Sidney Rice should be remembered fondly for this catch
Sidney Rice is done for the year, but will he back next season?
I have a lot of time for Rice. Statistically you can argue he wasn’t worth the 5-year $41m contract he signed two years ago.
In reality, he might be worth every penny.
A few weeks ago I went back and watched Seattle’s game at San Francisco from 2010. It was Pete Carroll’s first year in charge, and Mike Singletary’s last.
It ended 40-21 to the 49ers. And the Seahawks were awful.
Looking at the roster, it was no surprise. The 2010 ‘Hawks are a million miles away from the current edition. If you need a pick-me-up after Monday night, I’d recommend going back and looking at some of those 2010 games. It’ll make you feel better about the rapid progress this franchise has made under Carroll.
Sidney Rice was part of the quick turnaround. A big part.
There was no doubt they needed a kick start. An injection of talent. The kind of proven talent that only free agency can provide.
Rice and Zach Miller were crucial additions. They immediately brought credibility to an offense that had previously relied on Deon Butler, Brandon Stokley and Ruvell Martin.
They were statement additions. The league took notice. Seattle means business.
And while they might never repay the financial investment via yardage and touchdowns, they certainly paved the way for the transition from rebuilding also-rans to genuine challengers.
Even statistically you can make a case for saying Rice has been somewhat successful. The injuries clearly hampered his 2011 and 2013 seasons. Yet when he was relatively healthy in 2012, he led the team for receiving yards and touchdowns.
748 yards and seven scores might not compare to Calvin Johnson’s statistics, but Seattle aren’t the Detroit Lions. They were fielding a rookie quarterback. They ranked #27 in the NFL for passing yards per game and #32 for pass attempts.
The Seahawks have never really used a traditional #1 target in the Carroll era. They’ve spread the ball around, whether it’s Matt Hasselbeck, Tarvaris Jackson or Russell Wilson under center. It’s a run first team, determined to feed Marshawn Lynch ahead of the receivers.
This isn’t the environment for elite wide out production. Rice’s numbers last year, when you think about it, are pretty good.
If this is his last season in Seattle, he should be remembered fondly as a competitive player who epitomised the blossoming attitude of this team. I’ll remember him as the guy who made several incredible sideline grabs to extend drives. I’ll remember that touchdown against New England — a signature play from last season.
And I’ll remember the way the younger players looked up to him, saw him as one of the leaders of the group. He helped create what we see today.
His cap hit in 2014 is $9.7m. The Seahawks can save $7.3m by cutting him.
They’re going to need to make some cuts. It’s unavoidable. He wouldn’t be the only one. Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas are getting paid in the off-season. Michael Bennett should be paid too. I suspect they’d like to make a push to keep Golden Tate.
Rice’s injury record makes him almost impossible to retain at $9.7m. Could they re-do his deal? Possibly.
If he’s going to be cut anyway, he might be willing to restructure his contract to essentially make it a one-year chancer. The Seahawks could easily back-load the new deals for Sherman and Thomas. That would allow them to keep Rice on a decent one-year contract. He would then be a free agent going into 2015, with the incentive of a big year in 2014 leading to a nice offer elsewhere.
That could still be a challenge if they intend to keep Tate around (and/or Bennett). And let’s not forget they went big on Percy Harvin. If they intend to make Harvin the focal point of the passing game, it makes little sense to pay the supporting cast big bucks.
That’s a debate for the future. Right now the Seahawks will miss Sidney Rice, especially with Harvin out indefinitely and seemingly still a few weeks away from contention.
This team avoided injuries for virtually the entire 2012 season. This year, the injury-bug is back with a vengeance.
Draft options
If the Seahawks want to go receiver early this year, there are some options. Odell Beckham (WR, LSU) is a vastly underrated talent. His partner in crime Jarvis Landry likewise should be moving up boards. Mike Evans is having a big year at Texas A&M while Jordan Matthews continues to do his thing at Vanderbilt. There’s depth across the board.
Two other players who started the year as potential top-15 picks could also be set for a fall. Marqise Lee has struggled with form and injury — the mess at USC has also contributed. He lacks prototypical size and could drop as a consequence. Sammy Watkins at Clemson has been called out by one of his coaches and remains a bit of an enigma. If he drops, you still have to consider him. The talent is too high. He is a true game changer and with the right guidance could blossom into an elite NFL receiver.
It’s set to be a strong year for offensive tackles, but it’s not a bad year for receivers either. Seattle will have some options.
Instead of a WR, could another TE be worth a 30-32 pick overall? Someone with pass catching skills and an above average blocking set?
Very possible if the right guy is there.
ASJ could just fall to the end of the first round – he needs to still grow up a bit, but he is talented
ASJ will run in the 4.8s and plays with minimal effort far too often. I honestly don’t see SEATTLE having him very high on their draft board.
He is, but is he the kind of player this team goes for? I’m not so sure.
I’m a big fan of Allen Robinson out of Penn State. If he comes out he would be a nice option as the “big” outside receiver. 6’3 210 pounds and can really run after the catch. Good route runner, good hands and can make plays down field 1 on 1. I would love for the Seahawks to get this guy.
Of course Sidney Rice will be missed. Mainly for what he was (last season). His production can easily be replaced this year (based on Rice’s 2013 season), but not his presence. If he was having a season like 2012 then this news would be devastating. Now, honestly, its sad but not but not SAD. I have always really like Rice as a person but it’s business.
Next season at best he should be offered veteran minimum on a contract that will be a make good for 2015. Sorry but coming off a season ending injury ACL and you have already proven you are brittle aka injury prone, that is what he is worth.
Moving forward, what about playing TE Willson as WR? He is tall and fast. How would he compare to WR Mike Evans at this point??? What say you?
Don’t forget we already spent early draft picks on WR last year (1st) and *this* year (3rd). Very unlikely that we would spend another 1st or 2nd rounder on one.
And a fourth rounder last year as well.
By that logic, then OL is off the table as well. WR is clearly a weakness on this team. We are in dire need of a true outside threat. I don’t think Harvin is that guy. I’d bet they take advantage of WR in the first 2 rounds and use the other on OL.
That’s not the case at all. The last time we went high for an offensive lineman was in 2011. There’s nothing surprising about drafting another one 3 years later.
Using consecutive first round picks (again, plus this year’s third) on WR would be like if we had gone OL early in 2012 after drafting Okung, Carpenter, and Moffitt over the previous two drafts (and Unger the one before that). But instead we didn’t take a O-lineman prior to the 7th round for two straight drafts.
It might not be quite that extreme at WR but with the massive investment of draft picks and money that we’ve put into the position (and this is including my assumption that we re-sign Tate–if not everything’s on the table) don’t expect to see us draft one before the 4th.
Rice has played his part here in Seattle. Unfortunately for him, his body is breaking down at only 27 years old. Both shoulders operated on, knee blowouts, etc… We will miss him the man, but him the player can and will be replaced- not to mention his salary going to secure Sherman & Thomas for this team. It almost seems like a weird good timing. We can now grow Kearse, maybe Lockett into our system with the easier games ahead of us, instead of this happening right before New Orleans or SF!
Percy is hopefully the stop gap here. TE Willson can play I feel, and needs to be implemented more. Kepp Golden going with a VERY efficient Baldwin, and may prosper. Rice had less than a 40% reception percentage this year…his body simply can’t keep up.
Love you Rice, thanks for the awesomeness, but time to be grateful and move on!
ps… Bummer we didn’t keep Stephen Williams OR Chris Harper for this possible outcome… Oh well…
I’m afraid I’ll have to agree with the other posters who say bye to Rice. This off season is a land field of difficult choices. It appears you are going to need to pay both Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman, and you’re going to have to pay them well. The foursome of Bryant, Mebane, Rice, Miller are going to need to re-structure or get released to create the room to Thomas and Sherman. The Hawks are rolling a limited amount of money over on this cap in retrospect to previous years. Rice’s injury makes him a no-brainer first choice for release, and I just can’t see this Front Office offering more than the Vet minimum for Rice. If he wants to come back at that price, I’d give him a look otherwise, thanks for the memories.
In my opinion Miller and one of Bryant/Mebane will be able to finish their contracts in Seattle. I think we’ll be able to backload Sherman and Thomas’ contracts for after the Miller/Bryant/Mebane contracts expire. Seems like we’ll be making plenty of moves elsewhere, as well. We’ll probably make a decision at defensive end regarding Avril and Clemons; it’d be nice to get a sweet draft pick for one of them, then get Bennett back. 🙂
Since I’m posting, I want to share this article I read on Field Gulls, opining about how predictable Darrell Bevell is. It’s a rather disconcerting article, and it makes a lot of good points. I hope Bevell can make the necessary changes to the offense to deflect these criticisms.
http://www.fieldgulls.com/seahawks-notes/2013/10/31/5051994/seahawks-playcalling-darrell-bevell-predictable
No way both Avril and Clemons are on our roster going into the draft. Avril gets traded is my opinion for a 2nd or 3rd pick. He should be on your list before Bryant and mebane who probably have at least until 2015.
I’m a big fan of us taking a big possession receiver target in the draft (WR or TE). I think it will largely depend on how the draft falls to us. That first pick is likely a top guy on our board as a WR/TE, OL or even DT. I could also see us trading out of the first if the guys we liked don’t fall. It’s a pretty deep draft for WR and OL.
I would be very surprised if we tried to replace Rice exactly versus an inside slot big guy. I would also be surprised if we left the draft without a guy like this. I agree with Rob’s write up that Rice has been a necessary transition piece that has played a huge role in the turnaround. That phase is over. Welcome to the next phase of “win forever”.
As I have said before in other posts, cutting Rice, trading Avril allows signing Bennett, Sherman, Thomas and Tate to front loaded contracts comparable to their respective peers.
Did Avril sign a one year or two year deal? It was either he or Bennett – so he may not be someone we can trade. I don’t think Clem is going anywhere.
Two year deal. We can trade him
Avril’s salary goes from 3.75 to 9.25 mil. We’ll have to make some type of move with him to save cap $$
Not necessarily, because there are potential savings that can be made elsewhere. And the short term nature of his deal is appealing — you can back load contracts.
Nobody is giving up a 2 or 3 for one year of Cliff Avril.
You do realize we gave up a first and third for one more year of Harvin right? Then we did this crazy thing called a contract renegotiation to sign him for longer term.
Yes…and Percy Harvin is one of the most dynamic offensive players in the NFL and was 25 at the time of the trade.
Avril is a good player who is strictly rotational right now. I think Cliff is a good player, but I think we need to temper expectations of what kind of return he’d get with one year year as a guy in his late 20s.
To be fair, all of Seattle’s defensive linemen are rotational…by design, any of these guys would choose to be in on every snap if they could.
Very true, but as good as Avril has played, it’s not like he has singlehandedly destroyed opponents.
Furthermore, the same logic as mentioned earlier (about playing alongside talented players) could be applied to Avril this year as well.
It will be interesting to see what happens as we go along. Good debate.
Yes they could.
He signed under market value. He’s young and yet to enter his prime. He has a track record for success. And if anything, he’s answered the criticisms of being a product of Suh’s talent.
IMO, his value is at an all time high. Pass rushers are critically important. He’d be an elite top shelf option on the trade market.
He wasn’t an Elite Top Shelf option on the Free Agent market. He’s played well, but I don’t think teams are going from “luke warm” on him during free agency to “giving up a bunch of high picks” for only 1 guaranteed year of service.
He’s a good player, but there’s always a drastic over-valuing of guys on our roster and what we’d expect to receive in compensation in a trade.
And not to be a pest, but how can you use the term “signing him under market value”? He was on an open market, and we signed him for what the market determined was his value. That is the definition of “market value.”
Perhaps many perceived he’d be worth more, but that wasn’t reality. If no one bought an iPhone for $750 bucks, then Apple lowers the asking price to $250; then $250 is the market value. You didn’t buy it “under market value,” because the price of $750 had “no market.”
He was considered by all reports to be one of the top defensive linemen available. He started off the year dinged up, he’s still working into top form. Too soon to call the acquisition a bust.
Markets are always different year to year depending on who doesn’t have cap space (Wash), who doesn’t have the will to spend it (Cinn), most analysts were surprised by how soft that market was.
Exactly
Indeed markets are always changing, but I think at this point, it’s a stretch to assume he will net high picks. This is good dialogue btw.
I totally respect your opinion and I could be way off base (we shall see), but I sincerely think that expecting anything more than a 4 or 5 is wishful thinking. Again, I could be wrong, but at this point (as well as he’s played), I don’t think anybody is going to be tempted to spend premium draft capital to get them, when the only guarantee is 1 year of his service.
I think it also greatly depends on how we end the year. Look at how much people were willing to pay Paul Kruger? If we get to the big game you don’t think somebody’s going to offer something for the chance to lock up one of our best edge rushers?
There has to be a buyer for Avril and last year in free agency his market was very quiet. Expecting anyone to spend a high pick on him when he was a free agent last year is very optimistic I think.
I believe that was mostly due to the uncertainty of his value without a 3 tech to protect him. In general, he was criticized as a clean up artist. A moniker he’s shed here in Seattle. He’s showing the ability to create his own opportunities here.
When Sidney signed with the Seahawks, yes, he got top dollar, but he also gave them credibility. Along with Zach’s signing it made a difference. I feel bad for Sid – he’s a part of what this team is and can be. I didn’t think he’d be back next year – contract too big, but he’ll always be a Seahawk!
In a weird sort of way, couldn’t Rice’s injury actually benefit the Seahawks next year? With his latest injury, how many teams are going to spend big $$ on a guy who has a history of injuries? So, next year, let him test the market to see what he is worth in his post-ACL rehab condition, then offer him the veteran minimum for a one-year contract. In that one year, he will have the extra incentive of showing other teams that he is worth a long-term deal. In the meantime, the Seahawks might have his services for another year at a potential bargain price compared to what they would have had to pay him to get him to stay if he hadn’t been injured.
Excellent point and I am of the same mindset. This could actually be a huge bargaining chip for Seattle and still allow them to highly draft a WR in 2014 IF the value is right.
I’ve been disappointed with Rice, but Rob’s article really changed my thinking about his value and how it far outweighs a box score/stat column.
Rice could very well retire. He is very beaten up in terms of the number of serious injuries he had over the years. He’s relatively young but not in terms of damage sustained. There are some saying that he could have gone on IR for the concussions even if the ACL was fine.
This thought crossed my mind as well. He’s made a lot of money and dealt with a lot of beatings.
I wouldn’t expect it, but I wouldn’t be shocked (at all) if he hung it up.
He’ll still get his Superbowl ring at the end of the season. 🙂
Sidney provided great leadership and clearly left everything he had on the field, a casualty of NFL combat for sure. It is his commitment to the team that will be most sorely missed. It was distressing, to say the least, to watch the Seahawks offense be butchered by the Rams D. Only two exceptional catches by Golden Tate preserved a win. It is no surprise that the eviscerated O line was overwhelmed by the rushes and blitzes and 8 in the box formations. Never have I seen two D ends get into the backfield so quickly and so consistently, and the Rams just cold-cocked the run game. However, that D should have left the Rams secondary highly vulnerable to getting beat by our receivers one on one. Against that D, the QB has to drop back and get rid of the ball quickly, hopefully to receivers that can get separation from press coverage and break open down field, where there is no safety support. But our WRs, once again, could get no separation, and by the time they might have eventually worked themselves open, RW was sacked. Only a great catch by Golden, where he actually had no separation, won the game. We really, really need Percy Harvin. Even Lockette the Rocket, at 6-2, 211, with 4.3 speed, should be able to gain separation better than a valiant Sidney Rice.
Great piece on Rice. Historically, his signing is every bit as important in terms of legitimizing the program as Chad Brown and Grant Wistrom were.
This was a team where good players were avoiding. Rice changed that.
Next year we have McCoy coming back so I doubt if we draft a Tight End very high. Unless they are planning to get rid of Miller. Which there is no need to do because he is on a very team friendly contract that gets smaller each year. Miller, Willson and McCoy well be a very strong Tight End group. PC/JS will go after there big possession receiver this year just like they have tried in their other drafts. Where they will take him will be determined by who they want and were he falls on their draft board
McCoy is an UFA next year, not coming back
I wouldn’t rule it out. Strong connection to Pete Carroll, won’t cost much.
Agreed. I think it’s likely he’ll be back but I’m sure they’d love to bring in a guy who could beat him out in training camp if they can find the talent.
i dont think rice’s contributions this year will be missed much. Its not hard to replace 15 catches. although i think the position depth and his leadership will be missed most.
Kearse has the talent to fill the void but they do need one more guy.
What is really needed in this offense is Vince Jackson, Brandon Marshall or Larry Fitzgerald. Tall, fast and physically dominating. That type of player will not be available by trade, FA or the draft. Settling for something less, such as a tall but slow receiver, will only lead the team back to Mike Williams limbo.
There is another option: a Gronk-like seam busting tight end. If Jimmy Graham doesn’t sign, he will be available as a franchise FA: two first round picks and an untoppable contract offer will get him. However I can’t imagine Seattle could afford that (the contract offer, not the picks). But there are three such tight ends in this year’s draft: Jace Amaro, Eric Ebron and ASJ. I personally wouldn’t pick ASJ until the fourth round because he looks lazy to me. But trading up in the first to get Ebron (early twenties?) or hoping that Amaro falls (assuming he’s as fast as he looks on film) are two options. Of course no pass catcher matters when the qb only has 0.2 seconds to get rid of the ball, so fixing the O Line is a higher priority.
I think we’d jump on Ebron if available, which I don’t think is remotely possible at this point. I think he could become an Elite offensive weapon. If you can get even mediocre blocking from him, he will become a monster in the NFL.
Before we draft a TE, I’d like to see more of Willson. He had an early drop in the Carolina game, but IMHO he’s played well since then.
In hindsight, I still wish we had drafted Jordan Reed …
Reed was taken 2 spots before us in the third. No opportunity to really get him other than reach in the second.
Wonder if Fitz and Jackson could be available this offseason? AZ has reportedly said they are open to dealing Fitz, and the Bucs are going to be in full rebuild mode while Jackson is expensive and on the back end of his prime.
If we could get Watkins in the draft, my goodness. Lee would be fun too- though he’d be repetitive with Harvin. ASJ gives us a complete TE and it’s looking fairly decent he could reach us. I think Coleman is pretty high risk and will likely be another Stephen Williams in the NFL, but if he’s there in the late 2nd I’d be very excited to see Seattle kick those tires.
Oh please let us get Sammy Watkins. *salivates profusely*
The idea of getting Larry Fitz is highly intriguing for me. Russell Wilson would just love to have that guy on the outside. I think its entirely possible too because Fitz is due a ton of money next year, and it seems the Cardinals are looking to kind of start over personnel-wise. I think there’s a good chance he gets released after 2013.
Fitz has a “no trade” clause in his contract. He cannot be traded unless he agrees to void that clause which he will only do if he goes to a contender.
I think even if he voids that clause, Arizona would have to be clinically insane to trade him to a NFC West rival.
Yeah that’s why I think he’ll be released. He just costs too much money for a team that’s in a kind of rebuilding process right now.
How much are we really going to prioritize the speed and size combination on the outside unless we completely change the identity of our offense? What we have invested thus far in Harvin, tells me we are going a different direction. I think we would be content to find a bigger, potentially slower possession receiver who can line up in the slot. This should be easier to find than a prototype number one receiver, and cheaper for certain.
This is partly why I think Evans may drop in round one as he is slower than your typical number one. People tend to rank guys like this very high in the draft because of their production even when they have glaring holes in their game that may be more exposed at the next level. I guess the combine will tell us, but I would not be surprised to see Evans fall towards the back quarter of round one and us have a shot at him.
That would be truly exciting.
Jordan Reed looks like a stud and is turning into a star in Washington. He would of been a huge plus for this offense.
Since we are a run first team I would like us to stop overpaying for receivers that we won’t use. I don’t see a reason to pay a TE or WR more than 6 million a year with the current game plan. That is sufficient for the 300-700 yards a year that they will contribute. Now if they contribute more, we could talk about a bonus for number of catches or total yardage.
I am frustrated by our propensity to overpay for injury prone players. 10 million, 12 million a player, pretty soon it adds up. In the future we not only have to sign The Legion of Boom, but also RW will want a raise. So we got to limit these big payoffs, even if it means some players will move to other teams. If we have an injury on a player with a smaller contract we can afford to wait for them to recover.
My picks for draft include 3-4 offensive linemen and a good blocking TE. That will help us get on the right track.
Who is being overpaid that is injury prone? You had to add Rice given 2011 was uncapped. You needed Zach Miller, a guy who is an underrated pass catcher and a very good blocker. It’s not a perfect return on investment, but those are moves that had to be made. It’s a large part of the reason this team got this good this quickly.
3-4 offensive linemen? Really? That seems like overkill and bad strategy. It’s indicating a lack of faith in the front office to find impact guys at the position. I could understand taking 2 and trying to solidify the line, but 3-4 seems like a waste of opportunity elsewhere.
I was referring to Percy Harvin. If we were a pass first team then it would be totally justified to pay 10 million+ for a superstar receiver or two. But as long as we are a run first team I don’t see the value there.
It may seem like drafting 3-4 offensive linemen is a lot, but statistics indicate that only half will make the team. We will probably end up with 2 linemen.
I really like Miller and the other tight ends we have tried out. At one time we were talking about how cool it would be to have two tight ends that could run block and receive passes, with a third as backup. Now it seems like they fade away for large portions of the game. They aren’t being fully utilized in our game plans. Maybe they could have chip blocked blitzers and then catch a quick pass.
I think out of all the guy struggling on our offense, Bevell is struggling the most with his play calls. He needs to get back to basics with this line and do more max-protect. He also needs to change up the playcalling on third-and-medium plays. I posted this article in an earlier post- says on 3rd and 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 Bevell has given the ball to the runningback exactly zero (0) times. That’s bonkers. You gotta change up the play calling to keep teams guessing.
Also let’s see Percy Harvin actually take the field before we start saying he’ll be injury prone here. Don’t want to stir up bad joo-joo.
I agree that Bevell has made major miscues with the play calling and hasn’t adjusted to the abilities of the replacement line. Last game we saw that the tackles couldn’t handle the defensive ends. They needed some help with either a double team, a chip block, or just getting the ball out faster. It isn’t enough to say that things will improve when the regular players get back on the field. He has to adjust to the players he has on the field.
Some of his calls are just baffling. The same play over and over, that gets stuffed over and over.
Half time adjustments need to be made. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t. We are 7-1 so it would be silly to complain, but that Rams game last week…In our very first offensive series it felt that nothing had been changed. The beating Russell took was sickning…The article on Bevell is telling. We lost Gus as our D coordinator and IMHO are far better off for it. Maybe the same will have with Bevell (after we win the Superbowl)…
I have never been a Bevell fan. There are too many OC’s in the NFL who are head and shoulders above him….
Such as….?
Here’s the thing with Bevell. This team has won 18 games in 1.5 seasons. In that time we’ve seen a rookie QB develop into a legit franchise signal caller, we’ve seen the development of receivers like Golden Tate, we’ve see some of the most prolific performances in Seahawks history at the end of last season, we’ve seen multiple 80-90 yard drives and the running game continues to prosper.
And nobody wants to give the offensive coordinator any credit. None what so ever.
But on a night like Monday night, it’s all his fault.
Sorry, but I’m not buying that. Football fans want someone to blame and the OC is an easy target. Bevell is a fine coach and deserves a lot more respect.
These are the same people who talk about how superior Dan Quinn is/was to Gus Bradley, all the while ignoring the personnel differences each got to work with, and taking for granted just how good the defense was last year.
Mind boggling.
I think that’s fair. But on the same token I think Bevell needs to be held accountable for predictable offensive game plans. Some of it may be contribution from other coaches, but as the OC I figure most of the plays are going through him, and he’s just picking some bone-headed plays out of the playbook. Everyone can see this and it’s frustrating.
I think Bevell is good enough that he can rectify this. We’ve seen him call great games previously. That’s why it’s so baffling to see him call games like the one in St. Louis.
Bevell is not perfect and has drawn my ire as much as anybody, but we do have to credit him for getting the offense to the level we’ve seen it play at. However, he does need to understand that sending receivers deep on every single play is not always productive.