Warren Sapp: Rice Better Than Strahan 'Any Day Of The Week'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Warren Sapp got the Hall of Fame nod on his first try.
Giants great Michael Strahan didn't.
And it sounds like Sapp would give former Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammate Simeon Rice the next ticket to Canton over Strahan, who set an NFL record with 22.5 sacks during the 2001 season.
"Nobody ever talks about Simeon," Sapp told the Tampa Tribune on Wednesday. "Simeon was a better rusher than Michael Strahan any day of the week and twice on Sunday."
Sapp suggested that Strahan was successful because he lined up against the opposition's "worst lineman."
"You know the right tackle is the worst of the five," Sapp told the paper. "Strahan played right end his first four years. When they were putting the label on him as a bust, they put 'B-U-S. OK, let's transition him on the other side and see if he can play in his fourth year.' "
Rice had 122 career sacks in 12 seasons. Strahan is No. 5 on the all-time list with 141.5 sacks in 15 seasons, all with the Giants.
"They put him at right end and he couldn't do it, so they moved him to the weak guy," Sapp said of Strahan. "One-on-one with the (Eagles RT) Jon Runyans for eight quarters every year. Sim won't ever have his name brought up (for the Hall), and that's a shame. He's one of the best pass rushers I've ever encountered in my life."
Sapp was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in February. It was his first appearance on the ballot. Many thought Strahan was a lock, but he'll have to wait until 2014, his second year of eligibility.
The two retired players have had a long-standing feud, dating back to when Strahan broke the single-season sacks record in Jan. 2002.
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