Just got done participating in a conference call with Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin, who was named the NFL's offensive rookie of the year on Wednesday. Harvin is spending time at his home near Jacksonville, Fla., this week with the Vikings off until Sunday. Here are some of the highlights:
Q. How did you get the news and what was your reaction?
A. "I got a text this morning from somebody at my house. It's a tremendous honor but that's not our team goal. To win that and lose the championship would be a failure." Q. Had you thought about this honor much? A. "I thought about it but we're all about team, so an individual award, it was in the back of my mind, but I didn't think about it much." Q. Why do you think you were able to come in and have an immediate impact when it usually takes wide receivers time to get adjusted? A. "My teammates did a great job of getting me caught up to speed learning the defenses. It helped having a Hall of Fame quarterback in Brett [Favre] to speed things up for me." Q. Was there a play or a game this season when you knew your abilities would exceed many in this league? A. "Well I knew in practice all along going through training camp, we had a pretty good defense on our team, so just going against them in two-a-days, we had a Pro Bowl corner in 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. When I went into this season, I already knew I could play. Just learning the defenses was a big key for me." Q. What did Brett Favre do to help you specifically during the season? A. "Just taught me how to be a professional. 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." Q. Has Favre called you to congratulate you today? A. "Yeah, pretty much everybody on our team they texted me. Like I said, we all agreed that we still have work to do. But I did get texts from most of the players on the team." Q. Is there any satisfaction in winning this award after you dropped to No. 22 in the draft? A. "Whether I dropped or not, I was still privileged to go in the first round and be able to play at the next level. So I didn't go into the season trying to prove anybody wrong. I just wanted to get in, learn as fast as I could and try to contribute to my team." Q. Have you looked back and felt it might have been a blessing in disguise to fall to a team like the Vikings? A. "Everything happens for a reason in life, whether it's good or bad. I made the most out of the situation. Me landing with this team, playing with Brett and getting a chance to play with A.D. [Adrian Peterson], some of those guys, it's very humbling and I was privileged to be in that situation. I took the most of it and hopefully we can keep it going." Q. How important was it for you to show your toughness playing through a shoulder injury early in the season and also missing only one game despite battling migraine headaches? A. "That's what you get paid to do. If you're able to play through it, play through it. I felt I was good enough to play and help my team out. I wasn't going to go out there if I felt I would harm my team or put us in danger. I felt good enough to play and that's what I did." Q. You've been named to the Pro Bowl and the NFL offensive rookie of the year this week. What's it been like for you? A. "I mean it's been a blessing. Like I said, I'm privileged to have both of those awards. I know the Pro Bowl puts it on another plateau as far as the players on the field, but like I said we've still got to work to do. So I'll take them, they're great achievements, but our team still has work to do to win that. And like I said if we don't get our team goal it'll be a failure."
