|
|
Sport Sections |
|
|
| | |||
| Saturday, December 23 Associated Press | |||
| DENVER -- While the Denver Broncos said good-bye to their
beloved stadium, the San Francisco 49ers probably said so long to
the greatest wide receiver in NFL history.
Jerry Rice, who holds the NFL receiving records for career yards
and touchdowns, played what figures to be his final game in a San
Francisco uniform on Saturday as the 49ers fell to the Broncos 38-9
in the last regular-season game at Mile High Stadium.
Because of salary-cap constraints, Niners general manager Bill
Walsh is expected to release Rice in June, although the receiver
wants to return for a 17th season.
"I'm not going to say it is my last game as a 49er, because I
will always be a 49er," Rice said. "That is something I will go
over when it is time, but right now I'm still a 49er. I'm just
going to wait and see what is going to happen in the offseason."
If Saturday marked the end of Rice's career in the Bay Area, he
would leave with an unparalleled resume that includes three Super
Bowl rings. His six receptions for 61 yards Saturday gave him 1,281
catches for 19,247 yards in his career.
"I hugged him after the game and told him he's the greatest,"
Broncos cornerback Terrell Buckley said. "I appreciate him letting
me even play against him. I hope somebody took a picture of me in
my bump-and-run stance so I can put it up on my wall."
Denver linebacker Bill Romanowski, who spent six seasons with
Rice in San Francisco, also embraced his former teammate after the
game. It was a rare public display of affection for the otherwise
hard-nosed Romanowski.
"Jerry has always been an inspiration for me from the day I
stepped out on that football field and watched that guy perform day
in and day out," he said. "The guy is amazing. He's the best
that's ever played the game."
The Denver fans seemed to agree as they took a break from their
victory celebration to give Rice a final Mile High salute. The
crowd chanted, "Jerry! Jerry!" as Rice headed toward the locker
room.
"It caught me by surprise," Rice said. "For them to show me
the respect like that, I guess I did something right over the
years. I was very appreciative."
Rice was unable to add to his NFL-record 176 touchdowns as the
Broncos limited San Francisco's offense throughout the day. For the
record, his final catch of the game was a 9-yard pass from Jeff
Garcia with about 6:30 remaining.
"There is more to it than football. We will miss what he brings
to the Bay Area in general," Niners coach Steve Mariucci said.
"He has been quite a generous person. If he is not a 49er next
year, it will really be strange."
The 49ers have offered Rice a $1 million bonus to retire, but
Rice reiterated his desire to play another season, even if it means
wearing another uniform for the first time since leaving
Mississippi Valley State in 1985.
"It may be a good-bye to this career, but life is going to go
ahead," he said. "I know I still have some football in me."
| ALSO SEE
Broncos bid farewell to Mile High with rout of 49ersFans get rowdy in saying bye to Mile High Griese returns, but gets forced back out of game | ||