Will Isaac Bruce make it to the Hall of Fame?
by Ryan Van Bibber on Jun 10, 2010 10:24 AM CDT
in St. Louis Rams history
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PrintIt's official, Isaac Bruce has retired from football as a member of the St. Louis Rams. Ram_rod had links aplenty today to Bruce-related materials.
Be sure to check out the official Rams site for the video of his press conference, tribute photos and video and more. They've also got the transcript form his short chat with fans. As to his future with the Rams, Bruce tipped his hand in that chat:
Fan question: As of today, do you see yourself in the future connected with either the RAMS or the City of St. Louis?
Bruce: Yes.
I really hope the Rams bring him into the fold somehow. For team glistening with talented young receivers, a guy like Bruce could put them over the top.
Bruce played the game for us, making each Sunday a memorable occasion. Though his 4 TD effort in a 1999 win against the 49ers is pretty memorable, my favorite Bruce memory came in week two of 2007. The Rams were a long way from their glory days, that was obvious. The Rams lost an early lead, but battled the whole time, thanks largely to the 140 some yards Bruce had. I remember watching that game and thinking that the Rams had lost their way. They got blown out in their next two contests, and even though they did manage to win three games that season, it was clear that things were headed downhill and would stay there until the franchise changed the way it operated. Isaac Bruce was the exception, not the rule, and when the bulk of the roster wasn't playing with their hearts the way Bruce did, it was painfully obvious that something needed to change.
I don't get real sentimental about things. In fact, when it comes to sports I'm not a very sentimental guy at all. Just not the way I approach the experience of being a fan. However, I hated to see Bruce go. I knew that would hurt the Rams even though the rational side of me kind of understood what was going on. I was glad that he didn't have to suffer through the turmoil of 2008, but the Steve Spagnuolo couldn't have had a bigger asset in trying to institue his four pillars last season than Isaac Bruce. Bruce was "four pillars" before anyone even heard that term.
After years of bad management and turmoil, the Rams are finally on the right track. It's only fitting then that they brought Isaac Bruce back so that he could retire as part of a franchise finally back on the road to respectability.
I'm damn glad to see that Bruce retired a Ram.
There won't be another player like him. Fans, share your favorite Isaac Bruce memories in the comments.
As for the Hall of Fame question, there's not a doubt in my mind that he belongs there.
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Let me put it this way...
Franchises don’t just retire numbers as a novelty act. Hence why they aren’t retiring No. 10.
Hey Boofer...
that is so true. Of course Isaac belongs in the HOF! I’m glad to see that they retired # 80. I’m just waiting for the Rams to retire #13 next.
Yes, he is worthy, but...
will he actually get voted in…who knows?? When the HOF votes in Michael Irvin, but keeps out Chris Carter, the HOF obviously has no rhyme or reason as to who they do and don’t vote in. He absolutely deserves it and is worthy, but it’s crap shoot if he actually does or not.
That's exactly the point
Does he deserve it? Yes, but there are a bunch of receivers who are similar to Bruce but can’t seem to sniff the Hall. Not sure why, but it is reality.
Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.
- John Wayne
This should end all debate, he should be a lock to get in....
Regular season stats
- in career receiving yards
http://www.profootballhof.com/history/stats/top20/receivers.aspx
- in career receptions
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rec_career.htm
#2, #36, #98, #140 Most yards gained in a single season (1995, 2000, 1996, 2004) (#1 all time was Jerry Rice)
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rec_yds_single_season.htm
- Most games played in NFL history
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/g_career.htm
- in yards per game
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rec_yds_per_g_career.htm
Super bowl stats
- in total receiving yards #6 in yards per catch, and #9 longest catch
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/super-bowl/leaders.htm
AND HE HAS A SUPERBOWL WINNING TD!
The numbers got messed up in my post...
Somehow it changed the pound sign into bulleted 1’s
2 in career receiving yards
http://www.profootballhof.com/history/stats/top20/receivers.aspx
5 in career receptions
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rec_career.htm
9 in career TDs
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rec_td_career.htm
2, 36, 98, 140 Most yards gained in a single season (1995, 2000, 1996, 2004) (#1 all time was Jerry Rice)
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rec_yds_single_season.htm
99 Most games played in NFL history
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/g_career.htm
19 in yards per game
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rec_yds_per_g_career.htm
Super bowl stats
3 in total receiving yards 6 in yards per catch, and 9 longest catch
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/super-bowl/leaders.htm
I remember his 1,781 yard season
Rams had just moved to St. Louis. I was a high schooler in San Jose, CA and had a hard time following the games since they’d moved east- I maybe got to see them twice a year when they played the Niners. It was more often ugly than not watching the aging quarterback carousel bumble their way through losses.
So this kid Bruce starts lighting it up part way through the season. I remember him having some monster games, but they weren’t aired on West Coast TV and ESPN’s NFL Primetime often didn’t bother showing Rams highlights, so I’d be forced to read the box scores in the Monday morning papers. It’s ironic that the year Issac Bruce quietly put up the second best receiving season in NFL history, hated division rival Jerry Rice lit it up with THE most prolific season of all time. Tough break. But I remember thinking: That was Jerry Rice. On the Niners. They still had Steve Young, Brent Jones, John Taylor, even a not-yet-a-total-bust JJ Stokes. Here’s this second year player who had like 2-300 yards his rookie year, playing for the RAMS, getting thrown to by the likes of aging statues Mark Rypien and Chris Miller. Secondary receivers? (I just looked it up): Troy Drayton and Todd frickin Kinchen. And in that first Niners game, he outplayed Jerry Rice by hauling in 9-173 to Jerry’s 2-21 (nevermind we lost 44-10. This is about Isaac).
There was that monster last 3 games of 1995 where he went 9-136, 9-68, and 15-210 to close out the year. Sure they were all losses, but for the first time in years we had someone to be excited about. Still no one outside of the Rams really knew who he was until Kurt Warner came along, but for a kid in San Jose eagerly checking the morning box scores, he was all I had for a while.
Favorite Bruce moment ...
I forget what year, 2001 or 2002 (as in Greatest Show on Turf). I lived in Kansas City and went to the Rams/Chiefs game. Marshall Faulk threw up on the field (orange juice). The Rams were heavy favorites but the Chiefs really took it to the Rams that day. I think it was 14-0 before we could even blink but during that era, we never thought we were out of a game. We could easily score 28 points in a quarter. So Bruce runs an out and up right in front of me and Warner throws the ball (up) right as Bruce breaks for the out. I think it is a terrible pass until Bruce then breaks up the field and runs to the the ball is dropping to and catches it in perfect stride. Amazing in real life.
However, my favorite Bruce moment is later in this game. The Chiefs continue to beat us quite badly. Late in the first half Warner gets his finger broken on a snap from center (we had no idea until I got home and saw it on TV, all we knew was “Where the Hell is Warner?”) We are down by a ton (31 points or so) and Bruce catches a TD pass from Trent Green and Bruce doesn’t celebrate. He calmly trotted to the ref and handed him the ball. We were still getting our ass kicked. Celebration has no place in this situation. Do your job, act with class, do your job again. Maybe you celebrate if that TD puts you ahead, but not when you are getting smoked. I was very proud to be a Rams fan watching Bruce show such class.
I can take a beating ... I'm a Rams fan.
I was at that game too
I was living in KC (still do) and had gotten tickets as a birthday present for a Chiefs friend of mine. It was 2000, and the Rams went into the game 6-0, but played defense like the Chiefs were on a power play (how else do you explain an Elvis Grbac-led team rolling up 54?). Chiefs got up 20-0 and the two teams basically traded scores after that. The idiot in front of me kept turning around saying, “Y’all ain’t never seen a defense like ours.” Nevermind the fact that the Rams still scored 34 points.
It’s a shame that a great game like that by Bruce got wasted on a crowd of Chiefs fans.
"Bruce was "four pillars" before anyone even heard that term."
Very well said Van.
Favorite memory… the superbowl TD reception when it was tied at 16…
That was a typical Bruce style TD catch… coming back for the ball, then turning n a dime back inside and a sprint to the endzone.
No one, and I mean no one could change direction on a dime like Ike could.
Hope to see you soon Ike.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
cliche but easily the greatest bruce moment.
warner-bruce 73 yarder to take the lead in super bowl 34.
He'll get in eventually...
his numbers are too good, but as Tackle Box said, there are a lot of deserving WR’s who are not in, so he may have to wait a bit.
Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce
I would have loved to have been there to call it out one more time
You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In *St. Louis* his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition. Well, *Steven Jackson* was the best.
The whole crowd should yell BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE!!!! at this ceremony
I bet it would be super cool to hear that one more time.
I can take a beating ... I'm a Rams fan.
He better get in
He deserves it just due to the fact if you look at his stats he is the second best receiver of all time right behind Jerry Rice.
"Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that."
by Brandon Birkhead on Jun 11, 2010 10:06 AM CDT reply actions
EXACTLY!!!
Couldnt agree more – and im a niners fan
by SuspendingBJ on Jun 11, 2010 3:27 PM CDT up reply actions
I hope he makes it, but....
He was a great mentor and team-mate as well as just a class act his last two years with the 49ers.
I’m rooting for him to make the HOF, but I think he’ll be on the bubble. The HOF tends to award players not so much for career achievements but for being the best or one of the few best at their position for several years. What may hurt Bruce is that he was only selected to 1 All Pro team (third receiver) and only 4 Pro-Bowls. That means that by measurable consensus he was at best considered the third best receiver in the league 1 year and the 5-8th best receiver in the league for 3 other years. I’m not saying that’s where I’d rate him, but All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections are pretty good predictors of someone’s HOF chances. What may help him is that he was a featured part of a team that won a super bowl and went to one other SB and he was part of a historic offense.
I know what I'm talking about, I started at right guard for the 1992 College Park Falcons.
First Ballot
Hey Guys Niners fan here. but Isaac Bruce should be a first ballot HOFer. The guy was a great team player and still put up the stats to prove how great he was. Not only does his stats put him there but the guy was a great mentor for ALOT of WR’s in the NFL. Torry Holt benefited greatly and has had a good career. He helped Crabtree in SF who is going to go on to have a great career. In the end the guy should be first ballot just like Jerry “THE GOAT” Rice.
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