Rice and Sanders played their roles to perfection

Maybe in 20 years all will be forgiven between Michael Crabtree and Richard Sherman and they will yuck it up together and draft the Pro Bowl teams.

The players who were the focal point of the conclusion of Sunday’s NFC championship game are still just starting out as budding NFL stars. They have a long way to go in their careers, and even directions from Siri might not be enough to get them anywhere close to the exclusive neighborhood of Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders.

It’s interesting that the most individual battle in the ultimate team sport was front-and-center again Tuesday at the Ihilani Resort ballroom, a.k.a. Draft Central. Conditions were much more relaxed than Sunday in Seattle, with GOAT and Prime Time stirring comic relief, braggadocio and competitive fire into a tasty brew of Pro Bowl promotion.

Congratulations to whoever came up with the idea of draft duty for alumni captains Rice and Sanders. They hit all the notes perfectly on Day One.

Both were attired in classic Neon-ic style, shirts making the sun squint. Speaking of which, Sanders never dropped his shades once, outdoors or in, even while perusing his shopping list of football stars.

The only better fashion statement would’ve been showing up in full pads, since Sanders continues to say he’s planning on going all EA Sports and actually getting IN the game.

"Do not rule out that Jerry and I will play in the game," Sanders warned/enticed. "I see it right now, we have not heard from commissioner Goodell that I cannot participate. Jerry, he’s aged. But if worst comes to worst here’s what I’m thinking: Instead of having a coin toss to see who receives the kickoff, why don’t we just go one-on-one?"

Later, Rice stands up and poses to display his readiness.

"You see this body right here?"

Sanders waves it off.

"That’s why he asked. He saw your butt."

It was said in jest and for promotional purposes … maybe they didn’t like each other so much when one was a 49er and the other a Falcon 25 years ago. They’d yak and try to get in each other’s heads, but they held each other in high-esteem.

Rice said neither would sleep on the eve of a matchup.

"It was mano-a-mano against each other. … He wanted to shake my hand before the snap. I’m snapping his hand away. … We can do this after the game," Rice said. "Not that I disrespected you, I was in my zone."

Sanders was as loud and talented and twice as flamboyant as Sherman could ever hope to be. But after Sherman’s rant, Prime Time suggested on Twitter that he was out of line in ripping Crabtree.

Rice isn’t shy in evaluating the current players, when asked how their rivalry matches up to his with Sanders.

"Richard Sherman is a good defensive back. Crabtree is an up-coming receiver, he’s doing well," he said. "(But) give these guys an opportunity to earn that reputation. Just don’t give it to them. Hopefully they can be a great matchup in the future."

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Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. Read his blog at staradvertiser.com/quickreads.