We are two months away from training camp and with the Nuggets finished for the year, the Avalanche never getting started and the Rockies out of it already the focus is on the Broncos and their new side dish of Rice.

Yes Jerry Rice has signed on with the Denver Broncos after seemingly no other team wanted to help him extend his Hall of Fame career.

You see Rice is going to his third team in three years. He played the majority of his career with the 49ers and then went over to the dark side known as the Raiders in 1998. The Raiders wouldn’t give him the playing time he thought he deserved last year so he demanded a trade and got it to Seattle.

After filling in for the injured and troubled Koren Robinson the Seahawks thanked Rice for his contributions and decided to go in another direction. Enter the Denver Broncos.

Coach Shanahan worked with Rice while both were in San Francisco and offered him an opportunity to join the team. With that opportunity it was made very clear that he would compete for the 4th or 5th wide receiver position on the team.

The initial thought from most people was why a Hall of Famer would want to go to his third team in three years as a seldom used player instead of riding off into the sunset with a magnificent career.

If Jerry Rice still has the work ethic and passion to play in the NFL than why shouldn’t he be able to find out if he still can compete at the NFL level? Too many times we as fans want to decide whether or not a player should still be playing the game. Each time however it’s the game that tells the players they can’t compete anymore.

What do the Broncos have to lose by signing Jerry Rice? If he can still compete why wouldn’t they take a shot with him? He signed for the veteran league minimum and still has to make the team.

He’s a guy who has 197 touchdowns more than any other receiver to play the game. He may not have the speed he once did at age 42, but he can still catch the ball as well as any player in the NFL.

When Jerry Rice is in the game as a 4th wide receiver that means the defense is going to cover him with a linebacker or 6th defensive back. When that happens it’s up to Jake Plummer to find an open Jerry Rice to make the key catch and keep a Broncos drive alive or even score a touchdown.

The Broncos finished poorly scoring touchdowns in the red zone last year and Jerry Rice could just be the possession receiver the Broncos need when they get close to the end zone.

Let Jerry Rice find out if he can still play in the NFL. It won’t tarnish his image. He’s a Hall of Famer no matter what happens this year with the Broncos and if he can help them win a game or two or three why not have him on the team.

When you think of Michael Jordan do you think of him as a Washington Wizard or do you think of him winning all those championships with the Bulls.

How bout Muhammad Ali? You remember all the big fights he had not the end of his career.

I could go on and on with players that might have held on too long but the bottom line is if Jerry Rice still has the passion and work ethic to compete and can compete at the top level in football who are we to stop him.