49ers Are Stunned By The Loss Of Rice

Steve Young said it seemed surreal. Brent Jones wondered when the team had faced a bigger crisis. Terrell Owens faced the daunting task of taking over for the best who ever played his position.

The reality of losing Jerry Rice to a season-ending knee injury hit the San Francisco 49ers in different ways Monday with word the wide receiver underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments and cartilage.

“He has represented not only the iron in our team over the years but the will and the class, really totally encompassing what a 49er is to me and many others,” said Young. “So it’s hard to see him go down.

“It’s kind of surreal and not just because of the way I’m feeling,” said Young, still a little groggy after suffering his third concussion since last season.

“We’ve spent a lot of years together on the football field and we’ll miss him very much,” said Young, who has teamed up with Rice for 74 touchdowns, second in league history to the 79 between Dan Marino and Mark Duper. “I’m just grateful he can come back, grateful it’s not worse. That’s the way I look at it.”

Jones said there was no underestimating the impact of Rice’s loss, describing it as the biggest crisis the team has faced in his 12 years with the club.