Rupert Patrick wrote:I know this is going to border on sacrilege, but why is Jerry Rice, by almost universal acclaim, the greatest wide receiver ever? Is it the longevity? Or the combination of skills? He was fast, but he didn't have breakaway speed. He had good hands, but he wasn't Steve Largent. Did he run his routes better than everybody else? Did he have that way of making the impossible catch? Was it the intangibles? Other than longevity, he doesn't pencil out at the top of any of the lists among the best receivers. This "Best Ever" discussion with Rice didn't start later in his career, it was already being discussed in the early 90's, and even back then, I just didn't see it. I do think the performance level for as many years as he did it put him well over the top in Career Value, as no receiver was effective as long as Rice was, but as far as Peak Value is concerned, is he the best ever?
Rice had the advantage of playing the majority of his career with two Hall of Fame Quarterbacks, along with Rich Gannon, who played at a HOF level when Rice was with the Raiders. It was a chicken-and-egg thing with Rice and his QB's; he made them better, and they in turn made him better. He had the advantage of playing in a lot of postseason games. Rice managed to stay healthy, only suffering one major injury during his career, and other than that 1997 season, never missed a game in his career. He was in the right place at the right time his entire career, perhaps in the most career optimal situation for any player in pro football history along with Tom Brady.
I used to say that Walter Payton was arguably the greatest running back ever despite the fact he wasn't the biggest, or fastest, or had the best moves, but it was the total package. Payton, however, succeeded in less than optimal positions where he was carrying the team on his back for most of his career. Peyton pretty much had to fight for every yard he ever gained.
This isn't a knock on Rice, I totally agree he is the greatest receiver ever based on longevity/career value, but did his skills alone make him the best total package? And what about Peak Value? And does the fact he played his career with Montana, Young and Gannon have to be factored into the discussion when compared to guys like who didn't play for the same calibre quarterbacks?
Rice's longevity is just icing on the cake. If he had retired after 1994, he would have been a 1st ballot HOF player. He would have been a borderline candidate based just on the second decade in the NFL. (2 All Pro seasons, one 2nd Team All Pro season, 4 Pro Bowls.)
Rice gets acclaim as the greatest because of his production, not because of his combination of skills. He was 1st Team All Pro ten times in an eleven year period. He led the league in catches 2x, yards 6x, and touchdown catches 6x. He was consistently the best while he was playing. Sterling Sharpe may have surpassed him for 2-3 seasons.
He did have great QB's throwing him the ball. But in 1986, Montana missed half the season after back surgery. Rice caught 40 passes for 820 yards and 9 TD's, from Jeff Kemp and Mike Moroski in those 8 games. He had more yards and TDs in those 8 games than the 8 in which Montana started. In one calendar year, from 10/22/95 to 10/14/96, he caught seven touchdowns from Elvis Grbac, and only five from Steve Young.
Rice did not have great stopwatch speed, but he was similar to Emmitt Smith in that he didn't lose much speed with his equipment on, or with the ball in his hands. I don't recall seeing him get caught from behind very much (in his prime.) Rice could make spectacular catches (I recall him going up for a long ball in SB XXII, and again in the 1994 season opener vs Raiders when he set the record for touchdowns in a career) but nothing like a Randy Moss. Of course, with Montana and Young, he wasn't required to make spectacular catches very often.
Rice's work ethic was second to none, and he maximized his skills. He and Montana had the slant pass down to a T. Rice ran the route exactly as it was supposed to be run, and Montana, with his amazing accuracy, put the ball exactly where he needed to so Rice could catch it and never break stride. I recall John Madden wrote in a book that Rice's production suffered slightly when Steve Young took over, because Young, being a left handed QB, turned a fraction later before throwing the slant and Rice's timing was off just a bit. He may catch the ball, but he slowed just a half step, and that was the difference between a 12 yard gain and a 40 yard gain. Eventually, they got their timing down, but it just indicates how Rice was not one to succeed on natural skills.
shortening his career), they obviously paled in comparison to what Rice did.