Burnham: Rice Not Needed
By Jeremy Burnham
03.03.05 -- I love Rice as much as the next Niner fan. He is the greatest, and so it saddens me to say that I don't want him back. I'd love for him come sign a 1 day contract before retiring, but not to come back and play for a year, unless he'd agree to be the 4th WR. But that's not what he wants.
Rice doesn't want to retire, and he doesn't want to be number 4. He wants to play for someone who will give him playing time. I don't blame him! Though his year started out poor last year with the Raiders, as soon as he went to the Seahawks, his stats went up. He still has a year of decent play in him, I don't doubt that in the slightest. I even think he could still help a team somewhere win.
I know what you're saying. "If he can still help a team win, why in the world don't you want him back? Drop what ever it is you're smoking and slowly back away"! Don't worry though, I have a good reason, though not a reason Niner fans will want to hear about.
Brand new 49ers head coach Mike Nolan has said that he's not interested in Rice, and I back him 100%. Yes, Rice could help a team win, but not the Niners. Come on now, the 49ers are not going to be in the Super Bowl this year. Might as well just say it now. I know people don't want to hear this, and I'll get feedback saying stuff like, "God I'm glad you're not the coach." But really think about it. Bringing Jerry Rice in would only make since if we could win right now, he's NOT going to be around in 3 years! We are still in the REBUILDING stage. An ugly, but important stage that fans would like to skip, but cannot be skipped.
The key to the 49ers will be to decide who they want to be playing WR for them, and get them in there right away to get experience. If everything works out, in two or three years, this could be a playoff team! These young guys need experience. They aren't going to improve until they get experience. And let's not kid ourselves, Nolan is in a rush. He's a smart dude. He's looking around at other coaches getting fired for not rebuilding fast enough. Why waste a year forcing one of your young WRs to sit and lose experience just so Jerry can play his last years as a Niner? Yes, some fans would love it, but those very same fans would turn around and be pissed at Nolan when the team doesn't improve as fast as they should.
I really believe this team can be a playoff team in 2 years, 3 at the most if they make smart moves, bring in players at need positions and again, let their young guys get experience! The first step would be a 6-10 to 8-8 season this year. I've been told by some fans that they either want the Super Bowl, or a 0-16 season and the first round draft pick. This is the stupidest mindset in the world. Improvement is slow sometimes. But every step forward is a step closer to a playoff, Super Bowl contending season
03.03.05 -- I love Rice as much as the next Niner fan. He is the greatest, and so it saddens me to say that I don't want him back. I'd love for him come sign a 1 day contract before retiring, but not to come back and play for a year, unless he'd agree to be the 4th WR. But that's not what he wants.
Rice doesn't want to retire, and he doesn't want to be number 4. He wants to play for someone who will give him playing time. I don't blame him! Though his year started out poor last year with the Raiders, as soon as he went to the Seahawks, his stats went up. He still has a year of decent play in him, I don't doubt that in the slightest. I even think he could still help a team somewhere win.
I know what you're saying. "If he can still help a team win, why in the world don't you want him back? Drop what ever it is you're smoking and slowly back away"! Don't worry though, I have a good reason, though not a reason Niner fans will want to hear about.
Brand new 49ers head coach Mike Nolan has said that he's not interested in Rice, and I back him 100%. Yes, Rice could help a team win, but not the Niners. Come on now, the 49ers are not going to be in the Super Bowl this year. Might as well just say it now. I know people don't want to hear this, and I'll get feedback saying stuff like, "God I'm glad you're not the coach." But really think about it. Bringing Jerry Rice in would only make since if we could win right now, he's NOT going to be around in 3 years! We are still in the REBUILDING stage. An ugly, but important stage that fans would like to skip, but cannot be skipped.
The key to the 49ers will be to decide who they want to be playing WR for them, and get them in there right away to get experience. If everything works out, in two or three years, this could be a playoff team! These young guys need experience. They aren't going to improve until they get experience. And let's not kid ourselves, Nolan is in a rush. He's a smart dude. He's looking around at other coaches getting fired for not rebuilding fast enough. Why waste a year forcing one of your young WRs to sit and lose experience just so Jerry can play his last years as a Niner? Yes, some fans would love it, but those very same fans would turn around and be pissed at Nolan when the team doesn't improve as fast as they should.
I really believe this team can be a playoff team in 2 years, 3 at the most if they make smart moves, bring in players at need positions and again, let their young guys get experience! The first step would be a 6-10 to 8-8 season this year. I've been told by some fans that they either want the Super Bowl, or a 0-16 season and the first round draft pick. This is the stupidest mindset in the world. Improvement is slow sometimes. But every step forward is a step closer to a playoff, Super Bowl contending season
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