Rams News

Bruce is back on the job for Rams
09/12 01:25 AM

By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

``Welcome back" was the congratulatory greeting to Isaac Bruce last week in the hallways at Rams Park.
"I never left," Bruce replied.
True, but last year at this time, Bruce was fighting the Hamstring from Hell, an injury that sidelined him for all but a handful of plays in the Rams' first five games.
So even in an utterly disappointing 24-17 loss to New Orleans last week, Rams fans took solace in the fact that Bruce is back in business. He caught 10 passes for 131 yards against the Saints. After Week 1, he leads the NFL in catches and is second in reception yardage.
"You almost take for granted everything Ike does," coach Dick Vermeil said. "I don't think there's another receiver in the league that can do everything he does."
Nonetheless, Bruce has been almost an afterthought as the Minnesota Vikings come to town with their heralded receiving trio of Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Randy Moss. Bruce doesn't look upon Sunday's game as any kind challenge to show what he can do.
"Not really," he said. "I basically know what I can do. I'm pretty sure their defense knows. But they have some great talent, with Cris Carter and Jake Reed, the two mainstays there. They add another dimension with Moss going deep."
The respect doesn't quite seem mutual, at least in the case of Moss, the rookie from Marshall. In a conference call with St. Louis reporters, Moss was asked if he would watch Bruce on Sunday to try to pick up some pointers.
"No," Moss replied. "The only receivers that I look forward to learning things from - one is Jerry Rice, the other one's Cris Carter, and the other one's Herman Moore. I don't feel there is any other receiver in this league that I can learn anything else from. . . . If you're not in that category with those three, then I won't look at it."
Actually, Bruce's numbers show he belongs in that category, although he hasn't been in the league nearly as long. Detroit's Moore, for instance, holds the NFL single-season reception record with 123, followed by Rice of San Francisco and Carter - with 122 apiece - and then Bruce with 119 catches (in 1995).
Bruce's 1,781 reception yards - also in 1995 - is the second-highest total in NFL history behind Jerry Rice's 1,848 yards in '95. In 1996, Bruce led the NFL in reception yards (1,338), beating out Reed (1,320), and finishing well ahead of Carter (1,167).
Bruce says he doesn't take Moss' remarks personally. "I don't even think it warrants a response from me because I let other things speak for me," Bruce said. "I let my play speak for me. He's not on my team, so why should he look at me?"

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