KIRKLAND – He took Steve Largent’s number, but he won’t take Darrell Jackson’s position.
Jerry Rice, the newest Seattle Seahawks wide receiver, will be wearing No. 80 while playing the split end position for the first time in his 20-year career.
Rice will be the first player since Hall of Famer Steve Largent retired in 1989 to wear No. 80 for the Seahawks.
“It’s an honor for me to wear the No. 80 out of respect to him,” said Rice, who was officially traded to the Seahawks for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2005 draft Tuesday.
Rice, 42, called Largent after passing his physical Tuesday to make sure it would be all right.
“Steve is just a good guy overall,” Rice said. “And he told me, ‘Jerry, if you want to wear the No. 80, you have my blessing.’ When he said that, it sent chills through my body.
“I know what he has done for this city. When you think about the Seattle Seahawks, you think about Steve Largent. For him to say without any hesitation that I could wear his jersey, that meant everything.”
Largent was asked earlier in the day about whether Rice should wear No. 80 with the Seahawks.
“Jerry Rice should wear No. 1 because he is No. 1,” Largent told ESPN radio Tuesday.
When pressed about whether he would stand in Rice’s way of wearing No. 80, Largent said he would not.
The No. 80 was officially retired in 1995, when Largent went into the Hall of Fame, and it hasn’t been issued to a player in 15 years. The only other retired jersey is No. 12, which is dedicated to the Seahawks’ fans – otherwise known as the “12th man.”
Rice has worn the No. 80 in San Francisco and Oakland.
But that doesn’t mean he was unwilling to make concessions.
Because Jackson has performed so well at the flanker position, Rice will move to the other side and play split end with the Seahawks. He will rotate with Koren Robinson, at least until the rumored four-game suspension is handed down against Robinson. If that happens – it is still unconfirmed and reportedly under appeal – Rice would probably step into the starting lineup.
“Darrell’s our best receiver right now,” coach Mike Holmgren said Tuesday, “so we’re going to leave him there (at flanker).”
Rice said he doesn’t expect the position change to be much of an adjustment. The main difference is that split ends typically line up on the line of scrimmage, while flankers are often a step off of it.
“I don’t think it’s going to be that difficult,” Rice said of moving to the split end position. “Basically, you’re going to deal with the same coverages. The (defender) is just a little closer to you. You have to be a little more elusive on the line (of scrimmage), and that’s something I’ve always prided myself on.”
Wherever he plays, and whatever jersey Rice wears, the biggest question is how much he has left. Rice is inarguably the greatest receiver in NFL history, yet he caught only five passes through the Oakland Raiders’ first six games before he was traded to Seattle for a conditional draft pick this week.
Rice caught 63 passes for the Raiders last season, and 92 the previous year, so his numbers have fallen off dramatically in 2004.
Part of the reason for that is age, of course, although Rice is still in great shape. He hasn’t been able to get off the line with as quick a first step as he could in the past, and he struggles running intermediate and long routes.
But Rice’s lack of production also comes down to how he’s been used in Oakland this season. New coach Norv Turner brought in a new system that uses younger, faster receivers like Ronald Curry, Jerry Porter and Doug Gabriel.
The Raiders have thrown a total of 75 passes over the past two games, and only one of them was intended for Rice.
“I just got dealt a bad hand,” said Rice, who asked to be traded two weeks ago. “It didn’t work out in Oakland, and I’m here, and that’s behind me now. The main focus now is the Seattle Seahawks, and I’m looking forward to doing whatever I can to help this football team.”
That’s not to say that Rice will be the go-to guy in Seattle. That role still belongs to Jackson, while Robinson and Bobby Engram will also figure heavily in the rotation.
When Rice was asked Tuesday about whether he would be comfortable not catching a lot of passes – the very thing that caused him to demand a trade – Holmgren interrupted.
“He will touch the ball. He will get his hands on the ball; he will be a part of this offense,” said Holmgren, who stressed that Rice was not being brought in just to mentor younger rerceivers. “Right now, part of our discussion was, he wants to help us win. He wants to play, and he wants to be a part of something. If we talk about numbers here, we’re missing the point just a little bit in this particular situation.”
Holmgren made it clear to Rice before the trade that he would be part of a receiving corps that’s already been established.
“I told him, ‘You are not the savior,’” Holmgren said. “‘You’re not going to be the man. You’re going to compliment, hopefully teach a little, and help us get better.’”
Rice is expected to start practicing with Seattle today, and the plan is to have him to on the field this Sunday when the Seahawks face the Arizona Cardinals in Tempe, Ariz.
Notes: Rice, who holds virtually every NFL receiving record, can tie an obscure single-season mark this year. He has already competed in six regular-season games, and could play in 17 this year because Seattle has already had its bye and has 11 remaining. Only two other players – Chris Singleton in 1993 (New England and Miami) and Dexter Carter in 1995 (New York Jets and San Francisco) – have played in 17 games during the course of a single regular season. … To make room for Rice on the roster, the Seahawks released punter Donnie Jones.
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