Jerry Rice on Moss and Brady

[Tommysgirl]

He was just on Mike and Mike, he stated again that he did it in 12 games, but that he would call Moss and congratulate him. He appreciated what he was doing.
They asked him what QB he would want to line up with and he said Brady, Manning and Favre. They corrected him and said of all time, he said Montana, Brady and Marino. He said what Brady has done is just amazing, and he now needs to be in the discussion of greatest of all time.

 

[BradyManny]

I'm tired of the "I did it in 12 games" crap. He played 19 other seasons, he had plenty of 16 game seasons to beat or set his own record. Tough break, Jerry.

 

[PatsDparty]

I'm tired of the "I did it in 12 games" crap. He played 19 other seasons, he had plenty of 16 game seasons to beat or set his own record. Tough break, Jerry.

Please, if they expand the league to 20 games one year, and someone beats (assuming brady beats manning's record) brady's TD record, everyone on this board would say that brady's record is more impressive.

 

[DefenseRules]

It really doesn't matter. It sounds like the players are more excited about the possibility of making history by ending the season at 16 and 0. I'm with them. :rocker:
If we break those other records while making history...GREAT...if we make history without making those records...in the words of Moss..."I'm cool with that too".

 

[BradyManny]

Please, if they expand the league to 20 games one year, and someone beats (assuming brady beats manning's record) brady's TD record, everyone on this board would say that brady's record is more impressive.

Your argument is severely flawed b/c Brady would have never played in a 20 game season. Jerry Rice played in 20 regular seasons, he just happened to set the record during a strike season. Tough break for him.

If all 20 of Rice's seasons were 12 games, then yes, Moss record would and should have an asterik next to it. Would it have made a difference if Rice did it in 12 games and then got injured for the final 6? Would he make the same claims? No, absolutely not. You can't have all these "ifs and buts" when talking about records particularly when we're talking about the same era of the game. This isn't a different era of the game, seasons were 16 games, strike meant he only played 12.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

IMO, he has a very valid point but I think he should tone down trying to point to his 12-season game in every interview.

But given his remarkable achievements and his good character, I ignore his reminders of his 12-season game and instead admire the grace with which he applauds Moss and Brady.

 

[Deus Irae]

Wide receivers are a notorious lot, so I don't know why people would expect Rice to say anything different. This is especially true of Patriots fans who are claiming that this year's perfect season would be better than the Miami perfect season because it would have more games played.


Sauce for the goose, and all that.

 

[The Hurricane]

Lets not forget Jerry was scoring those touchdowns against replacement players and out of shape corners who didn't know when the strike was going to end. I don't want to take anything away from Jerry for being one of the few smart players to stay in game shape, but there is a reason the 22 touchdowns came in the strike year.

 

[BradyManny]

Wide receivers are a notorious lot, so I don't know why people would expect Rice to say anything different. This is especially true of Patriots fans who are claiming that this year's perfect season would be better than the Miami perfect season because it would have more games played.

Not sure it's all that comparable. The Patriots were tested more times than the Dolphins, which makes it inherently marginally more impressive. But you can't hold it against the Dolphins that they played less games, only acknowledge that the Patriots will play more. So I guess in the end, I wouldn't be one of those people saying the Patriots potential record is more impressive, but I don't think the discussion relates to Rice either way.

With Rice, again, if ALL of his seasons were 12 games, then he'd have an argument. But he played two decades in this game, and he had plenty of 16 game seasons in which he could have set and beat his own record. Frankly, he's making his own ridiculously productive season look less impressive and just more flukey by constantly bringing up it was done in a strike season. He should be careful, the line between amazing and absurd bordering on trivial is thin and tooting his own horn gets him nowhere.

 

[Fixit]

Lets not forget Jerry was scoring those touchdowns against replacement players and out of shape corners who didn't know when the strike was going to end. I don't want to take anything away from Jerry for being one of the few smart players to stay in game shape, but there is a reason the 22 touchdowns came in the strike year.

That's an excellent point that I haven't heard brought up once.

 

[dante828]

Lets not forget Jerry was scoring those touchdowns against replacement players and out of shape corners who didn't know when the strike was going to end. I don't want to take anything away from Jerry for being one of the few smart players to stay in game shape, but there is a reason the 22 touchdowns came in the strike year.

Great point, and it should be noted more often, of course people are usually too classy to bring that point up and don't want to downplay the accomplishment....you know, like the way Rice is downplaying Moss's race for the record because it spans 16 games rather then 12.

I hate knocking Rice because I have a lot of respect for him, but he really shouldn't keep bringing up that caveat.

 

[Patriot Missile]

What Rice did was more amazing considering the 12 games but it doesn't mean squat on paper or the record books. He seems a little too fresh out of retirement to be campaigning his greatness.

I think Marino has held his tongue alot better considering all the rules that have been instilled by Polian and the competition committee to help Manning prosper. Brady and Manning will go down in the record books ahead of him and even though I'm a homer to Brady I think what Marino did with the brand of physical football played was more impressive.

 

[maverick4]

Too many people here are giving Jerry Rice crap for saying he did it in 12 games. It's true, and it's a good point.

To me, it's just like saying (if it happens) that the Pats' accomplishment in 2007 was more impressive than the Dolphins in 72 because they played more games without losing.

 

[BradyManny]

Too many people here are giving Jerry Rice crap for saying he did it in 12 games. It's true, and it's a good point.

To me, it's just like saying (if it happens) that the Pats' accomplishment in 2007 was more impressive than the Dolphins in 72 because they played more games without losing.

It's not for two reasons - 1) the aforementioned caveats about the strike season, and the level of play on the field he was up against 2) he had a 20 season career in which he played 16 game seasons, he failed to break his own record in these seasons, so he can't fault Moss for doing it

 

[hodgey]

Lets not forget Jerry was scoring those touchdowns against replacement players and out of shape corners who didn't know when the strike was going to end. I don't want to take anything away from Jerry for being one of the few smart players to stay in game shape, but there is a reason the 22 touchdowns came in the strike year.

This is exactly what I think every time I hear the 12 game argument. I think every achievemnet in the strike shortened year carries an *** . I also am a long time fan of Rice and his accomplishments.

 

[Xzibit23]

This is exactly what I think every time I hear the 12 game argument. I think every achievemnet in the strike shortened year carries an *** . I also am a long time fan of Rice and his accomplishments.

It should carry an **, and its like this in all sports. When the NBA had the strike shortened season in '99, players were in terrible shape and I must have seen some of the ugliest basketball ever in that season. It was the same with the NFL in '87, players were going through training camp during the season, and Rice, to his credit, took full advantage. Its not a coincidence that those numbers happened in a strike shortened season, there's a big reason for that.

 

[PatsDparty]

Your argument is severely flawed b/c Brady would have never played in a 20 game season. Jerry Rice played in 20 regular seasons, he just happened to set the record during a strike season. Tough break for him.

If all 20 of Rice's seasons were 12 games, then yes, Moss record would and should have an asterik next to it. Would it have made a difference if Rice did it in 12 games and then got injured for the final 6? Would he make the same claims? No, absolutely not. You can't have all these "ifs and buts" when talking about records particularly when we're talking about the same era of the game. This isn't a different era of the game, seasons were 16 games, strike meant he only played 12.

I don't think my argument is flawed. I'm not saying Moss's record isn't valid, but the season was shortened that year. It's more impressive, that's all. If the NFL decided to add an extra game to a schedule for one season honor an event, and brady's record was broken, there would be people here pointing to those extra games. That was my point.

 

[Cramden]

Lets not forget Jerry was scoring those touchdowns against replacement players and out of shape corners who didn't know when the strike was going to end. I don't want to take anything away from Jerry for being one of the few smart players to stay in game shape, but there is a reason the 22 touchdowns came in the strike year.

Does anyone have stats for who came in 2nd and 3rd in TD receptions that year? I'm guessing if this were a valid point shouldn't all offensive stats for that year be exaggerated? I wonder too if there were a bunch on RBs who had career years during that season?

 

[ClevTrev]

I have no hesitation in stating that Rice is the greatest WR to have played the game. Regardless of the number of games in which the record was accomplished or the types of players in the league that season, it is a record that should be recorded without an asterisk. If Moss ties or breaks it, then that will become the new record.

There is no need for Rice to explain his greatness, he should just allow his record to stand for itself. If he's classy enough to recognize Moss' season, then he doesn't need to put qualifiers on it. To do so puts him in the Mercury Morris category.

 

[BradyManny]

http://www.databasefootball.com/leagues/leagueyear.htm?yr=1987&lg=nfl