Rice gets his second wind at 39

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- For the last two years, with two different teams, Jerry Rice was told to scale back on his practice time. Rice wouldn't listen, and now the work is paying off for the Oakland Raiders.

"I've been a workaholic over the years and I've always pushed my body to the limit," Rice said Monday, a day after his best game as a Raider. "My approach has been to go out and be aggressive. It's all about preparation."

That approach has kept Rice at the highest level of competition. In his 17th year in the NFL, the all-time leading receiver showed no signs of slowing down in the Raiders' 34-24 victory Sunday over the San Diego Chargers.

He caught eight passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns. He's the team leader in touchdown receptions and, should he average 60 yards over the team's final seven games, he'll reach 1,000 yards for the first time since 1998. It would be the 13th time Rice has surpassed that mark.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden acknowledged that Rice, and some of the other veterans, are given the option of taking time off. So far, Rice hasn't taken advantage.

"This is a great receiver and as good a competitor as I've ever been associated with," Gruden said. "He loves football and he loves to practice. He doesn't back off at all."

With his former team across the bay in San Francisco, the philosophy was to save Rice's 39-year-old body from the daily grind. Being in the same system for 16 years, the 49ers felt he didn't need to take as much work. In his first season with Oakland, Rice feels he needs to work out some of the kinks in his pass routes.

"Even Tim (Brown) is trying to get me to step back a little bit," said Rice, known for his rigorous off-season training. "But in this offense, there are a lot of plays I still feel I have to get the reps. When you get out on the field without the reps, sometimes you don't know what to experience.

"I maintain that working hard will get you a feel for Sunday. You prepare yourself during the week, go out and play and see what happens."

There's no arguing with the results. Following Sunday's performance, Rice is on pace for 78 receptions, 1,026 yards and 11 touchdown catches. That would be his best season in three years, since the last time he was selected to the Pro Bowl.

"You're just not talking about some Joe Blow having a good season, here's a guy that has done it for more than a decade on a consistently high level," San Diego cornerback Ryan McNeil said. "When you go against Rice and Brown, you're going against two of the very best receivers ever to play the game."

While Brown, who has spent all of his 14 years in the NFL with the Raiders, is still the team's No. 1 receiver, Rice put his stamp on the Oakland offense with his effort on Sunday, though he doesn't want to place too much emphasis on one game.

"It was a good day, but I never make predictions. When you're given the opportunities you have to take advantage," he said. "You know Tim will put up big numbers. The both of us could go back and forth with big games, but the most important thing is maintain stability and continue to help this team win."

The Raiders have become a proficient passing offense, one year after leading the AFC in rushing. They're second in the AFC (behind Indianapolis) in passing. Brown and Rice are among the league leaders in receptions and receiving yards, and Rich Gannon is the highest-rated quarterback in the NFL.

"This is not the time to let down," Rice said. "This is the time to take your intensity to another level. Now you have to be even more focused. The scary thing is we can get better."

As for playing across the bay from San Francisco?

"This place is wild," said Rice. "It doesn't compare to anywhere else I've played. You look up and you see painted faces and a lot of excitement, a lot of energy. I love it."