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Legendary San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerrry Rice
Many of those who have followed the San Francisco 49ers During their 2-3 start to the season they are beginning to wonder what the identity of the team is or if they have already lost it in recent weeks.
Add to Jerry Rice among those followers who have opined on the subject.
Speaking in a Solas interview with Laura Britt on the “49ers Talk” program on Thursday, October 21, Rice himself questions the team: “What does the 49ers offense want to do?”
“I really do not know. I’ve been trying to find out, ”Rice told Britt around 7:45 in the interview below. “Are we a team that plays on the ground? Or maybe more by air? “
The 49ers are 29 in total yards by air and 21 in total rushing yards.
Rice explained how the offense played when he played for the 49ers
Fans who got to see Rice’s entire career could see how many records she broke. But they also know that Rice was part of an offense that was very advanced during the 1980s and early 1990s: the West Coast offense.
Rice, however, simplified the actual operation… And how establishing a certain aspect could benefit this 2021 version of the San Francisco offense.
“I’m always going to use this phrase ‘well, when I played’ which was a long time ago,” Rice said jokingly. But Bill Walsh was one of those people who believed we should play on the ground. And when we established the ground game we started to throw the ball… And that opened the air game.
Rice played Roger Craig, who ran for over a thousand three yards between 1983 and 1990 with Walsh, Rice and the 49ers. But the key, according to Rice, is to prioritize one.
“You have to choose between one of the two,” Rice said. “Or your team will prioritize the passing game and be open to playing on the ground or something. I think at the moment they are looking for what kind of team they will be. They don’t know what you want or what your identity is.
Rice is a huge fan of Deebo Samuel
There’s one job that Rice acknowledges works through this slow offensive start for the 49ers, and that’s his job: Wide receiver.
And the three Times Super Bowl winner highlights one player in particular: Deebo Samuel.
“What I’ve seen is that Deebo is having fun on the field of play,” Rice said. “And he’s going to catch those tough passes in the middle and he’s going to seek physical contact.”
Does legend believe that Samuel is similar to the Niners’ star tight end after that reception?
“He is just like George Kittle. Try to get over your rivals, “Rice said. “But he has also shown that he has the ability to produce big plays. And if you pass the ball to him, you know he’ll score. He’s having fun. “
Here’s the most recent example from the game against the Seattle Seahawks in 2021 that shows Samuel can be a bulldozer. You can see how he takes on three Seahawks defenders, but manages to outrun them to enter the end zone:
But Rice re-referenced the letter “I,” saying that if that’s the identity, then Deebo Samuel needs to be looked even further. You have to turn it on very early in the game ”.
Rice made this suggestion to the team for which he played between 1985 al 2000. You have to find the focus of the offense now.
“They have to decide as soon as possible because the season is not going to wait for them and the games are going to get tougher and tougher,” Rice said. “It will depend on the players who can find their identity and to be able to make this work and start winning games.”
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