Simeon Rice: Hall Of Famer?
March 1st, 2015
We all know former Bucs great Warren Sapp used to bellow from the mountain top that his fellow Hall of Fame member Michael Strahan was overrated and may not be worthy of his bust in Canton.
(By the way, Sapp has been really quiet since he last appeared on the NFL Network, hasn’t he?)
Well, another former Bucs great is not overwhelmed with Strahan as a Hall of Fame sacker.
Justin Terranova of the New York Post has all the details.
“I didn’t have nobody falling down to help me get sacks,” Rice said, referring to Strahan’s single-season record-setting sack of Brett Favre in 2001. “I didn’t have that. I had to earn everything I got.” Rice’s impressive career included 122 sacks and three Pro Bowl appearances, compared to 141.5 and seven for Strahan.
Joe has always felt Rice should be seriously considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Thus far, it seems he has not been. He transformed the Bucs defense from damned good, into lethal. Imagine the left side of offensive lines that had to figure out how to stop both Rice and Sapp?
To this day, Joe thinks Rice was robbed of the Super Bowl MVP trophy that went to the good Dexter Jackson. Rice was virtually unblockable that game and Joe is convinced he gave Rich Gannon PTSD.
The Bucs are still trying to find a replacement for Rice. That speaks volumes.
To watch a video of Rice talking defense and what he learned from Sapp, click here.
March 1st, 2015 at 6:42 am
Should have been him instead of Polian.
March 1st, 2015 at 7:14 am
We need our next Simeon Rice! Who will it be, if we even get a DE of that caliber again?
March 1st, 2015 at 7:43 am
One the field, dude could flat out ball. Off the field, he was so full of himself I know he didn’t eat food.
March 1st, 2015 at 9:06 am
I guess you have to be nominated first….and that hasn’t happened yet….May be an uphill climb for SR97……But both Simeon & I think he’s worthy….
March 1st, 2015 at 9:07 am
Sapp also brought up a good point. Strahan always lined up against the RT, usually the weakest. I don’t know if it as strategic to create a mismatch or what but it seems he wouldn’t be quite so “great” if he played the other side line an elite defensive end should.
March 1st, 2015 at 9:08 am
Simeon Rice took our elite defense and made it legendary. Without him we dont get mentioned with the ’85 bears and 70’s steelers. We found a player in Rice that dosen’t come around too often. It’s unfair to draft a kid in the first or second and expect him to become an elite sack artist like Rice.
March 1st, 2015 at 9:17 am
51.5 with AZ(5 seasons) vs 69.5 with TB(5.5 seasons)….. its a shame he couldn’t have been with the Bucs his whole career, his numbers probably would have been closer to Strahan’s #’s.
He’s HOF worthy in my eyes…
March 1st, 2015 at 9:20 am
and like @Espo said… that was 122 sacks against some of the best LT in the game.
March 1st, 2015 at 9:29 am
No he’s not a hall of famer. He was a great DE but nothing so special and unique that he made some big contribution to the game as a whole.
Brooks helped introduce the fast, lighter LB and Sapp could be argued to be the best DT ever. Rice was just another tall rushing end.
Also his comments about Pat Tillman, killed in action in Afghanistan rubbed many people the wrong way.
“Simeon Rice, formerly of the Cardinals, was interviewed by Jim Rome and had nothing positive to say about Pat Tillman, saying that it was a good thing that he left the NFL because he was a crappy player (average to above average, but not crappy, IMO), etc., etc. Romey was stunned, and kept trying to throw Simeon a chance to save himself, but he never really took the chance.”
“He really wasn’t that good, not really,” Rice said. “He was good enough to play in Arizona, [but] that’s just like the XFL.”
For the rest of the show the clones were annihalting Simeon via E-mail and phone.”
March 1st, 2015 at 10:08 am
Simeon Rice was robbed of the superbowl mvp. His sack on the Raiders opening drive set the tone for the game.
March 1st, 2015 at 10:17 am
If Strahan is in, then Rice should be. No question.
March 1st, 2015 at 10:17 am
The whole Defense deserved the SB MVP not just him. His performance was great but the whole D played MVP level football.
March 1st, 2015 at 10:44 am
Ok…his comments about Tillman while not politically correct, it was not wrong. He was a douche bag for saying it though but that’s Simeon. The guy does belong in the hall because he was exceptional for such a long period of time. The only thing you can knock him on is his play against the run.
March 1st, 2015 at 10:46 am
Ok…his comments about Tillman while not politically correct, it was not wrong. He was a d-bag for saying it though but that’s Simeon. The guy does belong in the hall because he was exceptional for such a long period of time. The only thing you can knock him on is his play against the run.
March 1st, 2015 at 10:58 am
Simeon is HOF worthy on so many levels. I happened to meet him with my very young kids at a training camp in Orlando, and he was such a cool guy, so nice to my boys. I believe he was the catalyst that set the TB defense on it’s path to greatness.
March 1st, 2015 at 11:01 am
Then his play against the run shows he was not anything special at the DE position.
If he is going to the hall it won’t likely be soon or even mid term.
March 1st, 2015 at 11:19 am
Love the guy but he is NOT a hall of famer. Didn’t take plays off… he took games off. He was a great great pass rusher but don’t ask him to do anything else. I don’t like strahan and think he gets a lot of help for being likable and in the media now, but he was very productive late in his career and was an every down / every situation guy
March 1st, 2015 at 11:23 am
This homer and Sim fan believes he belongs in the hall. Actual beast unlike all the pretenders since. Thanks Lovie for bringing that disgrace to the position in last year.
March 1st, 2015 at 11:26 am
Sorry Buc fans… Rice has a few incredible years and he will always be remembered as one of the best Buc pass rushers ever… But three Pro Bowl years does not make a hall of fame career…
Its called the “Hall of Fame” not the “Hall of Really Good Players”…
And John Lynch won’t get in either… Unfortunately…
March 1st, 2015 at 11:58 am
Sapp has it right, Strahan is a gap toothed donkey.
March 1st, 2015 at 12:10 pm
@ Bucfan37
Lol… And Sapp is a whore stiffing idiot…
But we still love him…
March 1st, 2015 at 12:13 pm
mac Says:
March 1st, 2015 at 12:10 pm
@ Bucfan37
Lol… And Sapp is a whore stiffing idiot…
But we still love him…
———————
Unfortunately for me, this is true.
March 1st, 2015 at 1:12 pm
Dammit I miss Simeon on Sunday’s!
March 1st, 2015 at 4:23 pm
We absolutely stole Simeon Rice when he left the Cardinals. Unfortunately Rice got injured in his last season with the Bucs and after that he lost his burst.
Still remember the game with the ‘Skins where the idiotic ole ball coach refused to put a back in the backfield to help block and Rice ended up with four or five sacks that day.
Spurrier was so upset he didn’t play golf for two weeks.
March 1st, 2015 at 4:28 pm
So if Rice had said Audie Murphy would have made a terrible cornerback in the NFL that would make him unworthy to be in the HOF because it was the truth?
March 1st, 2015 at 4:39 pm
The whole T2 should join me in the hall. #20 #47 #97 #kiffin
March 1st, 2015 at 5:47 pm
“Its called the “Hall of Fame” not the “Hall of Really Good Players”…
And John Lynch won’t get in either… Unfortunately…”
Uh…..John Lynch should be a 100% lock for the hall of fame. Nobody played the safety position like him. 9 pro bowls?? Not getting in the hall of fame? No way.
Simeon Rice should be in as well; but it won’t surprise me at all if he never makes it.
March 1st, 2015 at 9:46 pm
Strahan yes. Rice? meh.
March 2nd, 2015 at 8:24 am
Rice should be in the Hall of Fame. I would take him over Strahan any day of the week. Plus he talks a better game. It would be nice to see him replace Strahan on FOX NFL Sunday.
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:50 am
@ Connor
Lynch had a chance to get in this year and didn’t even get close…
He is not getting in the HOF but I agree with you he was great…
March 2nd, 2015 at 10:32 pm
I don’t know if Sim is HOF worthy, but he definitely should be on the ballot.
March 4th, 2015 at 12:58 am
You guys really don’t know much about football. Simeon Rice is Hall of Very Good, Not Hall of Fame. Strahan was levels above this guy. It’s a reason why Strahan was a 1st all decade player and Rice was no where to be found on the list, or Strahan went to more Pro Bowls. Forget Pro Bowls because sometimes they can be overrated and players can be voted in just by name recognition you have to look at all pro teams. Strahan 4 to Rice 1. Defensive Player of the Year awards Strahan was unanimously voted in 2001, Rice none. NFC Defensive Player of the Year awards Strahan 2 to Rice 0. Strahan was also the most complete defensive end in the game during his era and arguably of all time. While facing constant double teams and triple teams week in and week out the man got the job done. Also it is a reason why when the NFL compile it’s list of 100 greatest football players of all time in 2010, it is a reason why Strahan made that list and Rice didn’t even come close to sniffing that list ever. Strahan was the standard at his position during his era. He was the guy coaches said be like him he is the best the league has to offer. Lastly, for those idiots saying he played left end, so did Reggie White, Deacan Jones, and now J.J Watt although he moves around a lot on the line his primary position is left end. And if it was that easy to get sacks at left end don’t you think every coach would move their best lineman or pass rusher to that side. Also playing left end you are not at the qbs blindside so he can see you and try to counter your every move. In addition, that side has so much traffic since most tight ends line up on the right side and where teams try to run at meaning you can’t be soft against the run on that side or else you would get folded up. Simeon Rice was a great pass rusher and that’s it. But so was Clyde Simmons. Leslie O’Neal, and Neil Smith and Kevin Greene and neither of those guys are in be it’s call defensive end, not pass rush end. Don’t you people realize the teams Strahan had in his conference. Dominant Dallas Teams of the 90’s and consistently good Eagles teams of the 00’s. He only had to face Erik Williams and Larry Allen twice a year and I dare you to call anyone of those guys soft. And Jon Runyan was not a bad player either, his was a good all pro player who was 6’7 330lbs that Strahan just dominated.