Tate hopes his chance to shine now here

RENTON — Golden Tate sat at his locker equally restless and excited. After missing three weeks with a sprained ankle, the Seahawks rookie receiver is healthy again and knows his chance is coming.

Perfect timing, too.

Seattle could use the help on offense in a crucial home game Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, especially with leading receiver Mike Williams' status uncertain due to a foot injury.

"I see it as an opportunity for me," Tate said. "It's an opportunity for me to show in a game and show the coaches I can make plays too. That's how I see it."

That's also how his coaches see it. Pete Carroll said Tate didn't miss a down this week in practice and his playmaking ability is obvious. Picking up the finer details of the position, however, took the speedy second-round choice some time.

"I think with Golden, sitting out for a couple weeks helped him a little bit," Carroll said. "He'll tell you that. In the middle of the fray, sometimes you can't make the adjustments and can't see as clearly."

Along with using the time off to heal, Tate used it to improve.

He studied film and paid attention to what makes his teammates successful. How Deon Butler separates from a defender. How Williams gets open downfield. How Brandon Stokley prepares for a game.

Tate also took the time to ask questions. Why is my coach telling me this? Why does this play work or not work? Why do I have 10 catches in six games?

"I found a lot of answers taking the time to think about it," he said.

The lessons from earlier struggles have sunk in. Now it's time to apply them. And glimpses of Tate's potential have already been seen, especially in a pair of attention-grabbing big plays against the Denver Broncos in Week 2.

Producing consistently can take time though, according Seahawks offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates, and the growing process for receivers can vary. Tate's chance to shine will be dependent on his commitment to improve.

"Either you get better or you get worse, you never stay the same," Bates said. "It depends on how you take it as far as being a professional, and I think he studied other wide receivers. I think he studied guys on our team and I think it helped him."

And helped him move forward.

"As far as I'm concerned, my rookie season is over with," Tate said. "It's a new start for me right now to show the coaches that I'm here."

Trufant, Gibson both back

Along with Tate, a couple other key Seahawks recovered from injuries this week and are expected to be starting Sunday: cornerback Marcus Trufant (concussion) and guard Mike Gibson (ankle).

Trufant was cleared to play Friday after passing several concussion-related tests and said the one day of practice was significant.

"You can watch film and go through the playbook," he said, "but on the field, being able to run around, being able to cover, being able to feel things — that's big for me."

NOTES

• Seattle placed rookie tight end Anthony McCoy, a sixth-round choice from USC, on injured reserve Friday with a knee injury. Defensive end Clifton Geathers was claimed off waivers from the Miami Dolphins.

• Williams and running back Michael Robinson (hamstring) are listed as questionable and will be game-time decisions. Guard Chester Pitts and defensive tackle Colin Cole have each been ruled out with ankle injuries.

Joshua Mayers: 206-464-3184 or jmayers@seattletimes.com