It has been mentioned a few times this season that Percy Harvin has a savvy on the field that many rookies (and some veterans) lack. Football smarts for a lack of a better term.
There is a good reason for this.
Talking to the wide receiver on a conference call Wednesday after he was named the NFL offensive rookie of the year, Harvin discussed the fact he went to school the moment he got to training camp in Mankato, Minn., last summer. One thing Harvin did was ask questions of veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield.
"A lot of times when he guarded me, I'd just ask him what things he looked at and what tendencies he saw in my routes that helped him out," Harvin said. "When I went into this season, I already knew I could play. Just learning the defenses was a big key for me."
Harvin said that feedback was a tremendous help in enabling him to improve his route running and become a better player before he ever took the field for a game. Harvin didn't just get assistance from Winfield. He also learned plenty from Brett Favre and many of the tips he got did not come in the huddle but rather in the meeting rooms at Winter Park.
"[Favre] just taught me how to be a professional," Harvin said. "During the week it's not so much practicing, it's mental. Looking at film, looking at the tendencies of the defense, learning the defenses, the blitzes they were going to use. So when we came out seeing those blitzes we knew exactly what the checks were going to be."
