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Jerry Rice the GOAT

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Mike Sando of ESPN thinks Jerry Rice is not just the greatest receiver, but arguably the best PLAYER in NFL history


http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/13836/hot-topic-jerry-rice-the-greatest-ever


What do you guys think?
Many, many, many people have said this. Not just annalists, but former players, too. HOF players, at that.
i think he's right...there arent many ppl that can argue against it...
No question. As a reciever he is the G.O.A.T., Greatest Of All Time. But as a football player I don't think so. IMO a QB has to be the GOAT. Jerry was not involved in every play on offense while a QB would be. Its the same with defensive players. No matter the position a defensive player plays, he will not be involved on every play. So a player that was a QB is the only type of player that can be considered the greatest of all time in my opinion.
Yes many ppl already believe he is...but c'mon....he played with Hall of Famers (Dean, Lott, Montana....just to name a few)

Montana even led the 49ers to the Superbowl before Rice was even drafted (1982 vs the Bengles). so...i dunno...
[ Edited by 49ERFANb4Uwas on Feb 1, 2010 at 10:58 PM ]
I would say Unitas, or Montana, or at the end of the day maybe even Peyton Manning. I know that Joe won more Superbowls but Peyton still has time. By this time next week he could be halfway to Joes SB tally with more records broken.
the GOAT he is
Aren't TDs the indication of great players? JR is the leader in TDs at the WR position.
  • EdEs
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He was the most dominating player at his position ever without a doubt. And I believe his dominance surpasses the dominance of all the other great hall of fame players that have ever played the game at other positions. I would agree with the statement that Jerry Rice was the greatest player to ever play the game.
  • mod
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Originally posted by EdEs:
He was the most dominating player at his position ever without a doubt. And I believe his dominance surpasses the dominance of all the other great hall of fame players that have ever played the game at other positions. I would agree with the statement that Jerry Rice was the greatest player to ever play the game.

This,

Jerry Rice Dominated his position more than any other player in the game.

  • Shifty
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Originally posted by modninerfan:
Originally posted by EdEs:
He was the most dominating player at his position ever without a doubt. And I believe his dominance surpasses the dominance of all the other great hall of fame players that have ever played the game at other positions. I would agree with the statement that Jerry Rice was the greatest player to ever play the game.

This,

Jerry Rice Dominated his position more than any other player in the game.

It's even more impressive is that most of his career he didn't play in an era when defensive backs are barely allowed touch WR's.
In my mind, Rice is the GOAT of Receivers. Jim Brown is the Greatest ever to play the game. Jerry is behind him. And a gulf separates those two from the rest.
Originally posted by Hawksfan81:
No question. As a reciever he is the G.O.A.T., Greatest Of All Time. But as a football player I don't think so. IMO a QB has to be the GOAT. Jerry was not involved in every play on offense while a QB would be. Its the same with defensive players. No matter the position a defensive player plays, he will not be involved on every play. So a player that was a QB is the only type of player that can be considered the greatest of all time in my opinion.

The center is also involved in every play of the game, he gets the ball to the QB.


Jerry Rice is the greatest player in NFL history
Originally posted by BigRon:
In my mind, Rice is the GOAT of Receivers. Jim Brown is the Greatest ever to play the game. Jerry is behind him. And a gulf separates those two from the rest.

I'd have to agree with this. As much as I'd like to believe that Rice is the best player ever, Jim Brown had the same kind of impact at the HB position which is actually a position that has more impact in a game. A hb might have 20 touches in a game average...a WR has maybe 5 average on a good game maybe twice that?

I can't put Montana in this group because as good as he is (the best qb ever imo), I'd rather take the 2nd best QB and get the best hb or wr than the other way around.
  • BobS
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Originally posted by BigRon:
In my mind, Rice is the GOAT of Receivers. Jim Brown is the Greatest ever to play the game. Jerry is behind him. And a gulf separates those two from the rest.

Jim Brown probably dominated his peers like no other. No one had his combination of speed and power. He did play in an era where he was as large or larger than everyone trying to tackle him. Wonder how he would have done today with 300 pound defensive lineman and 250 pound linebackers that can run 4.5's? We will never know.
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