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Sidney Rice shows frustration with lack of effectiveness of Seahawks' passing game

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The Seahawks have struggled to get their passing offense going, and the team's top receiver is starting to show his frustration.

Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice hasn't had as many opportunities to show off his big play talents this season as many would hope, as his team's offense has struggled to move the ball in the air with rookie Russell Wilson at quarterback. Rice's frustration with his lack of targets seemed to come to a boiling point on national television Thursday against the 49ers, as NFL Network cameras caught the wideout throwing his mouth guard to the ground after a Wilson threw a ball towards a well-covered Braylon Edwards, a throw that was intercepted.

Head coach Pete Carroll explained that the display of anger was directed at the referees and not Wilson, according to John McGrath of the Tacoma New Tribune, but that didn't seem to be the case to most observers.

Rice caught just two passes for 32 yards against San Francisco, a week after catching three passes for 81 yards and the game-winning touchdown against the New England Patriots. Russell Wilson is surely aware of the need to feed his most talented wide receiver, and addressed it in a typically politic fashion:

"Sidney and I are close. He's a guy who loves to compete at the highest level, and obviously I want to get the ball to Sidney as much as I can."

With the Seahawks' possessing one of the lowest-volume passing games in the NFL, particularly in the early stages of Wilson's career, as he adjusts to the NFL level, targets and opportunities are going to be predictably scarce for any Seahawk receiver. That said, Seattle would certainly be behooved to look for their most talented option in the passing game as they start to ramp up efficiency in that area of the offense.