WR Golden Tate is learning on the job
Oct 1, 2011, 11:50 AM | Updated: 11:56 am
BY
Director of Digital Content
By Michael Simeona
MyNorthwest.com Editor
Golden Tate’s rookie season was, well, less than golden.
 WR Golden Tate scored his first career NFL touchdown in the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. (AP) |
Drafted in the second round by the Seahawks in 2010, Tate was one of the more enticing draft picks on the market after a stellar college career at Notre Dame. But his success with the Fighting Irish didn’t translate over to the professional ranks, as Tate struggled mightily during his first season in the NFL.
“Last year in camp I came in and was making great plays,” Tate said on Friday’s Brock & Salk Show on 710 ESPN Seattle. “I was catching a lot of balls, but I kind of had no clue what I was doing. Once our DB’s started watching film on me they knew how to stop me, so then I stopped making as many plays and I couldn’t figure out why.”
Tate was buried on the depth chart for most of his rookie season, as he failed to score a touchdown in the 13 games he played in. He finally scored the first touchdown of his career against San Francisco in the 2011 season opener – only one of three touchdowns the Seahawks have scored this season.
As he begins to learn what it takes to succeed in the NFL, Tate is eager to learn from the supporting cast that surrounds him.
“I’m just trying to learn as much as I can from guys like Sidney (Rice) and Mike (Williams) and even Doug (Baldwin). You know Doug has some tools that I really admire, so I’m just trying to learn the game. I know I can make some plays to help this team win and so do the coaches. I feel like the faster I learn things, the faster I’ll play and then the sky’s the limit,” said Tate.
While the young, athletic receiving core seems to be set, the offense is still adjusting to QB Tarvaris Jackson’s playing style. The Seahawks are 31st in the league in total offense (214.7 yards/game), with only 427 total passing yards in three games.
“We need to just focus on doing our job first and foremost – executing the routes and blocking schemes that we’re given, and just let the game come to us,” Tate explained. “Once everyone gets 100 percent comfortable with what they’re doing, I think we’re a great team and exciting to watch.”
The (1-2) Seahawks have a golden opportunity to get back to .500 when the host the (1-2) Atlanta Falcons this Sunday at CenturyLink Field.
Pregame starts at 10:00 a.m. on 97.3 KIRO FM and 710 ESPN Seattle.
