Jerry Rice Says Revis, Sherman, Peterson Couldn't Cover Him

Jerry Rice gives a direct answer to whether any of today's top NFL cornerbacks could cover him during his career.

Image via USA TODAY Sports/Mark J. Rebilas

One of the worst things about aging (you know, besides death) is that it prevents you from being able to see great athletes from different eras go head-to-head directly. Instead it forces you to hypothetically compare players in conversations that never go anywhere with pigheaded old timers (see: dads, grandpas, etc.) who won't budge. It's one thing when your father tells you Jim Brown was the best player ever and you don't care. But it's another when one of those actual Hall of Famers makes a direct, to-the-point statement about how he'd stack up against the current generation.

Case in point? Jerry Rice.

Yesterday the NFL's all-time leader in catches, touchdowns and receiving yards (in addition to being named our best wideout in history) stated matter-of-factly to Bleacher Report that:


Richard Sherman, Revis Island, Patrick Peterson — they can’t handle me [...] they don't have a chance. 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.

While part of us believes that Rice would eclipse 2,000 yards a season with today's offense-friendly passing rules, we also realize that that trio of corners has succeeded in an era that forces them to be (significantly) less physical. Basically, it amounts to us not taking a stand either way, but instead enjoying one of (if not) the best ever giving a straightforward answer about his dominance instead of merely equivocating.

[via Bleacher Report]

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