Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Jerry Rice says Calvin Johnson has work to do to be the greatest ever

Is the Detroit Lions’ Calvin Johnson the NFL’s greatest receiver ever? He might be, some say.

But the guy who holds most of the career records, Jerry Rice, said Megatron will have to get a lot closer to them before he gets in the conversation.

“I think it’s great that they’re still talking about me after my career’s over,” Rice told USA Today. “He still has a ways to go.

“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.”

Rice, 51, holds the NFL career receiving records of 1,549 catches, 22,895 yards and 197 TDs over 20 seasons. Johnson, 28, has 541 receptions for 8,740 yards and 63 TDs in seven seasons.

To some Rice may sound like a bitter old man, but he is correct. Johnson will have to perform at a peak level to put up the numbers Rice did when he was playing. In all fairness Rice always had John Taylor on the other side of the field to draw coverage away from him, played on a dominant San Francisco 49ers team and had Joe Montana throwing him the ball.

If Johnson and quarterback Matthew Stafford can stay healthy and productive, Johnson might be able to achieve the stats that Rice built up during his career.

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