Candid Cam: Rice's Hall pass arrives; Brown, Craig, Haley miss cut

Jerry Rice, the NFL's all-time leader with 208 touchdowns, found football's ultimate end zone Saturday. The former 49ers and Raiders receiver headlined a seven-member class selected for enshrinement to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

OK, all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith is the co-headliner. But he because was one of the Dallas Cowboys' dynasty-keying triplets that pained so many 49ers fans, let's give a polite nod to his first-ballot induction and move on to the rest of those honored.

Also invited to this summer's induction: Rickey Jackson (a long-time New Orleans Saints linebacker who played on the 1994 Niners' Super Bowl-winning team), Russ Grimm (the first "Hog" honored among the Washington Redskins' fabled offensive line) and John Randle (a charismatic defensive lineman with the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks). The two senior-committee nominees also made it: Floyd Little and Dick LeBeau.

Not too surprisingly, Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown was among the 10 modern-era finalists who failed to make Saturday's cut. This was Brown's first year of eligibility, but the 44-member selection committee wasn't wooed by his franchise-leading statistics and longevity.

Former 49ers Roger Craig and Charles Haley were eliminated early in Saturday's voting, which is a shame because both deserve to have their busts in Canton for all they did en route to championships.

Missing the cut once again was another wide receiver with

Rice and Smith shared a couch, knocked fists, hugged and grabbed hands when their selection was announced in South Florida, site of Sunday's Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints.

Rice making the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility is as shocking as the sun coming up every morning. For the record: Rice worked harder than the sun on most days.

* * * 49ers reactions * * *

Here are some reactions to Rice's Hall of Fame election, courtesy of the 49ers public relations department:

FORMER 49ERS OWNER EDWARD J. DEBARTOLO JR.

"Jerry Rice is not only the greatest receiver to ever play the game, in my opinion he's the greatest football player. I've never seen a player more driven or willing to work harder to become the greatest of all time. His perfectionism was evident in everything he did, in the way he carried himself both on and off the field. I am truly honored to be presenting my dear friend into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August."

FORMER 49ERS HEAD COACH GEORGE SEIFERT

"I don't think there's an argument that he's the best wide receiver to play the game, but he might also be one of the best overall football players to have played the game. The thing that made him most special was that he had the God-given abilities and he went beyond those abilities because of the way that he worked and his dedication to perfecting his game. There was often talk about being the best you can be. He probably carried that to the height of the statement. The way he interacted with the players and coaches — he was somebody that took to coaching and wanted to be the best. That's one of the reasons — or, that's the main reason — I think he's the great player that he was."

FORMER 49ERS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/QB COACH MIKE HOLMGREN

"Jerry was the most complete wide receiver ever to play the game. Talent, combined with an incredible work ethic, allowed him to be the best at his position."

FORMER 49ERS QUARTERBACK JOE MONTANA

"Jerry's the best to ever play the position. His numbers will probably never be reached. I watch the league all the time and there's no one who compares to his consistency, and the first thing is catching the football. He was just so good, and then John Taylor came along and made it hard for teams to double Jerry. And I can tell you, it's impossible to cover Jerry Rice one on one. Jerry got to the post more than anyone in history. I know if I was coaching and I was playing against the 49ers, I would tell my safety to play deep and stay there, and don't let Jerry Rice get behind you. If he does, you can just keep on running to the locker room. Somehow he always got behind the safety. I don't know how he did it, but I was happy he did."

FORMER 49ERS QUARTERBACK STEVE YOUNG

"Jerry was a supreme route runner. The way he moved was somehow predictable and he really made it easy for me to throw the football. He was just so consistent in his motion and movement that I always knew where he was going to be. We all know that he worked hard, but it wasn't just that he worked hard. There are a lot of hard workers who just peter out. Jerry was a hard worker for 40 years. He outworked everyone. He outworked free agents and even the guys who all they had was work ethic, he outworked them. And he was a star. He rose to every occasion. The bigger the moment the better he played. The playoff games, the Super Bowls, the Monday Night games. If there was a record to break, he would do it that day with the lights shining. His specialty was precision and you can't cover precision. And people questioned his speed. There were plenty of fast guys who would slow down when they put the helmet and pads on, Jerry got faster in uniform. He carried the equipment better than anyone who has ever played. On the street he might not be the fastest, but on the field he was faster than everybody."

FORMER 49ERS GUARD RANDY CROSS

"I happen to think that he's one of the Top 5 players to ever play the game, regardless of the position. Besides the obvious physical attributes he was born with, he had the rare combination and ability to press his God-given talents even further than he probably knew they could be pressed. He was always in just unbelievable shape. He learned from a guy like Roger Craig what it meant to have an offseason, what it meant to put those workouts together where you ran the trails in the morning and you lifted in the mid-day, and then you ran sprints at Stanford in the afternoons. He and Roger were doing stuff like that well before most everybody else got around to it."

FORMER 49ERS OFFENSIVE TACKLE STEVE WALLACE

"Living back in Atlanta, there are a lot of great NFL players in this area. When guys out here talk about the greatest player ever, it only lasts about a minute. Everybody says Jerry Rice, hands down. Having played with great quarterbacks in Joe Montana and Steve Young, this guy is on planet Pluto. He's beyond the Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame. He's the only guy that dominated a position so far beyond anyone else."

FORMER 49ERS FULLBACK TOM RATHMAN

"He was a true pro in all senses. He was very dedicated to his craft and was a great team player. Obviously, we all know what he did as far as the numbers and everything. I think that all speaks for itself."

FORMER 49ERS SAFETY RONNIE LOTT

"Jerry was so explosive off the line and had the ability to always finish plays like no one else before or after. One thing he had was an insatiable appetite to get an edge and be the best."

FORMER 49ERS GUARD RAY BROWN

"Jerry was a perfectionist. He really wanted the football. I guess all receivers do. At the end of the day, he gave you the results. I think I've been real fortunate to play with some great players that are in this organization, like Steve Young and those guys who are in the Hall of Fame. You would just think, Steve is in there, so the guy he's throwing a lot of balls to, he merits Hall of Fame consideration. I wish all those guys get in, especially ex-Niners."

Look for Cam Inman's Web-only "Candid Cam" takes whenever there's a breaking sports story, or whenever Cam's got something to say _ in short, just about every day. You can reach Cam at cinman@bayareanewsgroup.com. You can follow him at twitter.com/CamInman.