49ers Clubhouse

The Press Democrat

Rice proves adage: Practice makes perfect

June 03, 2001

June 3, 2001
By MATT MAIOCCO
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Some in sports would consider it a form of derision to be called a great practice player.
There are obvious undertones that a "practice player" does not perform in games -- under pressure -- when it counts.
And then there's Jerry Rice, perhaps the greatest practice player of them all. Rice is not subject to any ridicule because he also happens to be one of the best clutch performers in the history of professional football.
Everyone with tickets or a television has witnessed countless fantastic catches courtesy of Rice over the past 16 seasons with the 49ers. But what he has shown packed stadiums is just a snippet of his pass-catching genius.
After a workout last week at Stanford, Rice was asked how many of his 10 best grabs through the years came in practice.
"Probably all of them," Rice answered. "After practice we'd go in and look at film and, 'Wow, look at that!' You have guys ooh-ing and ah-ing from watching the tape. Those catches are something to do on the practice field, and during a game it's just a reaction."
It might be tomorrow or the day after or next week, but soon Rice no longer will be a member of the 49ers after a storied 16-year career with the team that selected him with the No. 16 pick in the 1985 draft.
Rice holds every significant pass-catching record in NFL history, including receptions (1,281), yards receiving (19,247) and touchdowns (176 receiving, 187 overall). His resumé includes 12 regular-season marks, six from his work in the postseason and 10 in Super Bowls.
"What can you say?" former 49ers coach and general manager Bill Walsh said. "Every time a poll of the greatest football players of all time is taken, Jerry Rice is one of the top three with Joe Montana and Jim Brown. That's where Jerry belongs. He's one of the greatest in history."
Although he turns 39 in October, Rice appears to have at least one more productive season in him. But Rice will also be the first to admit that he'll be going to his next team just as much for maniacal practice habits as what he brings to the field on Sundays.
"Exactly," he said. "That's the way I approach practice, the way I approach the game. I'm not going there for me to rub off on guys, but if guys want to jump on, that might be the incentive to go win the entire thing."
Rice has given no hints about where he will play this season, though he reportedly enjoyed a round of golf Thursday with Raiders coach Jon Gruden and senior assistant Bruce Allen. If he does end up with the Raiders, Rice said the goal would be a lot different than if he goes to the Seattle Seahawks.
"Say it's the Raiders, and if we win a Super Bowl that would be icing on the cake," Rice said. "Or if it's Seattle ... I'll do whatever I can to help the team get better."
Seattle, for instance, chose receiver Koren Robinson of North Carolina State with the ninth overall pick in the April draft. With no other veteran receivers on the roster, Seahawks coach and general manager Mike Holmgren wants Rice, the consummate pro, to help mentor his youngsters.
But not everybody can do the things Rice does on the practice field.
Niners receiver Terrell Owens, 11 years younger than Rice, said he never could keep up with the future Hall of Famer.
"I don't think there are too many people who can outwork him," Owens said. "Everybody's genetic makeup is different. Jerry can run all day. He's doing stuff constantly during practice. I would be burnt out by the end of the week if I tried to do all the running he does.
"Jerry had his workout program where he runs the hill. Through the years people asked me if I work out with him and I go, 'No, that's what Jerry does.' That works for him. I've always done my own thing."
During a typical practice, whenever Rice catches a pass, he'll turn upfield and sprint to the end zone. Then, when the first-team defense works against the scout offense, Rice will practice running routes by himself during the time designed for the first-team offense to rest.
"The work ethic of Jerry Rice and Roger Craig set a standard for everybody," Walsh said. "I demanded it, but they did it with ease. It's because Jerry was such a fine athlete. He had the stamina to do the thing.
"Other guys would catch the ball and try to run down the field like Jerry and would be wiped out in two or three pass patterns. Jerry could do it all day. If you ran a 40-yard sprint, Jerry could probably run the same time 10 straight times. The other guys would peak and go downhill."
In 1997, Steve Mariucci was shocked that Rice voluntarily arrived at training camp in Rocklin a week earlier than his mandatory reporting date.
"Sometimes guys show up an hour early," Mariucci said. "But for somebody to show up a week early to get on his game face and start training in that weather ... it just blew me away. And then he wanted to work with the rookies. I'd never seen that before.
"His approach to the game has been very unique."
Rice has been known to bring practices at the team's Santa Clara facility to a stop as his teammates admired unbelievable catches with applause.
In an early-season practice in 1995, he made a one-handed catch 50 yards downfield with his head tilted back to keep his eye on the ball. He also stuttered his steps to get both feet inbounds.
In 1999, he made another catch in practice that if he'd made it in a game would've been highlight fodder for the ages. Just think of "The Catch" from Dwight Clark, but only Rice made it a one-handed grab (left hand) across the middle while arching his back because the pass was thrown behind him.
"I practice just like I play on Sundays," Rice said. "That's why on that given Sunday I pretty much have a feel for exactly what's going to happen. ... I knew going into a game, just from doing the repetitions of the different plays, over and over, what was going to happen in the game."
For a person who places all of his faith in preparation and eliminating uncertainty, this offseason has torn him up. Rice continues to work out daily. But he is getting increasingly anxious to sign a contract so that he knows which team will benefit from his offseason sweat. It's enough mental anguish to make even a tireless worker such as Rice a bit fatigued.
"For the first time in so many years I don't know what team I'm going to be with," he said. "It's like, 'Fill in the blank.' It's been frustrating and very tiresome."

June 3, 2001

By MATT MAIOCCO
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Some in sports would consider it a form of derision to be called a great practice player.

There are obvious undertones that a "practice player" does not perform in games -- under pressure -- when it counts.

And then there's Jerry Rice, perhaps the greatest practice player of them all. Rice is not subject to any ridicule because he also happens to be one of the best clutch performers in the history of professional football.

Everyone with tickets or a television has witnessed countless fantastic catches courtesy of Rice over the past 16 seasons with the 49ers. But what he has shown packed stadiums is just a snippet of his pass-catching genius.

After a workout last week at Stanford, Rice was asked how many of his 10 best grabs through the years came in practice.

"Probably all of them," Rice answered. "After practice we'd go in and look at film and, 'Wow, look at that!' You have guys ooh-ing and ah-ing from watching the tape. Those catches are something to do on the practice field, and during a game it's just a reaction."

It might be tomorrow or the day after or next week, but soon Rice no longer will be a member of the 49ers after a storied 16-year career with the team that selected him with the No. 16 pick in the 1985 draft.

Rice holds every significant pass-catching record in NFL history, including receptions (1,281), yards receiving (19,247) and touchdowns (176 receiving, 187 overall). His resumé includes 12 regular-season marks, six from his work in the postseason and 10 in Super Bowls.

"What can you say?" former 49ers coach and general manager Bill Walsh said. "Every time a poll of the greatest football players of all time is taken, Jerry Rice is one of the top three with Joe Montana and Jim Brown. That's where Jerry belongs. He's one of the greatest in history."

Although he turns 39 in October, Rice appears to have at least one more productive season in him. But Rice will also be the first to admit that he'll be going to his next team just as much for maniacal practice habits as what he brings to the field on Sundays.

"Exactly," he said. "That's the way I approach practice, the way I approach the game. I'm not going there for me to rub off on guys, but if guys want to jump on, that might be the incentive to go win the entire thing."

Rice has given no hints about where he will play this season, though he reportedly enjoyed a round of golf Thursday with Raiders coach Jon Gruden and senior assistant Bruce Allen. If he does end up with the Raiders, Rice said the goal would be a lot different than if he goes to the Seattle Seahawks.

"Say it's the Raiders, and if we win a Super Bowl that would be icing on the cake," Rice said. "Or if it's Seattle ... I'll do whatever I can to help the team get better."

Seattle, for instance, chose receiver Koren Robinson of North Carolina State with the ninth overall pick in the April draft. With no other veteran receivers on the roster, Seahawks coach and general manager Mike Holmgren wants Rice, the consummate pro, to help mentor his youngsters.

But not everybody can do the things Rice does on the practice field.

Niners receiver Terrell Owens, 11 years younger than Rice, said he never could keep up with the future Hall of Famer.

"I don't think there are too many people who can outwork him," Owens said. "Everybody's genetic makeup is different. Jerry can run all day. He's doing stuff constantly during practice. I would be burnt out by the end of the week if I tried to do all the running he does.

"Jerry had his workout program where he runs the hill. Through the years people asked me if I work out with him and I go, 'No, that's what Jerry does.' That works for him. I've always done my own thing."

During a typical practice, whenever Rice catches a pass, he'll turn upfield and sprint to the end zone. Then, when the first-team defense works against the scout offense, Rice will practice running routes by himself during the time designed for the first-team offense to rest.

"The work ethic of Jerry Rice and Roger Craig set a standard for everybody," Walsh said. "I demanded it, but they did it with ease. It's because Jerry was such a fine athlete. He had the stamina to do the thing.

"Other guys would catch the ball and try to run down the field like Jerry and would be wiped out in two or three pass patterns. Jerry could do it all day. If you ran a 40-yard sprint, Jerry could probably run the same time 10 straight times. The other guys would peak and go downhill."

In 1997, Steve Mariucci was shocked that Rice voluntarily arrived at training camp in Rocklin a week earlier than his mandatory reporting date.

"Sometimes guys show up an hour early," Mariucci said. "But for somebody to show up a week early to get on his game face and start training in that weather ... it just blew me away. And then he wanted to work with the rookies. I'd never seen that before.

"His approach to the game has been very unique."

Rice has been known to bring practices at the team's Santa Clara facility to a stop as his teammates admired unbelievable catches with applause.

In an early-season practice in 1995, he made a one-handed catch 50 yards downfield with his head tilted back to keep his eye on the ball. He also stuttered his steps to get both feet inbounds.

In 1999, he made another catch in practice that if he'd made it in a game would've been highlight fodder for the ages. Just think of "The Catch" from Dwight Clark, but only Rice made it a one-handed grab (left hand) across the middle while arching his back because the pass was thrown behind him.

"I practice just like I play on Sundays," Rice said. "That's why on that given Sunday I pretty much have a feel for exactly what's going to happen. ... I knew going into a game, just from doing the repetitions of the different plays, over and over, what was going to happen in the game."

For a person who places all of his faith in preparation and eliminating uncertainty, this offseason has torn him up. Rice continues to work out daily. But he is getting increasingly anxious to sign a contract so that he knows which team will benefit from his offseason sweat. It's enough mental anguish to make even a tireless worker such as Rice a bit fatigued.

"For the first time in so many years I don't know what team I'm going to be with," he said. "It's like, 'Fill in the blank.' It's been frustrating and very tiresome."