NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice played in an era where cornerbacks could grab, shove and disrupt without being penalized. That didn’t stop him from setting NFL records for most receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions in a career. What if he played now?
Earlier this week, Rice was asked if there are any cornerbacks who play today that could put up a fight against him on the field.
“Richard Sherman, Revis Island, Patrick Peterson — they can’t handle me, though,” Rice told Bleacher Report on Wednesday. “They don’t have a chance.
“I really respect those guys and their talent, but my job is to be elusive off the line of scrimmage. I was always good against bump and run and being able to double-move, triple-move, get off the line of scrimmage. You don’t see a lot of that happening today, with guys being able to get a free release on the line of scrimmage.”
Rice is probably the best receiver to ever play the game. That said, it’s nearly impossible to compare players from different generations. Guys like Sherman and Revis do are able to shut down receivers even with today’s emphasis on illegal contact and pass interference, so it stands to reason that they would have been even better in Rice’s generation.
Does that mean they could have shut down Rice? Probably not. No one really could. He was just that good.
