Rice: Bears Need Impact Receiver
There is very little argument against the fact that Jerry Rice is the best receiver to ever play in the NFL. So when Rice decides to dish out some knowledge people take heed, and so should the Chicago Bears.
The Bears tried to take Devin Hester and turn him into a receiver. While it makes sense to do that to get Hester more touches in a game, it's not a switch that can be easily made.
"It's difficult to make that transition of running routes and being able to catch the football in very confined areas and stuff like that," Rice said on the Mully and Hanley Show. "It takes a while to make that jump."
LISTEN: Jerry Rice On The Mully And Hanley Show
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The Bears' offense is a long way from being considered a great offense, but it's not like they don't have anything to work with. Jay Cutler has an elite arm and proved this season that he can take care of the football. Matt Forte is a versatile running back that can consistently rush for close to 1,000 yards.
What the Bears are lacking is an offensive line and that impact receiver.
"I feel like they probably need to go get that guy that's gong to be a threat," Rice said. "That's going to have opposing teams say, 'Hey, we have to watch out for this guy, because he can just break the game wide open.' I'm sure [the Bears] are looking at an impact receiver."
Their salary cap situation and the impending lockout might limit what the Bears can do in free agency so they might have to try and find an impact receiver via the NFL Draft.
