RAIDERS After 19 seasons, 42-year-old Rice still not satisfied

The future Hall of Famer entered training camp bigger and stronger.
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -- Standing in his locker, Jerry Rice looked to where Tim Brown used to dress, and rookie Carlos Francis now occupies the space.
The fact Rice is still around says a lot about his longevity and work ethic only a month from his 42nd birthday -- and a few days from the first game of his 20th NFL season.
"You know, I look at his locker every day and say 'Wow,' " Rice said Wednesday as the Oakland Raiders prepared for their opener Sunday at Pittsburgh.
Brown, who at 38 had been the team's longest-tenured member, was released during training camp because he didn't want to accept a drastically reduced role. And the Raiders promoted fifth-year receiver Jerry Porter to their No. 1 wideout option.
"Tim, to me, was everything for the Raiders, and he's no longer here," Rice said. "It says a lot about the way I work on the football field. I don't want it to be about what I've accomplished over the years.
"I want it to be where, 'This guy is still going to come out and work hard. He's going to give you everything. He's going to be a good leader. He's going to play every down.' I want to get the respect that way. And I think that's why I'm still here."
There are a lot of reasons, actually.
Hanging around
Rice still loves team meetings and "waking up Sunday mornings with butterflies." Pulling on his uniform is still a meticulous ordeal.
The equipment staff has learned to stash four pairs of uniform pants in his locker. How he feels in his jersey is as important as anything.
Sometimes, Rice wears a 32 waist, other days it's a 36 or a 34.
"I take pride in everything I do, and the way my uniform looks is very important," he said. "If you look good, you're going to play well. And that's really been my motto over the years, and I think I have had some success."
This season, he might be wearing the biggest pair.
Rice arrived at camp 20 pounds heavier than he's ever been -- he's since dropped 10 of those pounds and is currently carrying 210 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame.
Each season, Rice has something new he's determined to do to improve. This year, it was coming in stronger, bigger. He reduced his offseason cardio routine from an hour a day -- 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 on the stairmaster -- and became a self-described "couch potato."
Hardly. Rice still prepares the same way he did when he came into the league back in 1985 with the San Francisco 49ers. He still believes he can learn more.
Good opportunity
San Francisco let him go four years ago, claiming the team couldn't pay what he was worth. The Niners also wanted to see what their younger receivers could do with added responsibility.
Rice has insisted he's not holding a grudge. He appreciates he got a fresh start.
He still begins each season with something to prove.
"It's hard because you see so many guys come and go, and I've just been fortunate over the years to be able to be productive and still go out there and play to a level where the coaches still feel like I can be a factor," Rice said. "I never looked at the situation as, 'Well, I don't have to worry about it.' I think I used that to really work hard during training camp and try to prove to the coaches that I can do the job."
His numbers are too impressive to ignore. Rice holds 13 league records and 10 Super Bowl records, and has been picked for 13 Pro Bowls. He started all but one game during the Raiders' forgettable 4-12 season a year ago, leading the team in catches and yards receiving and scoring two touchdowns. His 47-yard TD reception at Kansas City was the team's longest catch of the season.
Heading into this season, he has an NFL-record 23,111 total yards from scrimmage after passing Hall of Famer Walter Payton during the 2002 season.