officially requesting a trade away from Minnesota.

The first thing that should be assumed in this saga is that the Vikings will not trade Harvin, despite the request. Given that Harvin is contracted to the Vikings for another two seasons, and at a very a reasonable price, it would take an extraordinary offer for Minnesota to even consider trading their number one receiver. Harvin made 967 yards on 87 receptions last season and was by far the most prolific of the Vikings’ receivers, also showing his versatility by playing running back when required, rushing for 345 yards.

That being said, there will be plenty of NFL teams who have sat up and took notice following Harvin’s announcement. At the forefront of this group is likely to be the Miami Dolphins. Stripped of a number one receiver following Brandon Marshall’s trade to the Chicago Bears, the Dolphins are in dire need of top receiving talent, despite their assurances they are happy with their current group. Their receiving corps boasts the likes of Davone Bess, Brian Hartline, Legedu Naanee and recent addition Chad Ochocinco, but none of them have the overall skill set to make them a legitimate contender for the number one receiver role. There is no doubt that Stephen Ross would love to have Harvin as a target for rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill, but the question remains as to what he would have to give up to obtain him.

Another team likely to be interested is the Washington Redskins, who would also love to have him link up with their rookie quarterback, Robert Griffin III. Although the Redskins boast a better receiving corps than the Dolphins, with the likes of Santana Moss, Josh Morgan and Pierre Garcon, there is no doubting that Harvin would not only become the number one receiver, but also transform the Redskins’ offense into one which could compete in the challenging NFC East. Given the price paid for the opportunity to acquire RG3, it is debatable whether Washington has the leverage to make a tempting offer to the Vikings, and if they do, would they even be willing to trade away further draft picks.

One team which is perhaps in a position to make a decent offer to the Vikings (the Redskins can be thanked for that) is the St Louis Rams. The plethora of picks they received for their number two overall draft pick in the 2012 draft could possibly be enough to tempt Minnesota into a deal. Whilst the Rams have already added Steve Smith to their receiving corps in free agency, as well as Chris Givens and Brian Quick in the draft, the prospect of an elite receiver like Harvin could be too tempting for St Louis to turn down, who have shown faith in Sam Bradshaw as their franchise quarterback and will look to give him all the tools he needs to succeed.

Essentially these scenarios are very unlikely to come true, with the Vikings likely to wait until next season before trading Harvin when they would probably be able to receive just as good an offer as they could get this season. This would see them get another year’s production out of one of the best young receivers in the league and also give them an opportunity to try and convince him his future is in Minnesota. If the Vikings were to cut their losses on an unhappy player, and avoid any chance of him upsetting the locker room this coming season, it would certainly be one of the more surprising stories from this offseason, but far from the strangest thing that has ever happened in the NFL.

Image Courtesy of  Percy Harvin

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Andy Reid’s game plan definitely did not include allowing a blocked punt on the opening drive. It also did not embrace the idea of having a 16 yard Brandon Marshall touchdown reception occur just three plays later.

But in the end maybe that was all that he and his Eagles really needed to snap their two game losing streak on Sunday, moving their record to 5-8 with a 26-10 victory over the Dolphins.

Michael Vick’s return under center and Philadelphia’s 24 point second quarter outburst probably had a little more say, however.

“We’ve been through a lot, a lot of games we were supposed to win and didn’t finish,” said Vick. “I’m proud we won today.”

Vick finally played for the first time in a month after missing the previous three weeks due to broken ribs. After a prolonged absence he spoke of how he chose to respond to the physical effects of experiencing NFL action once again.

“I’m in a lot of pain, but I just wanted to finish and get through the game,” stated Vick. “I got hit a lot, and it kind of wore me down. I tried to hang in there.”

Getting back to game speed was certainly an issue for Vick, as he finished just 15-30 with one touchdown and one interception on 208 yards passing. Meanwhile, his legs were a non-factor, running for a mere nine yards on only two carries.

Miami’s defense did a solid job of containing Vick and the Philadelphia offense for most of the day. Unfortunately for the Dolphins the scope of the entire game changed late in the first quarter after missing a 55 yard field goal attempt that would have given them a 10-0 lead. The Eagles suddenly gained new life, and would respond with a 54 yard drive that ended with a two yard touchdown run by LeSean McCoy in the second quarter. Philadelphia then proceeded to score an additional 17 points during the quarter. That was all the scoring that would be necessary to win the ball game.

“The Eagles have been inconsistent like we have,” said Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall. “But that’s a team with a lot of talent. At any moment they can be an undefeated team, or look like one.”

Philadelphia’s defense played an inspired second quarter following the team’s first score. On Miami’s next possession safety Kurt Coleman intercepted a deep pass from Matt Moore at the Dolphins 36 and returned it all the way to the one. The pass was intended for receiver Davone Bess.

The second play of the Dolphin’s goal line stand would result in McCoy’s second touchdown run of the day, giving the Eagles their first lead at 14-7. McCoy had a very unusual day. He did have two touchdowns but only rushed for 38 yards on 27 attempts.

Bess soon found himself in the middle of the Dolphins’ troubles once again. Eagles corner back Asante Samuel forced him to fumble after a 3^rd down completion on Miami’s next possession. Samuel also recovered the fumble at the Dolphins 34.

Luckily for the Dolphins they were able to keep it at just a two possession game by holding Philadelphia to a 40 yard field goal despite obtaining excellent field position.

But turnovers were Miami’s undoing in the second quarter. Matt Moore surrendered one right back to Philadelphia after the Dolphins recovered a fumbled punt return at the Eagles 24. It was a perfect opportunity for Miami to get right back into the game until Eagles defensive end Jason Babin forced Moore to fumble after sacking him at the Philadelphia 29.

Two minutes and five seconds later Vick connected with DeSean Jackson on a 34 yard touchdown throw to give the Eagles a commanding 24-7 lead going into the half.

Miami stopped turning the ball over in the second half and its defense returned to the strong form it established during the team’s recent 4-1 stretch.

But the story of the day was the Philadelphia defense. The Eagles had nine sacks, a late safety, and even knocked Matt Moore out of the game in the third quarter with a head injury. Moore’s final line was 11-19 for 95 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

His replacement J.P. Losman did not fare any better with 60 yards on 6-10 passing.

Philadelphia hopes to display more of that defensive firepower over their last three games for a potential playoff push.

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