Ray Rice: 'I want to prove myself again'

Ray Rice has said that he wants to prove himself as a premier running back again.

The Baltimore Ravens player was one of the top-rated rushers coming into the 2013 season, but hip and thigh injuries have restricted him to 645 yards and two touchdowns this season.

The 26-year-old told the team's website: "For some of the people who say, 'You lost a step', it's different when you have an injury that controls things that you're normally good at doing.

"So I had to battle that this year. [I want to] prove myself again, that I'll still be a premier running back in the NFL.

"I've dealt with shoulders, I've dealt with sprains. But dealing with a muscular kind of injury, it was different for me. I think I came into the season in great shape. This just happened to be a freak deal, something I probably wasn't used to."

Rice has been selected for the Pro Bowl three times in his six-season career.