My Thoughts ... on Ricky Proehl

The year was 2000. It had been a frustrating year for the Seattle Seahawks following a series of frustrating years. We were mediocre at best. We seemed to catch all the bad breaks. We had a lot of emotional baggage in recent years due to the Behring era, we had hope after Paul Allen saved the Seahawks, and now we had a new coach with a lot of experience and ... a team of disgruntled employees?

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Proehl didn't fit with Seahawks

By CLARE FARNSWORTH
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

ATLANTA -- The high point of Ricky Proehl's 10-year NFL career?

Easy.

"The catch," Proehl has said several times this week.

On each occasion, his simple two-word answer has been preceded by a large grin and followed by an explanation of the leaping, one-handed grab he made in the end zone against ridiculously tight coverage in the NFC Championship Game last week, giving the St. Louis Rams an 11-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a berth in Super Bowl XXXIV tomorrow against the Tennessee Titans.

But for those who don't know that Proehl had made more than 475 receptions before , the low point of his career probably escapes you, too.

"Seattle," Proehl said with a look that suggested one word was all his two seasons with the Seahawks deserved.

OUCH!! That's got to hurt any true Seahawks fan! I can't believe one of our very own would say that.

His stay in Seattle hardly was a blip on what has been an otherwise productive career. He was traded to Seattle in 1995 after averaging more than 50 catches per season in five years with the Arizona Cardinals.

But Proehl broke a foot in the season opener and never was a factor after he returned. In his absence, rookie Joey Galloway flourished and veteran Brian Blades led the team in receptions. The next season, Proehl caught just 23 passes. After the season, he asked for and was granted his release.

"They just didn't give me an opportunity to play," Proehl said.

How many players that have been on our roster could say the very same thing? Does it disappoint anyone else who is a fan of the Hawks, or it is simply a weakness of mine to want to give players a chance?

Ahman Green was supposed to be terrific -- the running back to compliment Ricky Watters and keep Ricky fresh for the end of the season. Yet all we ever heard about him during the season was how much he fumbles. How do we know that? Was he given a chance to play? No! What did Coach Holmgren see that the fans weren't allowed to see?

Remember how hard Brian Blades worked in training camp last season? Remember how he sacrificed his body and made the hard catches? And yet he was cut from the roster when we were hurting desperately for wide receivers, no thanks to Joey Galloway's hold-out. Isn't there ANY loyalty to the players who played so bravely for us for so many years, players who still give their heart and soul to the team even as they're replaced by younger, faster, and inexperienced players?

Look at Charlie Rogers last season. He dropped a few balls and made some poor choices in kick returns early in the pre-season, yet he was one of the lucky ones who were given another chance, and look what he's done with it!! I'm SO happy for Charlie! He's one of my favorite young players! Incidentally, he was kind enough to give me his autograph last season and I admire it so much when players are fan friendly! What I don't understand is why it was OK for him to make mistakes, and yet Ahman Green wasn't allowed to.

In much the same way, I don't understand why Ricky Proehl didn't work out in Seattle. I thought he played very well for us. And yet he was given limited playing time and was eventually released.

Proehl went to Chicago in 1997 and, despite having a productive season for the Bears (58 catches), was allowed to sign with the Rams in 1998. He led the Rams in receiving last season (64 catches), but this season was pushed into the No. 4 spot by the return of Isaac Bruce from an injury, the arrival of first-round draft choice Torry Holt and the emergence of Az-zahir Hakim.

"It's been frustrating," Proehl said. "I knew Torry was going to be a starter and you knew Ike was going to be a starter. I thought maybe me and Az would be battling for the third spot."

It never happened. So Proehl waited for his opportunities -- limited as they have been. He gained first-down yardage on 24 of his 33 receptions during the regular season and five of his six catches against the Bucs.

His teammates have appreciated his efforts.

"Rock 'n' roll Ricky is the man," Hakim said. "For all the things he brought to this team as a 10-year veteran, I respect him for who he is and what he's accomplished."

Funny what making one catch in one game can do.

Oops! This is where I'll have to disagree with Clare Farnsworth! Sorry, Clare!

It isn't one catch that's made Ricky Proehl. It's everything that's gone into the making of Ricky Proehl leading up to that one catch. It's not the catch we admire in Ricky, it's the man behind the catch.

"I've had close to 500 catches and no one knows that," Proehl said. "Now I make one catch, your face is on TV and people now know what I've done and how long I've played. There are people who think I've only been in the league three or four years.

"It's exciting. It's just an awesome feeling."

But in true Proehl fashion, there was an ironic twist to the biggest play of his career. The ball never should have been thrown to him. On third-and-4 with five minutes remaining the game, the Rams were just trying to pick up enough yardage for a first down.

"We had no intention of throwing the ball where it ended up going, but the defense dictated it," Rams coach Dick Vermeil explained of the Bucs blitzing a safety to leave Proehl as the primary receiver for quarterback Kurt Warner.

It was a big play the Rams needed in a big way, and it came from a player who has learned to make the most of his diminished opportunities.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I wish Ricky Proehl the best of luck, in and out of football. I wish we'd have treated him better but I'll always have fond memories of him.

From: CHAD KIRK
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2003 10:47 PM
Subject: Ricky Proehl
Prior to going to the Rams, Ricky was frustrated because, as he put it, "losing seems to follow me." I am happy for him that has changed in recent years. Ricky is a hard worker and he is a huge reason why the Rams and now the Panthers have been successful. His work habits and attitude have rubbed off on teammates. I was a neighbor of the Proehls while living in Greensboro and now that I live in South Jersey, I wish that the Eagles would have been on Ricky`s list of teams that he wanted to finish his career with. Rick has always been well known in Jersey, the fans would love him.

From David Mackay Ballard, March 2003
Ricky is a quality player and person all the way. I am first and foremost a Rams fan - have been all my life - but the Seahawks quickly because my #2 team upon their arrival in the NFL and remain so to this day (I am kind of bummed that both teams are now in the same division, but that's life).

I thought Ricky deserved more playing time when he was with Seattle, and absolutely deserved better than to be recently cut by the Rams, which I am still upset about. He always comes up with clutch catches when you need them, and is a top-notch person as well. He reminds me in a lot of ways of another 'Hawk and one of my all time fave players - Steve Largent. I think that's about the best compliment any receiver could get.