Vikings' Rice says he is ready to roll again

This was supposed to be a breakout season for Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice, a next-step progression following a respectable rookie campaign.

At least that was the popular preseason theory.

But illness and injury have sabotaged Rice's second season and made him a virtual non-factor in the offense through the first half of the season.

Rice has only three catches for 37 yards and one touchdown in four games. A sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee caused him to miss three games and limited his participation in two others.

That's not the kind of start Rice envisioned after catching 31 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie.

"Pretty disappointing," Rice said. "I know a lot of people were expecting big things from me, but I understand being hurt is part of the game."

That hasn't made his struggles any easier. Rice missed a week of training camp because of a nagging stomach virus and then suffered a knee injury while trying to catch a pass against Indianapolis in Week 2. Rice's season seemingly has become one long rehabilitation stint.

"Coach [Brad Childress] always says, 'It's not a sin to be hurt. It's a sin to stay hurt,'" Rice said. "I'm trying my best to get back out there on the field."

Rice expects to play Sunday against the Houston Texans and said his knee feels close to 100 percent. Rice spent the bye week in the Twins Cities so he could get daily treatment at Winter Park, and he looked "live-legged" during a workout Monday, according to Childress.

"Two weeks of rest doesn't hurt something like that [injury]," Childress said. "I think he's six weeks post-injury right now. ... He has a little bit more energy than he is used to having."

The Vikings need Rice's presence in the passing game. Bobby Wade, who is better suited to play in the slot, has been forced to play on the outside more in Rice's absence. Rice also could take some of the pressure off Bernard Berrian, who almost certainly will start drawing more attention with his recent emergence.

"[Rice] is huge for our offense," Wade said. "To have a receiving corps intact period is big. You can rotate guys. Guys are fresh on the field. He's really big for us."

Particularly in the red zone, which has been a problem area for the Vikings this season. The Vikings rank 31st in the NFL in red-zone efficiency, scoring only six touchdowns in 20 chances. Rice's height (6-4) makes him an attractive target inside the 20 because he can use his size to go over defenders, especially on fade routes.

"He brings a [size] element to the game that a lot of quarterbacks like," quarterback Gus Frerotte said. "He's a guy when we get in the red zone we'd like to put a couple [throws] up to."

Rice needs to be on the field and healthy before that can happen. He played about 15 snaps against the Chicago Bears before the bye week and did not have a catch.

Rice said he doesn't know how much he will play Sunday, but he sees the post-bye stretch as a clean slate.

"So far it's been a disappointing season," he said. "I haven't been able to be out there with the guys throughout the first 75 [percent] or so. Hopefully, on this second go-around, I'll be out there the majority of the time and we'll get this thing rolling."