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KIRKLAND - Seattle Seahawks vice president Ted Thompson had this to say about a certain cornerback his team selected on the first day of a recent NFL draft:
"We think he is an unbelievably smooth athlete. ... He's an excellent person. ... He has good speed, very good trail-technique skills and things like that. We were pleased to get him at the place we took him."
Thompson wasn't talking about Marcus Trufant, chosen 11th overall by Seattle last month. Rather, he was speaking of Kris Richard, a 2002 third-round choice from the University of Southern California whose impact has yet to extend beyond the training room.
As a rookie, Richard was limited by a lingering groin injury and a hernia that pushed him onto injured reserve by mid-December. He played in seven games, collected three tackles and batted down a pass.
Richard's return to health is not complete, but he is practicing during Seattle's ongoing minicamp and eager for redemption. It's a step toward putting his rookie season behind him.
"I wanted to come in and show the organization that I was well-deserving of the spot that I was chosen in and, honestly, I wanted to show them that they got a steal," Richard said Tuesday. "Now that I'm healthy again, I'm starting to get stronger and striving to that goal."
Competition is abundant.
Starters Shawn Springs and Ken Lucas are back, with Trufant initially expected to serve as the third corner. Richard's primary competition comes from veterans Doug Evans and Willie Williams.
"The first thing coach (Mike) Holmgren said when we came in was that this is going to be the most competition we have faced since he's been here," Richard said. "I enjoy the competition. I've never been a guy to shy away from it."
"We think he is an unbelievably smooth athlete. ... He's an excellent person. ... He has good speed, very good trail-technique skills and things like that. We were pleased to get him at the place we took him."
Thompson wasn't talking about Marcus Trufant, chosen 11th overall by Seattle last month. Rather, he was speaking of Kris Richard, a 2002 third-round choice from the University of Southern California whose impact has yet to extend beyond the training room.
As a rookie, Richard was limited by a lingering groin injury and a hernia that pushed him onto injured reserve by mid-December. He played in seven games, collected three tackles and batted down a pass.
Richard's return to health is not complete, but he is practicing during Seattle's ongoing minicamp and eager for redemption. It's a step toward putting his rookie season behind him.
"I wanted to come in and show the organization that I was well-deserving of the spot that I was chosen in and, honestly, I wanted to show them that they got a steal," Richard said Tuesday. "Now that I'm healthy again, I'm starting to get stronger and striving to that goal."
Competition is abundant.
Starters Shawn Springs and Ken Lucas are back, with Trufant initially expected to serve as the third corner. Richard's primary competition comes from veterans Doug Evans and Willie Williams.
"The first thing coach (Mike) Holmgren said when we came in was that this is going to be the most competition we have faced since he's been here," Richard said. "I enjoy the competition. I've never been a guy to shy away from it."
