RENTON, Wash. — The status of Percy Harvin and his sore hip isn't changing John Schneider's opinion of a Seattle Seahawks team that reached the divisional playoffs without Harvin last year.
"We firmly believe that, just because we were aggressive making this move — and obviously he is an incredible talent — there's a lot of talented guys," Schneider, the Seahawks' general manager, told USA TODAY Sports.
"We like the talent on our football team. There's a lot of talented players all throughout the National Football League. But like anybody always says, it's never, ever about one player. It's about the team."
Acquired from the Minnesota Vikings in March, Harvin opened his first training camp in Seattle on the active/physically unable to perform list after telling the Seahawks he wasn't comfortable practicing on the hip, which had given the dynamic receiver trouble since last month.
Harvin, 25, will get a second opinion from Dr. Bryan Kelly on Tuesday in New York. Surgery to repair a slight tear in Harvin's labrum is a possibility, though the Seahawks are optimistic he can play through the injury.
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No matter what happens, Schneider said he has no regrets about giving up first-, third- and seventh-round picks for Harvin and awarding him a five-year contract extension that included $25.5 million in guarantees.
"Going into the offseason, we felt very good about our team and our core of players," Schneider said. "The opportunity to acquire a guy like Percy was extremely unique for us. We had to. We had to do that."
Schneider speaks from experience when discussing the Seahawks' chances without their newest toy. He was a scout for the Green Packers when they won the Super Bowl after the 1996 season without top receiver Robert Brooks, who suffered a major knee injury in Week 7.
Though there are durability concerns with Harvin, he has played 54 of 64 regular-season games over four NFL seasons, racking up 3,985 combined rushing and receiving yards and scoring 29 touchdowns, including five on kick returns.
Before making the trade, the Seahawks spent months digging into Harvin's background, including his injury history and run-ins with both his head coaches in Minnesota that helped wear out his welcome with the Vikings.
"And then as we went down the road with it in investigating that deal, it ended up coming our way and (Harvin) was very excited about the opportunity to come here and play with Russell (Wilson, the Seahawks' quarterback) and get a fresh start," Schneider said.
"We're all somewhat disappointed that he wasn't able to start from Day 1 this season. But that being said, we know that it's a long, long season and it's a marathon and we're going to do whatever we can to put our arms around him and help him out. He's going to get a second opinion, and once we have all the information, we'll make the right decision."
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