Dallas Cowboys Fan;3786371 said:I was just tuning into ESPN First Take right now and Skip Bayless thinks Michael Irvin is the greatest wideout of alltime, better than Jerry Rice. What are your thoughts on this? Me personally I think Bayless is nuts, I love Irvin as much as the next guy but there is no way he was a better wideout than Jerry Rice IMO.
Yakuza Rich;3786452 said:Somebody needs to mention Don Hutson.
YR
The Panch;3786456 said:As great was Rice, he was one of the luckiest players in NFL history. He played with two of the greatest QBs in a system that was built for him to succeed.
Even tho I'd take him with the game on the line over Young, Aikman was not on their level. And more importantly, the Offense ran the ball alot. Particularly, in the red zone, where Irvin's numbers pale to Rice and other Great receivers. If he played in an offense like the 49ers back then, or the Colts today (regardless of the rules). He'd be putting up 10+ TD seasons routinely.
perrykemp;3788512 said:People forget the Sterling Sharpe may have the most dominant in that 5-6 year timespan as well. He was drafted in the 1st round of the 88 draft like Irvin was. He suffered a career ending neck-injury in the prime of his career -- the year he was injured I think he had 18 TDs or so -- with 2-3 games to go!
Ashwynn;3787142 said:How much longer did Rice play then Irvin...I dont know, thats why I'm asking. Larger amount of time will make an accumulation of stats skewed, the larger the time difference, the larger the stat discrepancy.
BAT;3788061 said:Even Rice acknowledges this in his HOF speech. Irvin was his fiercest rival for best WR in the 90's. During this 5 year period, Irvin was undisputedly better.
And I agree with YR, Don Hutson was the greatest of all time. He had no real competition at any time in his career. None.
I love Irvin. He (and that 90's team) is what I grew up watching, so I see them in a particularly glowing light.Beast_from_East;3788426 said:Sorry, but Jerry Rice is the greatest of all time.
End of Discussion.
Stautner;3789492 said:Irvin played 12 years, Rice 20 years, and Rice put up almost double the yardage and over 3 times the TD's.
Besides, still being an effective WR at almost age 40 only adds to Rice's greatness. He was still putting up 1100-1,200 yard, 7-9 TD seasons that late in his career.
It can be debated who was better during that 5 year stretch, but that is a small snapshot of a career. As great as Irvin was, Jerry Rice's career dwarfed his. That's no disgrace - Rices' career dwarfed every other WR too.