Think the Raiders couldn't have used Minnesota Vikings receiver Percy Harvin this season? The Florida product was named today as the NFL's offensive rookie of the year by the Associated Press in a runaway vote by a nationwide panel of 50 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NFL.
Harvin, the No. 22 pick of the draft and the fourth receiver selected - after the Raiders' Darrius Heyward-Bey, the 49ers' Michael Crabtree and Philadelphia's Jeremy Maclin, also returned kickoffs for the Vikings and received 41 votes.
Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher, whose heart-tugging story is playing on movie screens across the country in "The Blind Side," was second, with six votes.
Privileged enough to have a vote, I went with Harvin, though I thought briefly about going with Oher and even New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, what with his "leading" the Jets to the playoffs.
Alas, Harvin's stats - 60 receptions for 790 yards with six TDs, 15 rushes for 135 yards, 42 kickoff returns for 1,156 yards and two scores, including a 101-yarder, and setting Minnesota's single-season franchise record for all-purpose yardage with 2,081 - were too loud to ignore.
As far as the Raiders' offensive rookies were concerned - DHB, the shocking No. 7 overall pick, finished 27th among ROOKIE receivers with nine catches. He also had 124 yards with one touchdown and did not play after Thanksgiving, thanks to a sprained foot. Fourth-rounder Louis Murphy, a college teammate of Harvin, had more of an impact with 34 catches for 521 yards with four TDs.
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