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BY IRA KAUFMAN

Simeon Rice’s Hall of Fame case remains on slow boil.

Since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, only 20 players have deposited quarterbacks on their rumps more often than No. 97, a terror off the right edge in Tampa Bay for six seasons.

Yet Rice’s name doesn’t trigger much enthusiasm among the 49 selectors who decide who will be fitted for gold jackets in Canton. It’s an enduring mystery because Rice has been eligible for induction since 2013.

Hall of Fame voters again deny retired defensive end Simeon Rice a shot to be debated for induction.

In that time, only twice has he made the list of 25 semifinalists. He advanced to the top 25 in 2018 and 2020, but was eliminated both times in the cutdown to the final 15.

This month, Rice once again was not among the group of 25 semifinalists, which includes edge rushers Jared Allen, Terrell Suggs and Robert Mathis. Only the 15 finalists get to hear their case heard, so Rice’s compelling resume remains buried in the shadows.

If you saw Simeon Rice play, whether it was with the Cardinals or Bucs, you know he was a consistent game-wrecker.

From 1998-2005, his 101.5 sacks were tops in the league.

He was very good in Arizona and even better in Tampa, where he registered 69.5 sacks, 19 forced fumbles, 4 interceptions, 37 passes defended and 67 tackles for loss in only 87 games before a shoulder injury led to his release in 2007.

For an eight-season stretch, no NFL player had more sacks than Simeon Rice.

When the games counted the most, Rice was at the top of his game.

In five postseason matchups as a Buccaneer, Rice posted seven sacks and four forced fumbles. He could easily have been named MVP of Tampa Bay’s 2003 Super Bowl victory, but the league wanted the media votes in early and Dexter Jackson had already made his mark with a pair of interceptions.

During his Hall of Fame speech in 2014, Derrick Brooks lauded Rice as “one of the best, if not the best pass rushers of his generation.”

So what’s the holdup?

Not every outstanding pass rusher sails into Canton.

Allen has been waiting his turn, despite ranking 12th all-time with 136 career sacks. Leslie O’Neal finished with 132.5 sacks, the same as Lawrence Taylor, yet he never made it into the discussion room as a modern-era candidate. He’s now languishing in the senior abyss, with dozens of other outstanding candidates waiting their turn.

The same fate could befall Rice, who was the second-fastest player to 100 sacks behind Reggie White.

“There’s no Hall of Fame without me in it,” Rice says. “I dominated when I played. There was nobody better at my position — nobody.”

That might be hyperbole, but Rice isn’t far off.

He was too athletic and smart for most left tackles to handle. And with Warren Sapp aligned off Rice’s left shoulder in Tampa Bay’s 4-man front, offensive coordinators faced an immense challenge in keeping quarterbacks upright.

You can’t blame Rice for being frustrated.

At the age of 50, he knows his Hall of Fame chances appear to be slipping away. The Hall of Fame panel is getting younger and soon there will be voters who never saw Rice come off the right edge with fury and precision.

There were many times when I saw Rice running laps around the field well after practice had ended. He kept himself in peak condition — and that’s why his shoulder injury in 2006 was so surprising.

When the Bucs released him the following summer, it seemed to be a rash move, but in essence, Rice’s glorious career was over.

He took a course at the New York Film Academy in 2009 and directed some projects, but he never quite got football out of his blood.

In 2017, he talked about a career comeback with the Buccaneers. He was only half-joking. Rice dealt with bouts of depression after his retirement, but he seems to be in a good place.

The Glazers should seriously consider Rice for the Buccaneer Ring of Honor. He was the final piece of a historic defense. If his case is ever heard by Hall of Fame voters and he’s passed over, Rice can live with that.

Somehow, some way, he’s got to get into the room where it happens.

Food, Fun & More For Sunday’s Bucs-Giants Game

Bring canned foods to help local food banks and/or a toy for a local child.

Bill Currie Ford, a mile north of the stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, is the place to watch the Bucs on Sunday.  The watch party runs from noon through the end of the game. Come anytime!!

Martin Gramatica will be there all day and Bill Currie Ford will feed you! Raffles and more.