Frazier: Harvin wasn't making needed progress

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. Everyone around the Minnesota Vikings was holding out hope that injured receiver Percy Harvin would be able to return this season, but coach Leslie Frazier said Thursday that Harvin had just not made enough progress and needed to be shut down. Harvin, who sprained his ankle Nov. 4, was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday evening, ending his season with 61 catches, 677 receiving yards and five total touchdowns, along with a NFL-leading 35.9-yard kickoff return average. A day later, Frazier offered some insight to what led to the decision to end the season for Minnesota's leading receiver and denied there was anything going on behind the scences other than the injury. "You realize for him, as well as for our team, this was the best thing to do, as opposed to try to make something happen that's not going to happen," Frazier said. "I think it helps all of us for him to concentrate on what he has to concentrate on from a physical standpoint, and knowing that he wasn't going to make the progress that was necessary for him to get back and play this season." The Vikings and Harvin were hoping the dynamic playmaker would return as soon as two weeks after his original injury, but he never made enough progress to return to practice on a full-time basis. He returned, in a limited capacity, for one practice last week but was still having noticeable issues making cuts and coming out of his breaks while running routes. He was able to run in a straight line, but Frazier said the problems occurred when cutting or putting too much weight on the ankle. Frazier said he wasn't sure if Harvin will need to have surgery and again refused to get into the specifics of how badly sprained Harvin's ankle is but noted that there was some ligament tearing. Harvin hasn't spoken to reporters the past two weeks but issued a release through the team. "It certainly is disappointing that I was not able to finish out this season with my teammates," Harvin said. "As a competitor I definitely wanted to get back out on the field but my injury has just not allowed me to progress to the point where I can help our team. "I appreciate the efforts of our medical staff and the support of our fans in helping me through this process and look forward to coming back stronger and better than ever." Follow Brian Hall on Twitter.