Not since the Beatles and Bob Dylan entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 were a pair of nominees so deserving of election into a hallowed hall than Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice.
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame over the weekend, the first-time candidates virtually have their own chapters in the NFL record book.
Skip this paragraph if you are averse to large numbers. Smith's most dazzling digits: 4,409 (rushing attempts), 18,355 (rushing yards), 164 (touchdowns). For Rice: 1,549 (passes caught), 22,895 (receiving yards), 197 (touchdowns).
Each figures prominently in any back-and-forth on the most accomplished player ever at his position. No dispute there. So, let's create one.
Who was superior? Put another way, which would be the better building block for the all-time all-star team?
Let's bring Smith and Rice, one-on-one, to the debate table to state their case.
Gentlemen, start your arguments.
Smith: You need four yards? Just gimme the ball. Look at my average per carry: 4.16. I didn't have many breakaway runs, only six touchdowns at 50-plus. That means I hardly ever got stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Moving the chains, that's what I'm talking about.
Rice: With you, Em, the chains took baby steps. My average reception was 14.8 yards, not bad for a West Coast offence that rarely threw deep. I'm sure you've heard of the YAC (yards-after-catch) statistic. It was started because of moi.
Smith: Stop YAC-ing and listen to this, JR. Most running backs are toast after reaching one-third of my career total carries. Nothing against these guys, all of them great. But Walter Payton got his number called 500 times fewer then me, Barry Sanders nearly a thousand and Jim Brown about 1,800. You look up durable on your on-line dictionary, and my pretty face pops up.
Rice: You'll find my mug over in the G's. Specifically, under GOAT - Greatest of All Time. We can talk stats all day; mine are other-wordly compared to other wideouts. No disrespect, but you're contending with Sweetness, Sanders, Brown, OJ Simpson, Gale Sayers - all with better averages per carry, by the way.
Smith: And you've got Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison, my homeboy Michael Irvin, Terrell ?
Rice: Terrell Owens? Mr Dropsies? C'mon. Besides, those younger guys benefit from the league's no-touch rule with receivers. In my day, pass defenders got away with assault and battery.
Smith: Do I hear violins? Watch the video of me, Jer, and you'll see a human pinball, bouncing off one tackler after another. I was harder to bring down than a 103-degree fever.
Rice: OK, let's talk work ethic. Everybody knows about my legendary off-season training - 2-mile runs on an incline, with the last half-mile straight uphill.
Smith: Everybody knows because you described it to anyone with a microphone or notepad. How do you think I answered the bell in all but six games during my 13 seasons in Dallas? Wearing your nerdy-looking Breathe Right nasal strips? May I remind you that, against the Giants in '93, I separated my shoulder but stayed in when the Cowboys trainers took padding from knee pads and stuffed it into my shoulder pads.
Rice: Did somebody say Cowboys? That's the team with the amazing Troy Aikman handing off, Irvin receiving, Moose Johnston and a killer offensive line blocking for you, right? And you gained only four thousand?
Smith: This, coming from a guy who was served up balls on a dinner plate by 49ers Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young?
Rice: Allow me to quote the sage commentator Keyshawn Johnson: "Jerry Rice is probably the only guy at a position that is clearly, clearly the best ever at his position."
Smith: That's an ex-receiver, sticking up for one of his own. Let's hear from someone on the other side of the ball, Warren Sapp: "Emmitt is the greatest runner the world has ever known."
Rice: Uh, wouldn't that be Usain Bolt? Look, let's just concur that nobody at our positions were more productive and, because our different roles prevent valid comparisons, any team would thank their lucky stars to have us.
Smith: Agreed. But, since you mentioned stars, let me remind you who finished runner-up in the second season of "Dancing With the Stars." You. And who won the third season. Me.
Rice: You try doing the samba with a partner with two left feet. Now, if I'd had Ochocinco ?
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Company profile
Company name: Nestrom
Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
Based: Jordan
Sector: Technology
Initial investment: Close to $100,000
Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
FORSPOKEN
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Results
Stage three:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-43
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
4. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
5. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
6. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) UAE-Team Emirates, at 24s
General Classification:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-13-02
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin Fenix, at 12s
4. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
5. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
6. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
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