Should Jerry Rice retire? Looks like he will be back..

Journeyman · Jan 16, 2004

According to him he will be back...Doesn't look like Raider Nation wants him though

Brown and Rice have stated no intention to retire and nor have the Raiders given any indication of their desire to retain those two future Hall-of-Famers. The team has far more pressing matters at this point. Like, who will be the next coach? It would appear that Brown might be more likely to stay than Rice since he's a lifelong Raider. Brown would like to stay but is prepared to go elsewhere if necessary. Rice has not stated one way or the other.

Porter is definitely a star in the making but as long as Rice and Brown remain, it is unlikely that scenario will be in full-bloom. Regardless, the Raiders need to find an eventual No. 2 man to go with Porter. Whitted, Curry and Gabriel played to sparingly on offense to definitively say yes or no.

Whitted and Curry and free agents that Oakland is likely to retain because of their special teams ability and cost effectiveness. Gabriel, meanwhile, showed ample promise as a kickoff returner

3peet · Jan 16, 2004

As a member of The Nation...

Thanks for everything Jerry. Sorry we couldn't get it done for ya. You had an illustrious career and we were honored to have the Best WR to play the game on the squad for a couple of years. By the same rational, Thanks for everything Timmy. You are THE opitamy of Raider and nothing else. No need to justify nor explain ur contributions to the game.

But it's seriously time to move on. A year late in moving on IMO. Take Alex Fitgerald in the draft (we don't need Eli) and have Porter groom him into becoming the other arm of a dangerous 1 & 2 tandum in the NFL.

Slammy2002 · Jan 16, 2004

Tough question. Unless they get a QB that can throw the ball to him I say yes because he can't make enough athletic plays to make a bad QB look good all the time. He did have a good game against GB towards the end of the year, but 2 TD's is awful, considering all this guy does is score more than anyone ever. His stats looked o.k., he was a top 10 receiver in the AFC and put up better numbers than a lot of guys like Burress, Rod Smith and Jimmy Smith. The problem is not that he can't play anymore, but that the more he plays the less people remember how he used to play. This guy used to be the all time brakeaway WR where on any given play he might take it all the way, either by out running the best DB's on deep patterns or throwing them to the ground on a 1 yard hitch or 5 yard slant and making his way to the zone past 4 other guys. To see guys like TO and Moss (who are both awesome) be talked about as the most physical or athletic is a joke because people have just forgotten what Super Jerry would do on the football field every frickin week.

One rediculous stat no one ever talks about 1987: 23 TD catches in 12 GAMES!!! If it wasn't for the strike it would be Rice not Holmes who would have the record for most TD's in a season. I think he might have had a rushing TD that year also.

One final note as far as Jerry Porter, I'm sorry that dude is the most overrated receiver in the NFL. To expect him to be a #1 and to beat double teams is like expecting Wheatley to break out a 50 yard run everygame. He depends on his athletic ability for everthing (which is why Gruden hated him) and doesn't have the knowledge to groom anyone to do anything. He will only be a good #1 receiver at best if he can avoid injuries, we'll see the jury is still out on that guy big time.

KMAN · Jan 16, 2004

If Rice and Brown retire the Raiders might be worse next year than this year. The problem wasn't with the roster it was with the coach. If any of you heard Tim Brown on the NFL network you know that Callahan was the biggest problem. Now he is gone. Maybe the reason the Raiders haven't signed a coach yet is because they are going to try and pick up the New England D Coordinator. The Raiders can be good on offense again next year with their current players however they need a defensive guy in there who can get the job done.

JMHO,
KMAN