Laddie Morse
Kansas City Chiefs WR Rashee Rice has started this season with 103 receiving yards in game one vs the Baltimore Ravens then followed that up with 75 receiving yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. That gives Rice a total of 178 total receiving yards after two games on 12 catches with a 14.8 yards per reception average.
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If we extend those numbers out over 17 games Rice would come away this year with 1,513 receiving yards. The question is… is that a reasonable number to expect from Rice in 2024? Since Rashee Rice had 938 receiving yards in his rookie year, then 1,500+ yards doesn’t seem that unreasonable for him.
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Rashee Rice was taken by the Chiefs with the 55th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Four WRs in a row were taken in the first round beginning with the 20th pick: Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Next came, Quentin Johnson, Zay Flowers, and Jordan Addison. All four of those WRs produced less than Rashee Rice in their rookie seasons.
In fact, there were seven WRs taken in the 2023 NFL Draft before the Chiefs elected Rashee Rice at #55. Rice has been better than all of them so far.
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More Than Mahomes
Many Kingdom fans have gotten the idea that the Chiefs success is based solely upon Patrick Mahomes. Or even just Mahomes and Travis Kelce. GM Brett Veach has been instrumental in the team’s success and responsible for so many of the Chiefs younger players and bringing them aboard. Some may argue that Chris Jones, Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes were due to John Dorsey, the previous GM, however…
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Andy Reid recognizes the contributions of Brett Veach and we should too.
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Rashee Rice Playoff Contributions
Rashee Rice could have qualified for an MVP Awards during the 2023 Playoffs, if there was such a thing. He played in all four of the Chiefs games registering 26 receptions. Travis Kelce had 6 more catches over he same four game period but, Rice holds the NFL record for the most playoff receptions by a rookie, catching 26 passes… which he set during the Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII 4 game playoff run. Rice had 262 receiving yards, plus he added 2 carries. Here’s his numbers from the 2023 playoffs:
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Adapted from Pro-Football-reference.com – Photo Credit
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That Rashee Rice was a first year player should help put into perspective the high level of his output.
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Q and A with Rashee Rice
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Rice was asked if Texas BBQ was better than KC BBQ and he said he’d take KC BBQ.
Why did Rashee Rice choose #4? He said it was because his son was born on January 4th.
Rice was then asked what his all-time favorite cereal is? He said: Fruity Pebbles.
His favorite movie growing up? “All About the Benjamins.”
Rice was asked what his favorite Christmas present was? He said, “I’ve gotten a car before“
Rice was then asked, “Who’s your best friend on the team?” and he answered, “I don’t really have a best friend on the team because we all click together.”
Rice was asked, ‘Who’s your favorite rapper?” He answered, “Meek Mill” (Try watching “All Eyes On You“)
HIs favorite receiver growing up was Julio Jones.
Rice’s favorite moment in his rookie season? “Having a hundred yard game., and having an impact on that game.“
He was asked, “What did you do when you’re not training?” Rice answered, “I just like to sit at home, watch TV and relax.“
Rice was asked, “What’s your go-to pregame meal?” He answered, “Some chicken with some rice, with some hot sauce on that chicken.“
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Rashee Rice’s Son
Rice said he choose #4 because his son was born on January 4th. His name is Cassai.
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Rice’s girlfriend, Dacoda Nichole Jones has given birth to their second child, another boy. Dacoda, along with Cassai, were at the Chiefs victory in Las Vegas over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII and gave birth two weeks later. This website says Rashee and Dacoda are engaged.
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Rashee Rice was born in Philly, but grew up in North Richland Hills in Texas. Rice went on to star at SMU in Dallas, not far from his home in North Richland Hills. Here’s his stats at SMU:
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Rashee Rice Stats – Photo Credit
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While 1,300+ yards was excellent, some considered him a one-year wonder. Rice has turned into anything but that, while leading all Wide Receivers in his class.
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The Accident
I’m not sure why we keep calling it an “accident” when it was clearly a wreck brought about by poor decision making. People were hurt and a criminal court case is forthcoming. Here’s what Patrick Mahomes said this past May about the incident:
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“I think we try to just do whatever we can to teach
him how to learn from his mistakes. Obviously that
was a big mistake, but you have to learn from it, make
sure it doesn’t happen again, and try to do whatever you
can to be the best person you can be in society, not only
for yourself but for the people around you. And I think he
is doing that. But right now, we’re just gonna keep trying
to do whatever we can to get him on the right path so that
he can be a great football player, obviously, but we want
him to be a great person, too.”
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The part of Rashee Rice’s statement that I’m uncomfortable with: “Everyone has to make a mistake to learn from it.” Driving a car over 100 MPH was a decision, not a mistake. Profootballrumors.com quotes Rice as saying:
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“I’ve learned so much from [the hit-and-run]. All I
can do is mature and continue to grow from that.
This (the youth football camp) is a step in a better
direction for me.”
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What is Not Emphasized
What many may forget is that in this country, a person is innocent until proven guilty. Rice “denies” any wrong doing, even though we’ve seen video evidence showing the opposite. His denial is an important feature of this story. The issue will be taken up in court in a couple of months.
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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