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#1
10-18-2003, 01:06 PM
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Simeon Is On Fire
Published Friday, October 17, 2003
Bucs Defensive End Is Making Genius Look Easy By Mike Cobb The Ledger mike.cobb@theledger.com TAMPA Simeon Rice's hair isn't the only thing on fire. His game's as hot as anyone's in the National Football League. The Tampa Bay defensive end leads the league in sacks with eight (he had four last week at Washington) and he's on a sack streak as impressive as anyone in NFL history. He has (take your pick) 18 sacks in his last 13 regular-season games, 23.5 in his last 21 regular-season games, 27.5 in his last 24 games counting last year's playoffs, and 31.5 in his last 27 regular-season games. Last season, he became the first NFL player to have two or more sacks in five straight games, and his per-season average of 11.1 sacks leads all current active players. He wants more. "I want to put my name in the folklore of NFL history," said Rice, who was a first-round draft pick out of Illinois by the Arizona Cardinals in 1996. He has the ability to do just that, says Buccaneer defensive line coach Rod Marinelli. "He keeps improving," said Marinelli. "He's still got a ways to go until his production matches his talent, but he's gaining ground on it. "He's going to get better and he's going to keep improving." And that's a scary thought for opposing offenses. Last Sunday, after his four-sack performance against the Redskins, Rice said he went out on the field with the intention of playing all out, "Like my hair was on fire." The 'Skins couldn't figure out a way to keep him out of their backfield and off quarterback Patrick Ramsey. When they adjusted their protection to pick up Rice, Warren Sapp benefitted by getting his first two sacks of the year. On one play, Rice not only sacked Ramsey, he caused a fumble then was the first one to the ball 10 yards up the field to recover it. "He's rarely on the ground for long," said Bucs coach Jon Gruden. "Anytime you see a guy get a sack is one thing, but when you see a guy recover the fumble . . .I've not seen that just once or twice (with Rice), I've seen that numerous times. The guy's got cat-like quickness for a big man." Rice stands 6-foot-5 and weight 268 pounds. An avid basketball player in the offseason, he uses an array of basketball-type moves to shed blockers, but can also run through them. He also designed his own workout that he goes through each day after practice, lasting 45 minutes to an hour, to improve his agility and conditioning. It's a combination of running, agility drils and a little bit of kick-boxing. "It's something I've been doing throughout my career," said Rice. "It started way back in high school. It's sustained me throughout time. "It turned me into an AllAmerican in college and what I am right now in the NFL." What he is is a pass-rushing defensive end that's put himself in position to set records. At the age of 29, he has 86 career sacks in seven-plus seasons. This year, he's on a current pace to finish with 25.5 sacks which would break Michael Strahan's single-season mark of 22.5. It is something he's thought about, but not something he's ready to embrace just yet. "It's going to be tough," he said. "I've been going after (the record) for years and I haven't even smelled the scent of it. "I've seen flashes before but I didn't finish the deal. It's always going to be tough, but I'm not looking at that right now. I'm just playing each week." Focusing on numbers can be dangerous, said Marinelli. "You can't do that because then you're not focusing on what you're trying to do," he said. "You get out of whack when you start looking at things like that." In some ways, Rice is a victim of his success. Three times in the last four years, he's had 11 sacks or more, and he's well on his way to making it four years out of five. Last year, he had 15.5. With that comes a higher level of expectations, not only from himself but from everyone watching him. "You set a bar and the bar you set is phenomenal," he said. "It's a high bar that not too many people have done. And every year, you've got to out-do that. It's the bar you play under now. "If you have 15 (sacks) or 12, if you're always in double-digits, you can't come out and have a nine-sack season." he said. He's not sure where that bar will be set by the end of this season. "I don't know, I'm searching," he said. "When I find out, that's where it'll be." That being said, the bar of expectations will be high Sunday when the Bucs travel to San Francisco. Rice will be going against 49ers rookie tackle Kwame Harris. "There's pressure on me because everyone expects me to go out and dominate him," said Rice. "We'll see how it all pans out when the (media's) microphone's are on our faces and see if I'm giving you some sob story about `Man, they were prepared.' " For his part, Rice will definitely be prepared. That's why he does extra work after practice. That's why he's driven to put his name in the folklore of NFL history. "To do what I've done in my career is not easy," he said. "To come out each year and be a storm trooper, you've got to, deep down within that inner child, that inner being, and you've got to pull that (ability) out, wherever it is. "I work hard at what I do," he said. "Genius is making something look easy." And so far in his career as an NFL pass rusher, Rice has been a genius. 
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#3
10-18-2003, 03:46 PM
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Quote:
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#4
10-18-2003, 03:46 PM
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Re: Simeon Is On Fire
Quote:
__________________
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#5
10-18-2003, 04:19 PM
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I read somewhere that Simeon Rice believes he could hold his own against Mike Tyson.
I'd love to see him beat Tyson.
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#6
10-18-2003, 08:57 PM
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Quote:
 I do feel he has a Great shot at the League season sack record this year....if for some reason he falls short, I feel pretty comfortable in the fact that he will at least break the team season sack record
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#7
10-19-2003, 01:36 AM
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Rice is the man!!! Sack record would be nice, but SB is much better.
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