There is certainly no shortage of talent in the NFL. All 32 NFL teams will bring 80-player rosters with them to training camp, yet when the regular season opens in mid-September, those 80-man rosters are trimmed significantly to 53.
So just as important as accumulating talented players is actually finding a way to tap every ounce of potential in each player. Vikings WR 
After a productive rookie season in 2007 that saw him rank 2nd among all NFL rookie WRs and 1st among Vikings receivers with 4 touchdown receptions, Rice entered his 2nd NFL season seemingly poised to quickly step to the next level. But due to a knee injury that hampered him all season, 2008 was more of a setback than a step up.
But instead of drowning in a pool of mediocrity among so much NFL talent, which can happen to young players who suffer injuries, Rice set out this past offseason to recover from his injury, improve his craft and enter 2009 prepared to make plays for the Vikings offense. And now he’s excited for training camp to begin.
“A week before it (training camp) starts, you’re dreading it,” Rice said on Wednesday. “But once you get here, you are ready to roll. It’s my third year coming in, I know what’s expected of me and I know what to do.”
What Rice’s coaches, teammates and fans want him to do is capitalize on the talent and physical ability he possesses. At 6-4, 202 pounds, Rice has the prototypical stature of an NFL receiver. He has better than adequate speed, hands the size of a catchers mitts and an impressive leaping ability. And just for good measure, he can throw a football 60 yards. The natural ability is there, and in what should come as excitement to Vikings nation, the desire is there as well.
Rice spent part of his offseason working out with several NFL stars, including Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald Jr. Also present at these workouts were NFL legends Jerry Rice and Cris Carter. Rice claims that what he learned from those workouts is going to help him become a playmaker for the Vikings this season.
“A lot of technique work, hard training, a lot of running and picking up a couple of new things that I need to work on from Larry as well,” Rice explained when asked what he learned from working with such a star-studded group. “This year I plan to stay out with the quarterbacks after every practice when I have time to catch at least fifty balls or however many they want to throw.”
So convinced was Rice about how the workouts improved his game that he committed to staying in Minnesota for part of next offseason to work with the group again.
“I made a commitment with them, they asked me to be there next offseason,” Rice said.
Rice was among a group of several Vikings who were often seen around Winter Park this offseason working out and gearing up for 2009. The commitment he’s made to work with Fitzgerald, Rice and Carter, along with the dedication he showed around the Vikings practice facility over the offseason are good signs that Rice is ripe for a solid return in 2009.
