ESPN NFL

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Jerry Rice left nothing to chance during his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks.

The all-time receiving leader certainly wasn't banking on enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, even if others viewed his candidacy as a no-brainer.

"It means the world because a weight is on your shoulder for so long and you just never know," Rice said after his selection as part of the 2010 class. "I never took it for granted. I'm a very superstitious guy and I didn't think of myself as being a shoo-in."

Rice's face revealed elation even well after his name was announced.

"When my name got called, it was just like when I got drafted by the San Francisco 49ers," he said. "All the emotions hit and like I said, I'm glad to be part of this class. Now I get a chance to say thank you to everyone that played a very important part in my life: my family, my coaches -- high school, college, professionally -- the fans and media because I drew energy from my fans and also from the people who supported me."

Rice became emotional when reflecting on his late father, the late Bill Walsh and the values his parents instilled in him through hard work and old-school discipline. Rice recalled the way his father made him lay bricks as a kid and the hard stares his dad would give him when young Jerry needed to be kept in line. He also admitted that some 49ers teammates initially wondered if he was showboating when he insisted upon taking every reception to the end zone during practices.

"But then it became contagious and Roger Craig started doing it, Brent Jones, and it was all for just getting in position so you could make blocks downfield," Rice said. "If you came to a practice for the San Francisco 49ers, it was just like a game situation."

Rice voiced support for Craig, Charles Haley, Tim Brown and the other former teammates who fell short on Hall of Fame voting.

Brown, one of 15 finalists this year, called Rice and offered congratulations -- on Friday.

"But still, I didn't take it for granted," Rice said. "I think he deserves to be in here, also."

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Five of the seven members of the 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame class have ties to current NFC West teams:

• 49ers receiver Jerry Rice was an obvious choice. There wasn't much discussion in the room because Rice's credentials spoke so loudly.
• Cowboys mainstay Emmitt Smith, who finished his career with the Cardinals, was another obvious choice. Again, there wasn't much discussion here.
• Former Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson, who finished his career with two strong seasons in San Francisco, broke through as a less obvious choice, beating out several other outside pass-rushers with strong credentials. Jackson started 14 games for the 49ers' 1994 Super Bowl team. He then collected 9.5 sacks in 1995 in his final season. Jackson missed only two games to injury during his 15-year career, and one of those missed games came only after a car wreck. Jackson never wore knee pads or thigh pads and he didn't even tape his ankles. I have no idea how he held up and produced at such a high level for so long.
• Defensive tackle John Randle, who earned Pro Bowl honors with Seattle after a long career in Minnesota, earned enshrinement. Randle was arguably one of the most dominant inside pass rushers in NFL history and I suspect voters couldn't ignore his staggering sack numbers in the end.
• Cardinals assistant coach Russ Grimm earned enshrinement for his work as the Redskins' best offensive lineman on the teams that won three Super Bowls under Joe Gibbs. Grimm has come close to earning enshrinement in the past. He becomes the first member of the fabled "Hogs" to earn enshrinement.

Seniors-committee nominees Floyd Little and Dick LeBeau also earned enshrinement.

Logjams at certain positions might have split votes for some candidates, particularly among wide receivers and outside pass-rushers.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- No matter what might happen Saturday in the NFC West, I won't be here to blog about it.

All four franchises could relocate to another country and word might not reach those casting votes in annual Pro Football Hall of Fame balloting.

The process begins at 9 a.m. ET and concludes with announcement of results at 5 p.m. ET.

None of us will know results until the announcement is made. I'll be presenting the case for Cortez Kennedy and will share thoughts after results are known.

Earlier: A look at 2010 finalists with ties to current NFC West teams.

Dan Brown of the San Jose Mercury News spoke with former 49ers offensive lineman Guy McIntyre regarding the Hall of Fame candidacies of Roger Craig and Charles Haley.

McIntyre backed both players strongly.

Sometimes it's helpful to speak with players' opponents.

Steve Wisniewski, the Raiders' retired eight-time Pro Bowl guard, helped out Wednesday when I asked him to contribute thoughts on Cortez Kennedy, another Hall of Fame finalist.

"I have already contributed to his sack total," Wisniewski joked.

Hall of Fame voting is Saturday, with results scheduled to be announced at 5 p.m. ET.

"Cortez was the most dominant interior lineman that we ever faced and certainly the very best against the run," Wisniewski said. "He had that ability to stop the run, to play with leverage, and have the quickness to hit the edge of an offensive guard and split the seams to put pressure on the quarterback."

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Was Jerry Rice the greatest player in NFL history?

The earlier item exploring Hall of Fame credentials for 2010 finalists with NFC West ties raised the possibility.

"Come on," blog regular redzone59 replied. "You could argue he was the greatest player at his position ..."

I've had that conversation and it wasn't even close. Rice was the consensus choice as the NFL's top receiver.

Give me your greatest player in history and tell me where Rice does not measure up. Is there another player who was, without a doubt, the absolute best player at his position in the history of the game?

I'll revisit this one later in the week, referencing some of the more compelling comments left here. Thanks in advance.

MIAMI -- Hall of Fame voters will consider nine 2010 finalists with ties to current NFC West teams.

I'll be presenting the case for Cortez Kennedy during the proceedings Saturday as the geographic representative for the Seattle market.

Two things about Kennedy have jumped out during my research:

• Kennedy was a great every-down player. Kennedy played at least 90 percent of the defensive snaps from 1991 to 1996, including 97.22 percent in 1994. He was a force against run and pass alike, not just a situational player or one-dimensional player.
• Kennedy and Hall of Famer Randy White are the only defensive tackles in NFL history with at least 150 starts, 50 sacks and eight Pro Bowls.

I'd like to use this forum to solicit your thoughts on Kennedy and the eight other finalists with ties to current NFC West teams. I'll single out a note or two on each player here to help get the conversation going (while fully recognizing that some of these players enjoyed most of their success for teams outside the division):

• Jerry Rice, 49ers WR. Arguably the greatest player in NFL history.
• Roger Craig, 49ers RB. One of three players in NFL history with 8,000 yards rushing, 4,900 yards receiving, 70 total touchdowns and four Pro Bowls. Marcus Allen and Marshall Faulk are the others.
• Richard Dent, 49ers DL. One of three players in NFL history with at least 135 sacks and 35 forced fumbles. Bruce Smith and Chris Doleman are the others.
• Charles Haley, 49ers OLB/DE. One of 10 players in NFL history with 100 sacks, 25 forced fumbles and five Pro Bowls.
• Rickey Jackson, 49ers linebacker. One of five players in NFL history with at least 125 sacks and 40 forced fumbles. Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Doleman and Jason Taylor are the others.
• John Randle, Seahawks DT. One of five players in NFL history with185 starts, 135 sacks and seven Pro Bowls.
• Don Coryell, Cardinals coach. Helped change the way teams played offense in the passing game, which helped revolutionize how defenses responded.
• Emmitt Smith, Cardinals RB. All-time NFL rushing leader.
• Russ Grimm, Redskins guard (and current Cardinals assistant coach). Arguably the best player on the most famous offensive line in NFL history.