The Pittsburgh Steelers came within inches of landing the best wide receiver of all time.
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers just barely missed out on landing who is widely considered the best wide receiver to ever grace the National Football League, if only one smart team hadn't traded up to steal a future Hall of Famer from them., according to Steelers.com's Bob Labriola, but the San Francisco 49ers leapfrogged them by trading with the New England Patriots to grab Rice four picks ahead of Pittsburgh.
"The Steelers held the 20th overall pick in that draft, and as the picking in the first round moved into the teens, Noll was prepared to spend the team's selection on Rice," Labriola wrote.
Hindsight is always 20/20 but Sims' career pales in comparison to Rice's legendary run. He's the NFL's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, all-purpose yards and total touchdowns. He earned 13 Pro Bowl selections, 10 All-Pro nods, an MVP award, two AP Offensive Player of the Year distinctions and was named Super Bowl XXIII MVP.
The Steelers certainly had some strong seasons of their own during Rice's storied career, which spanned 1985 to 2004, but they were unable to cap any of them with a Super Bowl win. Meanwhile. Rice's 49ers captured three world titles over that same span. Pittsburgh has since been wildly successful, winning a pair of championships of their own in 2006 and 2009. But it's fair to wonder how many they'd have today if the 49ers didn't make the prudent move to reach for Rice in 1985.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Steelers 'had interest' in trading for 49ers' Deebo Samuel: reportThe Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly talked to the San Francisco 49ers about trading for Deebo Samuel.
Read more »
Report: Steelers Out on 49ers TradeThe Pittsburgh Steelers are apparently not in the running for either San Francisco star.
Read more »
Oakland airport officials reaffirm 'San Francisco Bay' name change, countersues San FranciscoOfficials with Oakland International Airport gave final approval to add 'San Francisco Bay' to its name, rebuffing claims of trademark infringement from San Francisco city officials and from SFO.
Read more »
San Francisco sues Oakland over new airport name that includes ‘San Francisco’SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco on Thursday sued Oakland after officials there voted in favor of changing the name of the city’s airport to San
Read more »
San Francisco sues Oakland over new airport name that includes 'San Francisco'San Francisco has sued Oakland after officials there voted in favor of changing the name of the city’s airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. San Francisco officials say the change will cause confusion and is already affecting its airport financially.
Read more »
San Francisco sues Oakland over new airport name that includes 'San Francisco'San Francisco has sued Oakland after officials there voted in favor of changing the name of the city’s airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport
Read more »