Peyton Manning Rumors: Jerry Rice Says 49ers Should Pursue Manning

According to the latest report from Cam Inman of bayareanewsgroup.com, former San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice believes the team should pursue Peyton Manning to play quarterback.

"I think you go for it," Rice said Tuesday. "A guy of that talent, you've got everything in place. You've got a defense that smacks you in the mouth. You just need a little more out of the offense. That's not knocking what Alex (Smith) did. (Manning) can take you to a whole different level."

Rice likes the idea; it's plain to see. Many others have voiced this as the missing piece to the 49ers and their Super Bowl aspirations.

You all know that I've been against this in the past.

However, in light of a recent report suggesting Alex Smith might be looking for Ryan Fitzpatrick money, I have softened my stance a bit.

Many of you have suggested that Michael Crabtree would flourish if he had an elite quarterback throwing him the ball. While I don't necessarily agree with that, I am certain that Vernon Davis would benefit from Manning's arrival. Look at how good Dallas Clark was with Manning, and then consider that Davis is twice the athlete Clark is.

I also concede that the 49ers' running game could potentially become much more explosive with Manning under center. There is no doubt that Manning's ability to drop dimes from 60 yards away will force defenses to play for that possibility, thus freeing up valuable running lanes for Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter.

Still, there is no guarantee Manning will be able to play at the same high level that we're all used to seeing once he steps onto the football field in 2012.

The biggest caveat is that nobody knows where he is at in his recovery. Sure, we all saw the grainy video "evidence" of his rocket arm returning to form, but how much can you really tell from that video?

I have advocated for the 49ers to let Smith test the open market if the reports of his contract demands are true, but I'm not ready to hand over the team to Manning just yet. 

If Manning were healthy and we had no questions, I would be the first to say the 49ers should go all-in to get him for a few seasons. There are no guarantees about what he's capable of bringing to the team at this point, though, so I can't bring myself to stand behind the idea.

What do you think? Is Rice onto something here, or is this just all hot air?

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