Jerry Rice thinks his numbers would be even higher in NFL today
Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice is confident that in today’s game he would double all his record-setting numbers he put up during his career.
Jerry Rice has never been one to shy away from talking about his greatness on the football field, and why should he? He’s the greatest wide receiver to ever play the game. He holds the record for most receiving yards, most receiving touchdowns and most receptions of any wideout in NFL history, which is why he thinks those numbers would be even higher if he were playing today.
“If I was playing today I probably would double everything. It’s a totally different game today,” Rice said. “It’s a passing league so it’s a dream come true for wide receivers.”
There haven’t been very many players today who have come within spitting distance of Rice’s numbers, so it’s not a hard thing to imagine him surpassing the insane numbers he already produced. In his heyday, Rice was a nightmare matchup for defensive backs, and nearly impossible to catch in the open field. With today’s rules favoring wide receivers in the open field, Rice would have a field day.
But when it comes to which era of the NFL Rice prefers, the old-school hard-nose style of football he played in the 80s and 90s is more his style.
“Today it’s the run pass option (RPO) read now, and I think [it changed] because you look at the NFL and college football and it’s the same,” Rice said. “I think they wanted those players to be able to transition better to the NFL, but I like old school where the quarterback can hold on to the ball, and if I was halfway through my route the ball was already in the air.”
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In a partnership with Marriott Rewards Rice will be leading a Punt, Pass and Kick Master Class for Marriott Rewards members on December 17th in Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of Super Bowl 53.