rizzy Posted September 4, 2005 Report Share Posted September 4, 2005 http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-b...ov=ap&type=lgnsJerry Rice mulls retirementBy EDDIE PELLS, AP Sports WriterSeptember 4, 2005DENVER (AP) -- Jerry Rice was in San Francisco on Sunday, contemplating retirement.Rice's agent, Jim Steiner, said the NFL's all-time leading receiver probably would make a decision before the Denver Broncos return to practice Monday.Rice signed with Denver this summer in hopes of finishing his career as a backup with the Broncos. He wanted to be the team's No. 3 receiver.``That was a must for him,'' Steiner told The Associated Press on Sunday.Steiner said the team has made it clear that Rice probably would be only the fourth or fifth receiver if he decides to come back.Hampered by a nagging foot injury, Rice caught only four passes for 24 yards in the preseason and had trouble getting open.Denver kept six receivers on its final roster, including Rice, Darius Watts, Charlie Adams and Todd Devoe.After Denver's final preseason game Friday, Rice told the Denver Post: ``Those guys deserve to be on the field. They worked real hard. The thing is, I'm going to hold my head high if it doesn't work out.'I think we will see him retire before the start of this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsbengalsbucks Posted September 4, 2005 Report Share Posted September 4, 2005 Him retiring after the cuts kind of screws Denver doesn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMC Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Him retiring after the cuts kind of screws Denver doesn't it? Screwing Shanahan should be a national sport....he deserves it....Overrated egotistical boob...Rice should have retired about 3 years ago... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyline Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 PLEASE retire!I love the guy, but I hate watching him cling on like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stripes Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 I'd probably be clinging on if I were in his position, but I don't think he'll be playing this year. I think him taking the time to actually think it through will bring him to the conclusion that it's time to quit.Best receiver of all time hands down? I'd say he did pretty well with himself in the NFL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcom69 Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Well he now has retired he was a great wr to watch over the years, even though he killed the bengals in the superbowls. Im glad he did i didnt want him to sit the bench this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semiotter Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 One of the ALL TIME GREATS, but its time Jerry. Go out with your head held high!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobcat Bengal Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Rice should have retired about 3 years ago... PLEASE retire!I love the guy, but I hate watching him cling on like this.Yeah, I agree.Playboy, time to hang it up."Know when to fold 'em" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbx182 Posted September 6, 2005 Report Share Posted September 6, 2005 Him retiring after the cuts kind of screws Denver doesn't it? i think they wanted him as a 6 rec/coach. rice wanted 200 td's and finally realized he wasn't going to get it...he wasn't even going to dress for games. that's sad. he did the right thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rizzy Posted September 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2005 well he made it official today that he retiredhttp://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-r...ov=ap&type=lgnsRice calls an end to a sterling careerBy EDDIE PELLS, AP Sports WriterSeptember 5, 2005PhotoAP - Sep 5, 2:35 pm EDTMore PhotosDENVER (AP) -- The greatest receiver of all time realized he would be no better than the fourth receiver for the Denver Broncos. It was no way for Jerry Rice to end his career, so he called it quits after 20 sensational seasons.``I never thought I'd ever see this day,'' Rice said Monday during an emotional news conference at Broncos team headquarters.And the NFL may never see anyone like Rice again.The 42-year-old receiver, a first-round draft pick out of tiny Mississippi Valley State in 1985, leaves the field with 38 NFL records, including the most career receptions (1,549), yards receiving (22,895) and touchdowns receiving (197).But as much as the numbers, it was the way he did things that made the biggest impression -- the right way. He was a slave to details, a master of route-running precision, a good guy off the field and a workout junkie both in season and out.Revered by fans and his peers, Rice told the players he was retiring during a short meeting held after his public announcement. The Broncos gave him a standing ovation.``Not many people that own all the records spend that type of commitment and give that type of commitment in the offseason,'' Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. ``That's why, in my opinion, he's the greatest player to ever play the game.''Next, it's time for that debate, and nobody can accuse Shanahan of overstating it.Rice led the 49ers to three Super Bowl titles and helped make Joe Montana and Steve Young look great. He mastered the West Coast offense and made a career of turning short catches into long gains. His work ethic and attention to the little things gave an entire generation of receivers someone to look up to.How detail oriented was he?Shanahan said Rice insisted the right-handed assistant who threw practice passes to the receivers be replaced with a lefty when the 49ers switched from the right-handed Montana to the left-handed Young.``... I'd see him upstairs. One time, I said, `Jerry, what are you doing?''' recalled Shanahan, who spent three years coaching Rice as San Francisco's offensive coordinator. ``He said, `I was looking at film. I'm looking at the top 10 receivers in the AFC and the top 10 receivers in the NFC. I don't want any of these young guys ever to catch me.'''Inevitably, though, time did catch up with Rice.After 16 years with the Niners, Rice went to Oakland, where he had three fairly productive seasons. But it became clear the end might be near last season when the Raiders phased him out, prompting a midseason trade to Seattle.He still averaged 14.3 yards a catch last season and scored three touchdowns, showing traces of the big-play capability he flashed so often earlier in his career.``I think if somebody would give him the opportunity today to be a top-three receiver on a team, he'd still be playing,'' Young said. ``It's still burning in him, that's what he said.``But Mike is a straight shooter, and this is probably as good of a situation as it could be. This is one of the rational, reasonable ways you would think it would have to come to an end.''Talk about a generation gap -- Adams said he has Rice posters on his wall at home.``He worked hard every day,'' Adams said. ``He didn't take any days off, he didn't take any plays off. That's how he did it. He never took the easy way out.''But he decided it was time to get out.Shanahan was willing to give Rice a roster spot, but told him the third receiver spot was out and there were no guarantees he'd play every week. Rice didn't want to deal with the possible indignity of being declared inactive for games or withering away on the bench when he did suit up.``He did everything he could possibly do to get that job,'' Shanahan said of Denver's third receiver spot. ``But it's my job to be honest to the team and do the tough job. I had to do the right thing for the organization. Jerry understands that. He understood exactly where I was coming from.''Rice believes his route running was ``still pretty good,'' although he concedes he's not as explosive as he used to be.``Eventually,'' he said, ``everything is going to catch up with you.''Now that he's acknowledged it's really over, Rice said he was grateful for the last few years of his career, when he finally took the blinders off and paid attention to the fans who chanted his name.An avid golf player who was often spotted playing at the resort hotel where he stayed while in Denver, Rice said he is ``looking forward to the next phase of my life.''``There are opportunities out there. I'll approach them like I did football, with determination and pride,'' he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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