Andre Reed couldn’t do it. Neither could Robert Brooks or Rob Moore.
But Jerry Rice, who turns 43 on Oct. 13, says he can help the Broncos.
“I still want to play football,” Rice said Wednesday after his debut practice with the team. “I still want to be able to run out on the field and hear the cheers and do all that.
“Plus, I wouldn’t be out here if I couldn’t play, if I couldn’t bring something to the table. That’s what I’m hoping to do here in Denver.”
But according to coach Mike Shana- han, there are no guarantees Rice will be Denver’s third, fourth or even fifth wide receiver. Bottom line: The most prolific receiver in NFL history must earn a roster spot.
“He’s going to have to come in here and compete with the rest of the players,” Shanahan said last week.
Willie Green came to Denver in 1997 at age 30 and gave the offense a boost. He caught 19 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns and became a reliable third-down target for quarterback John Elway. In 1998, he caught 16 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown as the Broncos marched to their second consecutive Super Bowl title.
But other decorated veteran receivers who came to Denver in the twilight of their careers – and who said many of the same things Rice is saying now – never made an impact.
Reed, a former Buffalo star, the fourth-leading receiver in NFL history with 951 career receptions and a strong candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2006, didn’t last the summer of 2000 in Denver.
“I think it’s always tough when you’re going to be in the Hall of Fame, and then all of a sudden you might not dress out for a game,” Shanahan said shortly before Reed asked for his release.
Yet even toward the end, when it was clear he was going to get little, if any, playing time with the Broncos, Reed maintained he could still play in the NFL.
“I’m not in my fifth year, this is my 16th,” Reed said then. “My ego isn’t that battered because I’m not a starter or because I might not dress for some games. I mean, it hurts. I’ve got as much pride as anybody else on the team. You want to play, you want to contribute. But if it doesn’t come down that way, I can’t cry over spilt milk. I’ve got to go on. So I’m going to have as much fun as I can. If this is the last year for me, and I don’t plan on playing next year, I’m going to make it as fun as I can. I don’t want to leave the game knowing I should be playing.”
After his release by the Broncos, Reed hooked up with the Washington Redskins. He finished the 2000 season – his final season – playing in six games with 10 catches for 103 yards and one touchdown.
Brooks, a star with the great Green Bay teams in the 1990s, played well enough during the 2000 preseason to be penciled in as Denver’s No. 3 wide receiver as training camp ended.
But he was slowed by a chronic hamstring injury – stemming from two back surgeries – and made just three catches in four games. He was cut with six games left in the season.
Moore didn’t fare as well as Reed or Brooks. The three-time Pro Bowl selection, who came to Denver from Arizona after suffering a serious knee injury, never made it out of the Broncos’ 2002 training camp and retired.
Rice, whose offseason workouts are legendary, arrived Wednesday in Denver with some gray hairs but no apparent health problems. He pronounced himself in excellent condition after going through the Broncos’ two-hour team camp practice.
“It was just dealing with the altitude, that was the only thing,” Rice said. “I got a little winded out there. When I looked around, there were a couple other guys winded, too. That was hope for me right there.”
Rice said his age is not an issue.
“I never give in to my age. I never do,” he said. “I keep pushing it as hard as possible out there. That’s why I’ve had so much success over the years.”
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
