[VadeRetro]

Pass defense was almost non-existent in the old AFL as well. Basketball on grass. But anyway, 11,000 yards doesn't dent the top ten all-time.

1. Jerry Rice - 22,458
2. Tim Brown - 15,761
3. James Lofton - 14,004
4. Cris Carter - 13,899
5. Henry Ellard - 13,777
6. Andre Reed - 13,198
7. Steve Largent - 13,089
8. Irving Fryar - 12,785
9. Art Monk - 12,721
10. Charlie Joiner - 12,146

[Alberta's Child]

Just look at those career yardage numbers. One of the most amazing aspects of Jerry Rice's career is that he would actually rank among the top receivers of all time as two different players:

If you separate his career into Jerry Rice #1 (his first 8 seasons) and Jerry Rice #2 (his last 12 seasons), both players would actually rank among the Top 20 all-time in both receptions and receiving yards.

Rice would also be something like the sixth-leading receiver of all time even if you only counted the numbers he accumulated after reaching the age of 30.