Do you want a glimpse of what it was like guarding a Hall of Fame NFL wide receiver in practices? How about the greatest receiver, and some might say the greatest player, in the history of the game?
Army West Point tight ends coach Matt Drinkall recently shared some vintage footage of former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice embarrassing his defensive teammates during one-on-ones in practices (h/t to Marcus White of NBC Sports Bay Area). It gives you a good idea of how difficult it must have been to defend the legend.
Incase you hadn't seen Jerry Rice absolutely destroying dudes at practice during 1-on-1s. pic.twitter.com/KxA86kdhBh
— Matt Drinkall (@DrinkallCoach) June 28, 2020
Rice holds several NFL receiving records, many of which may never be surpassed. During his 20 NFL seasons, he racked up 22,895 receiving yards on 1,549 receptions with 197 receiving touchdowns, all of which are just a fraction of his records. Rice also had the most seasons of 1,000-or-more receiving yards with 14, was the fastest player to reach 100 touchdowns (120 games), and holds the record for all-purpose yards (23,546) and all-purpose touchdowns (208).
Rice feels his impressive NFL statistics could have been even better in today's NFL. In October, he noted that receivers today are protected more than ever. Targeting has nearly been eliminated from the game, unlike when he played.
"Back when I played, if I was on the left side and if the ball was not even coming my way, I was still getting hit, and you just can't do that today," Rice said. "It was more physical downfield against bump-and-run. You can't push the receiver or put your hands on the receiver after five yards.
"So the numbers could have been amazing, to be honest with you, because I played in an era where I was still able to put up outstanding numbers, and I think the game was a little bit more — maybe I shouldn't say a little bit more physical because it's still physical, but I think back when I played, they could put their hands on you just a little bit more."
Rice helped the 49ers to three Super Bowl championships, was named the Super Bowl XXIII MVP, was a 13-time Pro Bowl selection, and a 10-time first-team All-Pro. He spent his first 16 NFL seasons with the 49ers, the team that drafted him out of Mississippi Valley State with the No. 16 overall pick in 1985.
In December, the NFL named Rice to the NFL 100 All-Time Team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2010.