Contrary to what the facts may say, in my opinion, Jerry Rice is the greatest wide receiver of all time. Many of my friends and family ask me why I feel this way whenever we discuss football. I explain how I feel that Jerry Rice had an enormous amount of passion and work ethic to play the game well. It seemed like any time Joe Montana or Steve Young threw Rice the ball, he would never fail to catch it. Many wide receivers don’t like to do this in the middle of the football field, but Jerry Rice would. He wasn’t concerned about the danger; he was fearless. It was as if nothing mattered but playing a great game and helping his team win. He was also quite graceful, often catching the ball with only one hand, with very little effort whatsoever. Whenever Jerry Rice caught a pass, if he had to step on a corner back, he would be gone, making a touchdown.
Jerry Rice was very motivated to work out frequently, too. He took pride in his body, ensuring that he took proper care of it in every way. This enabled him to be faster than most of the corner backs, and this was also the reason why he was able to play football until he was forty-two.
In order to earn the title of the greatest wide receiver, to me, a player has got to enjoy what he does. Many wide receivers appear to enjoy playing pro football, and even seem passionate about the game, but as soon as there were no more increases in their multi-million dollar contracts, they wanted to transfer to other teams for heftier pay. They weren’t worried about loyalty or playing for the best team. If they weren’t receiving regular pay raises, they went where they would. This makes it quite obvious that many receivers only play for the money. Sure everyone wants pay increases, but with the millions of dollars they already make, what is really the difference?
Jerry Rice wasn’t in it just for the money. He genuinely enjoyed playing professional football and was often quoted saying that, “It’s for the love of the sport, not the money.”
Jerry Rice continues to take care of his body and work out regularly, despite being retired. This is another reason why I think so highly of him. He’s not longer playing football, so why continue to workout? Because he is such a wonderful, disciplined person, who wants to look and feel as good as he possibly can. He has certainly earned my respect, and no matter how good other wide receivers may play, now or in the future, Jerry Rice will always be the greatest in history.
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