USA TODAY International Edition
Rice says Johnson ‘ has a ways to go’
Jerry Rice has seen the arguments about whether he’s still the greatest receiver ever, and he understands why the question is being asked.
After all, record- breaking Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson appears to be as unstoppable as any player in NFL history.
But until Johnson begins approaching Rice’s career marks, the league’s all- time leading pass catcher says he’s not weighing in on the debate.
“I think it’s great that they’re still talking about me after my career’s over. ( Johnson) still has a ways to go,” Rice, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday.
“We’re just going to let this guy continue to develop, and if he should break the majority of my records or break all my records, I’ll be the first one to congratulate him. But I know the sacrifice that you have to put into it. It takes a lot of dedication, a lot of hard work.”
Rice, 51 and retired since the end of the 2004 season, remains by far the NFL’s career leader in receptions ( 1,549), receiving yards ( 22,895) and receiving touchdowns ( 197).
Johnson, 28, took down one of Rice’s single- season records last season, racking up 122 receptions for 1,964 yards — 116 more than Rice had in 1995 with the San Francisco 49ers.
“I think ( Johnson) has gotten so much better at route running, and he doesn’t just rely on his jumping ability anymore,” Rice said. “That’s why he’s called ‘ Megatron.’ He’s a hell of a lot ( to handle) on that football field. Right now he’s had about ( 63) touchdowns, and he’s going strong.
“I wish him the best. I know what type of work ethic he has. He’s a complete player.”
Specifically, Rice — who will be honored Thursday in Crawford, Miss., as part of the Hometown Hall of Famers program presented by the Hall of Fame and Allstate at his alma mater, East Oktibbeha County High School ( formerly B. L. Moor) — said Johnson had become more quarterback- friendly in his seventh season.
Always a physical specimen at 6- 5 and 236 pounds, Johnson is off his pace from last year, with 53 catches for 904 yards and nine touchdowns in eight games ( missing another because of injury).
But he threatened another NFL record Oct. 27 with 329 receiving yards in a win against the Dallas Cowboys, 7 yards shy of Flipper Anderson’s 24- year- old mark for a single game. ( However, Johnson’s 329 yards were the most in a regulation game; 40 of Anderson’s 336 yards came in overtime.)
“When you’re so dominant in college and you’re such a big body, you’re so physical and so unstoppable, you don’t focus on just the little things. Now, I think ( Johnson) wants to be the complete player,” Rice said.
“I think the same thing with ( New Orleans Saints tight end) Jimmy Graham — working on running your routes real crisp, coming out of your cuts and giving the quarterback an open lane where he doesn’t have to try to squeeze the ball in there, and now he doesn’t have to be as accurate and just place the ball on you.
“When you can do things like that, it’s going to only make you better. It’s going to make the quarterback better, because he’s going to be able to see that lane and he knows he has an alley to throw it in there. And that team’s going to continue to win football games.”
The Lions lead the NFC North one year after finishing 4- 12. And Johnson continues to add to his career numbers, which sit at 541 catches for 8,740 yards and 63 touchdowns in 100 career games. His 87.4- yards- agame average leads all qualifying receivers.
Rice played 303 regular- season games over 20 seasons with the 49ers, Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks.
At Johnson’s rate, his numbers over 303 games extrapolate to 1,639 catches, 26,482 yards and 191 TDs — topping Rice in the first two categories and just missing in the third.
Of course, few players stick around as long as Rice, who had a 1,200- yard season at 40 as the Raiders went to the Super Bowl and still was in the league at 42. He also played most of his career with Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young, a luxury Johnson did not have early in his career.
“I’m not going to say I’m the greatest of all time,” Rice said. “But it’s safe to say he has a lot of work to do.”