Very few people would argue that Simeon Rice had a better NFL career than Michael Strahan, but Warren Sapp likes to be different. Plus, Sapp and Strahan don’t exactly get along. Earlier this year, Sapp was announced as one of the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013. He made it over Strahan, and he believes another former Tampa Bay Buccaneers lineman should do the same.
On Wednesday, Sapp said Strahan wasn’t even close to as good of a pass rusher as Simeon Rice.
“Nobody ever talks about Simeon,” Sapp said, according to The Tampa Tribune. “Simeon was a better rusher than Michael Strahan any day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
On paper, the two are incredibly close. Strahan recorded 141.5 sacks in his 15-year career and Rice had 122 in his 12 years as an NFL pro. Strahan also holds the NFL record for sacks in a single season with 22.5, but Sapp argued that his success is a product of the New York Giants’ decision to move him to left defensive end.
“(Rice) didn’t rush the worst lineman,” Sapp said. “You know the right tackle is the worst of the five. Strahan played right end his first four years. When they were putting the label on him as a bust, they put ‘B-U-S . OK, let’s transition him on the other side and see if he can play in his fourth year.
“They put him at right end and he couldn’t do it, so they moved him to the weak guy. One-on-one with the (Eagles right tackle) Jon Runyans for eight quarters every year. Sim won’t ever have his name brought up (for the Hall of Fame), and that’s a shame. He’s one of the best pass rushers I’ve ever encountered in my life.”
When you look at the numbers and consistency, you can see what Sapp is talking about. However, Strahan accomplished a lot more than other left defensive ends in the NFL, so his success isn’t all a product of where he played. Sapp tried to take credit away from Strahan back in February and it appears he’s trying to do it again. For whatever reason, he just genuinely seems to dislike Strahan.
