Jerry Rice says rivalry with Deion Sanders greater than Crabtree-Sherman

November 19, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers former wide receiver Jerry Rice walks on the field before the start of the game at Candlestick Park. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Chicago Bears 32-7. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

San Francisco 49ers icon and NFL legend Jerry Rice isn’t feeling all of the comparisons he’s been getting lately, especially in regards to Michael Crabtree.

The great took offense to Jim Harbaugh proclaiming Crabtree as the best pass catcher of all-time and is now clearly less than thrilled that the recent feud between Crabtree and Richard Sherman is being compared to the feud between he and Deion Sanders.

Rice and Sanders talked about their rivalry to NFL.com where Rice suggested the beef between Sherman and Crabtree was nothing compared to their issues.

"“Crabtree versus Richard Sherman? Come on man, that is not even close. Whenever I had to go up against Deion, I could not sleep,” Rice said. “We talk about this now, and Deion, the same, he could not sleep, because we knew the magnitude of that rivalry and we wanted to go out there and play our best football. It was a mano-a-mano against each other. I respected him.”"

Rice also suggested that comparing either of them to he or Sanders individually was silly as neither have earned that right nor have they played that long.

Hard to disagree there.

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