The San Francisco 49ers may have a bye week this weekend, but the NFL has still provided a parlor game to fuel arguments among the Faithful all weekend long.
The NFL has compiled a 100 Greatest Players of All Time list, announcing the names on the list in an ongoing segment on the NFL Network. And the player named the top NFL player of all time is none other than San Francisco 49ers receiver Jerry Rice. Rice is an exclusive commentator on things football for KNTV.
"Arguably the best receiver ever," the NFL says on the list, "Rice owns nearly every major receiving record, including most catches (1,549), receiving yards (22,895) and TD catches (197). Rice has at least 400 more catches than any other receiver."
The list was compiled by "a blue-ribbon panel of knowledgeable football minds" including Pat Summerall, Dick Vermeil, and Peter King.
Rice's selection as the best player of all time is not without controversy. In a response essay entitled "Jerry Rice is Obviously Not the Best Football Player of All Time", sports blog Deadspin argues, "There were six players they could have named as No. 1 and no one could seriously object: Brown, Unitas, Payton, Montana, LT and Elway. They chose none of those. We're objecting."
Joe Montana was named as the No. 4 all-time greatest on the list. Other 49ers on the list included Ronnie Lott (No. 11) and Steve Young (No. 81). Deion Sanders (No. 34) and Rod Woodson (No. 41) also made the list, but are identified as a Falcon and a Steeler, repsectively.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who was glad to see Dick Lane named at No. 30 on the list as "Train Lane, Night".
