No longer sidelined by a shoulder injury, Sidney Rice took all of one play Sunday to establish his presence with the Seahawks.
On the game’s first snap, quarterback Tarvaris Jackson fired a short pass to his favorite receiver. Good for a nine-yard gain, the connection between the former Minnesota Vikings foreshadowed a trend: Jackson to Rice.
As the Seahawks finally were offering a glimpse of a functional throw-and-catch operation during their 13-10 victory over Arizona, the duo accounted for eight completions worth 109 yards. Those numbers reflect the sense Rice had been the missing link in the offensive scheme new coordinator Darrell Bevell brought from Minnesota.
During the two games Rice missed, Jackson appeared either tentative or incompetent. But with his 6-foot-4 target back on the field, Jackson looked like a legitimate talent.
“He’s very comfortable with me,” said Rice. “We’ve been together for the previous four years in Minnesota. He knows where I’m going to be.”
On the Seahawks’ second possession, Rice was running down the right sideline when Jackson found him for the afternoon’s longest gain, a 32-yard completion that set up a field goal.
“A ridiculous throw and catch right there,” marveled head coach Pete Carroll. “Tarvaris just believed in Sidney and gave him a chance. He and ‘Bev’ know Sidney better than any of us.”
The Seahawks knew enough of Rice to give him a contract that guaranteed the 25-year-old free agent $18.5-million. Still, after a labrum tear forced him to sit out the opener in San Francisco and last week’s fiasco in Pittsburgh, it was fair to wonder if Rice’s tough luck – he hurt both his knees in Minnesota, and lost most of the 2010 season to a bad hip – had followed him to Seattle.
If Rice is able to avoid surgery on his shoulder, or at least postpone it until after the season, the Seahawks should be able to contend in an NFC West that remains as weak it was when a 7-9 record clinched the division a year ago.
And if Rice’s shoulder problems put him on the shelf?
Well, you saw how Jackson and the offense scuffled. Over the eight quarters they played before Sunday, they were scoreless in seven of them.
Rice brings both a deep-threat dimension and a high-percentage option.
“If you get the ball in his area, he has great ball skills,” said Jackson. “Whenever he’s one-on-one, it doesn’t matter if he’s in front of the guy or not. Just throw the ball up, and most of the time, he’s going to make the play – you can pretty much count on that. That always gives confidence to a quarterback, knowing that if I throw it up, if he doesn’t catch it, nobody’s going to catch it.”
Said Rice: “I just want to come out and do my job and execute on the plays. If they call my number, I make a play, and that’s exactly what I did.”
An unabashed reliance upon Rice is not without its problems. Because he was typically Jackson’s primary receiver – the quarterback targeted him 10 times – fellow wide receiver Mike Willliams was reduced to an afterthought. Williams had no catches against the Cardinals, and only once did Jackson throw to him.
“I know Mike is probably a little frustrated,” Jackson said of Williams, who showered quickly after the game and was among the first players to leave the locker room. “He knows that we got the win, and he’s a team player, but I know he’s a bit frustrated because he didn’t get a lot of balls thrown his way. We’re going to try to do a better job getting him the ball.”
If Rice enjoys any more games like his Seahawks debut, he’ll be a candidate for continuous double coverage. That should mean more opportunities for Williams, Ben Obamanu, Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin.
But game plans aren’t arranged with the intent of hoping the wide receivers are inclined to smile in the team photo. Rice gives Jackson a self-assurance the other receivers, for whatever reason, haven’t given.
Spreading the wealth on stat sheets is not the idea. Outscoring the opposition is the idea. Sidney Rice embodies the difference between a Seahawks team capable of winning seven or eight games – contending, in other words – and a Seahawks team that’ll be fortunate to win three or four.
“This is a big deal for us to get him back on the field,” said Carroll. “He’s a fantastic football player, and he’s going to make a difference for us. I’m so proud of him getting back and fighting through it. His attitude is so perfect about getting back.
“It’s just a champion mentality.”
Rice’s champion mentality inspired the most prominent of his teammates Sunday. Funny. Whenever Rice’s number was called, Tarvaris Jackson looked like an NFL quarterback.
John.mcgrath@thenewstribune.com
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.