There are plenty of arguments about who is the greatest wide receiver duo in NFL history, but wherever someone’s opinions lie, the pair of Jerry Rice and Tim Brown for the then-Oakland Raiders must be mentioned.
The pair were already certified Hall of Famers when they came together in 2001, and what truly made them special was how successful they were despite both being near the end of their careers. Rice was 39 and Brown was 35 when they joined forces, yet both totaled more than 170 receptions and 2,000 yards in those first two years.
When it comes to seeing another duo that could be better than them, Rice isn’t sure we will see that happen, as he revealed in an interview with Raiders Newswire’s own Ryan Ward, via LakersNation.com.
“That’s kind of hard because you are not going to see that anymore,” Rice said. “Everybody feel like they have to be the guy and I always wanted to line up with Tim Brown because I would watch him across the bay. I never thought I would get the opportunity to play with him and I did. It’s something I’ll never forget, but we had a great time.
“The terminology for the Raiders was like so many words and sometimes I would miss a word and I would get a little frustrated because I didn’t know where to lineup. All I had to do was look at Tim and Tim would tell me (laughs). We had a great time and I wanted to help him win a Super Bowl, but we came up a little short against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where Jon Gruden had gone over to them and ending up losing that game.”
That Super Bowl loss is undoubtedly a sore spot for Raiders players and fans alike, especially as it came at the hands of former coach Jon Gruden. But even with that, the run that Rice and Brown had with the Raiders seems nearly impossible to replicate.
Imagine if CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson were to come together in 2035 after putting together individual Hall of Fame careers and then having a two-year run that includes a trip to the Super Bowl. That is still likely selling the Rice-Brown duo short for what they did.
There are plenty of other receiving duos that were truly amazing, but none could match what Rice and Brown did at a time when no one expected them to still be that good.
