After going from starter to departer in training camp a year ago, quarterback Tarvaris Jackson would be entitled to at least a cup of bitterness regarding the the Seahawks. But he said all the right things Friday about his return to Seattle to compete to be the backup to the man who beat him out, Russell Wilson.
“I really didn’t want to leave last year, but you know, it’s a business. Now I’m back and I’m happy to be here,” Jackson said after the Seahawks’ second training camp practice. “I mean, it felt like home, really. You know, we got an opportunity to go deep in the playoffs. I’m very familiar with the offense, the people around here, teammates, everybody. It was a no-brainer.”
If Jackson, 30, beats out another veteran, Brady Quinn, for the job, there’s a decent chance he won’t play more here than in Buffalo, where he was traded Aug. 28 for a seventh-round draft pick. He didn’t play at all last season for the Bills.
“It was tough, to be honest with you,” he said of getting no action as a third-stringer. “I just tried to take it a day at a time and just do my business. Whatever they asked me to do, I just tried to do it. I mean, it was a situation that I don’t wish on my worst enemy.
“I was just sitting, on a paid vacation.”
Jackson’s familiarity with the Seahawks playbook, players and coaches is an obvious advantage in bringing him back. So too is his familiarity with the Seahawks’ highest-profile acquisition, WR Percy Harvin. They were teammates in Minnesota.
It’s also noteworthy now because Harvin is out with labrum tear in his hip. The injury’s severity can be mysterious, because some players can play with small tears. According to multiple sources, the Seahawks doctors suggested that surgery was unnecessary, but Harvin is seeking a second medical opinion next week.
If Harvin has surgery, it’s a season-ending injury because of the lengthy rehab.
“If you have hip surgery, it’s a lot longer than the season,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told USA Today Friday. “Hip surgery, he’s not going to play for the season.”
While Harvin missed few games in his time in Minnesota — he played in 15 games in his 2009 rookie year, 14 in 2010 and 16 in 2011, and last season, he missed the final seven games after an ankle injury against the Seahawks — his long history of missed practices chafed at his Vikings teammates and coaches.
Jackson endorsed Harvin’s work ethic.
“He’s going to work hard every day,” Jackson said. “When Percy gets back out here and he’s healthy, you best believe he’s going to be working out here every day. He’s a competitor, and that’s not even speaking about his talent. He’s probably one of the most talented guys I’ve been around, seriously.
“A lot of people used to give me grief. They would always ask me about Percy, and I would say, ‘He’s on that level with Adrian Peterson-type talent.’ When he started (breaking big plays) last year people were like, ‘Oh, you were right.’ I was like, ‘I know I was right.’ ”
