Life at 40

Still around, still dangerous, Jerry Rice back at the pinnacle

Jerry Rice's passion for game preparation is widely admired. AP

By John Donovan, CNNSI.com

SAN DIEGO -- He has been around for so long, in this particular game so many times, that Jerry Rice becomes a practical afterthought.

He is like the hash marks on the field, or the goalposts at the end of it. He's as routine as a Gatorade bath or an angry coach or an extra point try. Rice is part and parcel of the landscape in the NFL now.

They tried to get rid of him once. He barely budged.

Sunday, in Super Bowl No. 37, 40-year-old Jerry Rice will line up for the Oakland Raiders and play for a fourth NFL title, eight years after he won his last.

Do you know how many members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' starting defense were playing in the NFL the year that Rice won his last Super Bowl, with the San Francisco 49ers, in January of 1995?

One. Safety John Lynch.

Thursday, Jan. 23, 2003 -- 3 days to kickoff "I feel like there's nobody I can't block." -- Oakland LT Barry Sims, who will get Bucs sackmaster Simeon Rice. 2,000 -- Price that one "broker," advertising his services from a sign atop a car in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, says he's willing to pay for a Super Bowl ticket. In dollars. U.S. dollars. The sprucing up of San Diego's entertainment district near downtown, known as the Gaslamp Quarter, is just about complete as everyone girds for the onslaught of visitors this weekend. Streets will be blocked off as thousands are expected to take part in the Super Bowl festivities. Smartly, the teams are staying as far away from that as possible. Both the Bucs and Raiders are staying at resort-type hotels up the coast in La Jolla, just a short drive from downtown San Diego. Wednesday was the biggest practice day of the week, with the Raiders doing their work at the Chargers' practice facility and the Bucs putting in their time at the University of California at San Diego. The teams will refine things Thursday and start to ease up for the rest of the week. How can you tell when Jon Gruden is too worked up for a game? >>> Warren Sapp Q: Are you the best in the league? A: I'm the best the game has to offer. No doubt about it. If you tell me there's a better defensive tackle in this game, show him to me. Q: Is all this a distraction? A: It's not a distraction. It's part of the job. It's just what it is. We are the show. You didn't travel out here just to watch us run around with pads and shorts on and not talk to me, did you? No. That wouldn't be fun at all.

"I'm having so much fun at 40," Rice says. "I can really enjoy it now that I know what to expect. I couldn't always."

Said his teammate and fellow wide receiver Jerry Porter, who is 24: "The way I feel every Monday? I don't know how he does it."

When Super Bowl XXXVII kicks off, Rice will become the second-oldest man ever to play in the game (former Raider George Blanda was a month or so older when he played in the Super Bowl in 1968). He shows no signs of letting up.

The holder of every major career record for receivers in the NFL -- most yards, most touchdowns, most catches -- Rice led the Raiders this season with 92 catches and 1,211 yards. Two years after the 49ers let him go because of a drop in production due to knee injuries he suffered in 1997, Rice has returned with the 14th 1,000-yard season in his 18-year career.

By now, everyone wonders just how long Rice can keep it up. He stays in superb shape. His dedication to workouts is practically legendary.

He has found new life with the Raiders playing across from another Hall of Famer, Tim Brown. Rice has even picked up some wide receiving tips from Brown, who Sunday will play in his first Super Bowl.

Rice always has been a fanatic about running precise routes and using his speed to get open.

"Tim likes to have a defensive back right on him, banging him, and then he has the tendency to get open," Rice said. "I'm trying to incorporate that into my route-running and I think it's going to make me a better receiver."

This Super Bowl week has been filled with questions about the Bucs' head coach, Jon Gruden, the man who helped get Rice to Oakland after the 49ers lost interest. Rice is one of the favorite subjects for Gruden, now the coach of the Bucs.

"Jerry is my idol," Gruden, who is only 39, said. "When I was with the 49ers in my first year in the NFL [1990], I couldn't believe what I saw. The passion in which he played and prepared. The vibrance that he brought to the team.

"He is the best coach, the best role model you could ever be around. For him to have the success that he has had, at age 40, is astonishing to me. The way he is playing, I wouldn't be surprised if he signs a new five- or six-year deal."

• King: Bucs' defense rests its case • Banks: Bucs' Johnson validated • Banks: No. 1 D the difference • Donovan: Raiders too slow • Donovan: Controversy burns Raiders • Statitudes: Havenots can have faith • Statitudes: By The Numbers • Mandel: Broadcast took its time • George: Super Bowl ads fun again

This Super Bowl week also has been about the Raiders' No. 1 offense against the Bucs' top-ranked defense. It's been about mouthy Warren Sapp and Keyshawn Johnson of the Bucs, both in their first Super Bowl.

But Rice is there, too, and he's been soaking it all in, answering questions about his age with a smile and an easy philosophy.

"I enjoy it. I don't have a problem with it," he said. "Age is just a number and I'm not going to give in to being 40 and over the hill.

"I think it's all about the time you put in. If you're willing to put your body through that type of torture, it's going to pay off for you in the long run."

In effect, this has been a huge "Welcome Back" party at the Super Bowl for Rice.

The funny thing is, he never really went anywhere.

 

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