STOCKTON, Calif. -- The chants of "Jerry, Jerry" rang in the background as Jerry Rice talked about his new role with the 49ers.

Clearly in the twilight of a wondrous career, Rice is taking the time to enjoy every step, to note every nuance of what may be his last season.

That's why Rice listens when fans wedge themselves against a chain link fence that separates them from the 49ers' training-camp field. Rice not only listens, he indulges the crowd with autographs and conversation, something he shunned early in his 16-year career.

	Jerry Rice is all smiles during a 49ers practice.

"It's something I like doing," said Rice, as the fans continued to bellow his name. "I like to sign autographs and say hello to people. At the end of the day when you're tired, naturally you don't feel like doing it. But you feel better about yourself after you do."

The veteran wide receiver has graciously taken on the role of team ambassador. With Steve Young now retired, Rice is the last link to the 49ers' Super Bowl teams of the late 1980s, and he may be the only 49er left who's universally recognized.

More important, Rice realizes his role on the field has changed.

No longer is he the main target of every pass. Rice owns every significant receiving record in the league, chiefly because the 49ers' receiving game revolved around him for more than a decade.

Coaches went so far as to make a special list of plays just for Rice in the game plan.

"We will still script plays for Jerry," said 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci. "But it's not going to be the way it used to be. We have three or four good receivers (veterans Terrell Owens and J.J. Stokes and up-and-comer Tai Streets), and we are going to spread the ball around."

Even though Rice agreed to change much of his remaining contract bonuses into incentive clauses before the season, he's not going to be yelling at coaches for the ball in 2000.

"It's not important," Rice said. "I've made enough money. I'm at the point in my life where it doesn't matter as much. It's not going to be one of those things where I feel I need the ball in my hands."

Rice made a public spectacle of himself two years ago when he yelled at Mariucci during a 45-10 win over the Redskins on "Monday Night Football." Rice was simply sounding a familiar refrain in his blowup with Mariucci: He wanted the ball.

How much Rice will get the ball this season depends more upon opposing defenses than the 49ers' game plan. Rice was still drawing double teams late in the '99 campaign, even though Owens might be the better receiver at this point.

Some 49ers coaches wondered if the opposition took Rice out of the game just to frustrate him, hoping his frustration would spread throughout the team.

At times, the strategy worked. When the 49ers were manhandled by the Saints 24-6 in a mid-November game last season, Rice imploded. He yelled at coaches, players, even general manager Bill Walsh. The emotion of a five-game losing streak and blown opportunities welled up in him.

Rice's emotion is partially what carried him to a Hall of Fame-worthy career. It's what made him berate coaches when he wasn't getting the ball. The emotion is still there, but Rice is now trying to tone it down.

Through the preseason, 49ers quarterbacks have struggled to get the ball to the wideouts, something that might have sent Rice over the edge previously.

"We're frustrated right now," Rice said. "But we just have to be patient."

Rice is also willing to impart his vast experience to younger players such as Owens, Stokes, and Streets. That's something Rice didn't do in the past because he was so wrapped up in preparing himself for games.

"He's been great with the young guys," Mariucci said. "He's tried to place them in more of a leadership role."

It's as if Rice is tending to his flock, wanting it to carry on a legacy he established.

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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