WRs have faith in Percy

RENTON, Wash. − Everyone is talking about the much-anticipated return of ultra-explosive, ultra-versatile Percy Harvin.

And that’s just fine with Golden Tate.

Tate and the Seattle Seahawks’ other receivers are used to being unnoticed and underrated, so it’s only fitting that they’d feel that way before Saturday’s NFC divisional playoff date with New Orleans.

“A lot of the media, who I believe haven’t really watched the film the way they should, they kind of underrate us,” Tate said Thursday. “And I think it’s because we don’t really have a big-name guy in our group. But if you look at the stats, we have playmakers all over the room.”

For a second straight day, Harvin — who sat out nearly the entire regular season with a hip injury — practiced in full, and his press conference drew a throng of media. Harvin said he “absolutely” would suit up on Saturday.

It’s a return that’s being heralded because Harvin is supposed to be the weapon Seattle has always needed. When the Seahawks acquired Harvin from Minnesota in the offseason, it was to shore up the team’s “weakness” at receiver and transform Seattle into a title contender.

Sixteen games later, Seattle is the NFC’s top seed, but Harvin has just one catch all season. It’s Tate, who had a team-high 898 receiving yards, Ricardo Lockette and Jermaine Kearse who serve as deep threats. And it’s the wily Doug Baldwin, who has TD catches in three of his last five games, who has emerged as Russell Wilson’s favorite target.

But the Seahawks hope that they’re more dangerous with Harvin against a Saints team that loves to gamble defensively. Harvin said his film study has revealed lots of “zero blitzing” from New Orleans, which leaves cornerbacks in man-to-man coverage.

It's unknown how much Harvin will play, or how effective he'll be in his first game since mid-November, but Tate hopes the muchhyped receiver can serve as another dangerous weapon. And even if he doesn’t? “Percy’s like a nuclear weapon,” Lockette said. “But without him, we’re still an army.”