Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 31, 1995 TAG: 9507310109
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB GLAUBER/NEWSDAY
DATELINE: ROCKLIN, CALIF. LENGTH: Long
Jerry Rice strides purposefully to the line of scrimmage, his fingers wiggling almost imperceptibly as he peers to his right toward quarterback Steve Young.
Rice then takes a quick survey of the defense, and the sense of urgency seems palpable as he prepares for the snap. A hushed crowd looks on. It is time for another big play from the greatest wide receiver of all time.
Young completes his snap count, and Rice instantly begins his upfield journey. His pattern is simple - a fly down the left side - yet as any defensive back who ever has looked into Rice's eyes from across the line can tell you, it is almost impossible to defend. This play would be no exception.
After 15 yards, Rice is past the opposing cornerback, his arms churning and his legs hovering close to the ground as he reaches top speed. Young steps back, waits patiently, and makes his throw. Rice, now a good five yards behind his man, looks over his right shoulder, makes the catch and sprints toward the end zone. Touchdown.
The fans jump to their feet and start screaming in appreciation. All 350 of them. Welcome to Jerry Rice's world, where one play is like any other - whether it's the Super Bowl or the second day of his 11th NFL training camp. On this particular California morning, the stakes are not nearly as high as they were six months earlier, when Rice sliced through a humid south Florida evening with 10 catches and three touchdowns in the San Francisco 49ers' 49-26 rout of the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.
But to Rice, the venue is unimportant. The execution of his assignments is all that concerns him.
``There might be a lot of guys out there who feel that once they get on top, they can relax,'' Rice says outside the 49ers' training camp locker room, a few minutes removed from his dazzling work on the practice field. ``But to me, that's the worst possible mistake you can make. When you go onto a football field, it's no time to take in the scenery. Any time I'm out there, whether it's practice or an exhibition game or the Super Bowl, I'm looking to make plays.''
Most of Rice's plays, of course, are well-chronicled - from his Super Bowl XXIV most-valuable-player performance after the 1989 season, to his NFL-record 139 career touchdowns, to his Super Bowl extravaganza last January. But to those who know Rice best, it is what happens when the camera lights are off that best illustrates his singular brilliance.
It is what happens under a searing sun in late July during seven-on-seven drills, or in a punishing series of off-season workouts, or when almost no one else is watching that makes him the most dominant receiver the game has ever seen. Arguably the most dominant player at any position.
Even at age 32.
``I have been around great players at their particular positions, guys like Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott,'' 49ers coach George Seifert said. ``But Jerry probably exploits all of his abilities more than any player I've ever seen. That's not to demean those other fellows, but Jerry takes what he has and gets more out of that than anyone else.''
And now, even after winning his third Super Bowl, Rice continues to elevate the standards at a position that has come to be defined by his graceful strides, his gifted hands and his indefatigable will.
``All I try to do, every day, is get better,'' Rice said. ``It's a new year now, and I have a new attitude. My new saying is, `Just get it done, baby. Whatever it takes, get it done.'''
What Rice has done so far, of course, is almost mind-boggling. He holds several important receiving records, is closing in on others and one day will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
``In my mind, no one's even close to what Jerry has done,'' said former teammate Dexter Carter, now a New York Jets running back/kick returner. ``The kind of work he puts in, the preparation, the intensity is unbelievable. He's the hardest-working football player I've ever been around.''
Despite being at the top of his game and despite a wondrous performance in the Super Bowl, Rice has questioned how much longer this was going to last.
``You have to fight off a sense of complacency,'' Rice said. ``If you've been around for a long time, it's going to set in and you have to fight it. That's what I'm doing now. I don't think I've lost a step. I'm running my routes good. I'm still very explosive.
``But you're going to have some days where you say, `Oh, I can't believe I'm still doing this,''' he said. ``This is my 11th year now, and after being here for the past seven or eight years, it gets to be very difficult. It's not like I have problems getting out of bed or anything. But it's like, everything's the same - the way we practice, the time we get up, the meetings, hearing the coaches go over the plays so many, many times. It's the same plays that were here when I first got here in 1985. Somehow, you have to try to stay focused.''
Rice is back at the training-camp line of scrimmage waiting for Young's snap count. The route he is about to run is the one he has made famous, the one that is arguably the simplest pass play in the game, yet one of the most difficult to defend when Rice is the one running it. It is called ``The Slant.''
Between games and practice, Rice has run the route literally thousands of times. And today's practice play is no different. Two steps forward and then toward the middle. BOOM! Rice is there. So is the ball. He makes the catch, then sprints past a helpless defender and is off toward the end zone. Again. Nothing new here. For all the accolades Rice has earned over the years, in large measure because he has turned ``The Slant'' into an art form, there was one instance of failure, a botched play that would make an indelible impression on him. In one sense, it started him toward greatness.
The moment: Jan.4, 1987 at Giants Stadium. Early in the first quarter of the 49ers' NFC divisional playoff game against the New York Giants, Rice lined up to the right of quarterback Joe Montana, sprinted to his assigned spot in a seam in the Giants' defense and caught Montana's flick of a pass near midfield. He was gone, nothing but end zone ahead of him.
Then it happened. Rice dropped the ball.
``That one play really could have changed that whole game,'' Rice said. ``We could have gained the momentum right then and there and taken them out of their game.''
Instead, the Giants recovered the fumble and went on to win, 49-3, in their march to victory in Super Bowl XXI.
``That play,'' he said, ``taught me that in a crucial situation, you've got to hold onto the ball.''
Rice has held onto the ball ever since. And by the time his career is over, there may be no one in the NFL who can come close to his myriad achievements on the field.
``Jerry Rice is just amazing,'' Young said. ``You don't see guys like him perform at the same level or even better, year in and year out. He's one of the greatest players of all time and it's certainly fortunate for me to be able to get a chance to play with him.''
Just how long Young and Rice will continue to play together is uncertain. It could end after this season, given Rice's flirtation with retirement. It could end once his five-year, $13.41-million contract runs out after the 1997 season. Or it could end well beyond then.
Now, however, is not the time.
``The fire is still inside me,'' Rice said. ``I'm still excited about going out there and entertaining people. As long as that fire is there, I'm going to keep playing football.''
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB