Count on Jerry Rice getting to Candlestick Park early for tonight's opener between the Los Angeles Raiders and San Francisco 49ers.
He needs the time to make sure everything is just right, from the snugness of his jersey and helmet, to the precision streaks of eye black to his spotlessly clean socks and shoes.The way he puts on his uniform has become a something of a ritual for Rice and he has good reasons for wanting to go through it.
He believes putting it on just right helps him play better, and who would argue? Rice, whose receiving has helped San Francisco's offensive fortunes flourish, begins his 10th season just three touchdowns short of becoming the NFL's touchdown scoring leader. Running back Jim Brown's record of 126 has stood since he retired from the Cleveland Browns in 1965. Chicago's Walter Payton had 125 before retiring.
"Right before a game you might see me come in maybe two hours early to really take time to put my uniform on," Rice said. "I believe you play the way you look. If you go out there all slouchy and you don't feel good about yourself, you're going to have a terrible game. So I go out and I have everything well coordinated and I feel real good and I have fun on the football field. That's basically it."
Rice, last season's Offensive Player of the Year, already holds the record for most touchdown receptions (118) and has shown no signs of slowing down. He's coming off one of his most productive seasons, scoring a league-high 16 touchdowns, 15 on receptions and one by rushing in 1993. His 1,503 receiving yards marked an eighth straight 1,000-yard season, matching Steve Largent's NFL record.
He's not worried about how or when he sets another record, though he doesn't want to it become a distraction for himself or his team. Getting a good overall start should take care of everything, Rice said.
"Really, I'm not focusing on the record," he said. "I believe if you go into a ball game, if you execute, if you make plays, if it's going to happen, it's going to happen. It would be something very special to me. I'm not going to deny that. But in a situation like we're facing, I think the most important thing is to really get this team on a roll."
The Raiders will be doing their best to prevent that and get off to a good start of their own. Nickel back Albert Lewis said the Raiders secondory has the added incentive of not wanting to be associated with any sort of Rice record.
"That's not something you want to be part of," he said. "Hopefully, we'll do everything in our power as a unit to contain that."
Rice has had his problems against the Raiders. He hasn't scored against them in three previous games between the teams.
Like Rice, the 49ers also have had problems with the Raiders.
Last year's top-ranked offensive team, the 49ers failed to score a touchdown in losing the last two regular season meetings 12-6 (1991) and 9-3 (1988).
Steve Young, the passing efficiency leader the past three seasons, had one of his worst games since becoming San Francisco's starter when he threw two interceptions and completed just 18 of 35 throws in the 1991 loss.
"I played very poorly," Young said. "If you look back on the games where you didn't play well that would be one that would be in my memory. It all got better from there."
The game between the Raiders and 49ers is billed by some as a Super Bowl preview but neither side is anxious to second that notion, not this early in the year anyway.
"Our team is going to have a chance to be pretty good," Raiders coach Art Shell said. "We know we've got good talent here, but you can't talk about it. You've got to go out on the field and prove it."
Rice said the 49ers have to take the same approach.
"I'm not looking down the road," he said. "To me, the biggest game is this coming Monday night because you would like to start the season on winning note and try to get better as you go."