ST. LOUIS (AP) -The last original Ram from Los Angeles, Issac Bruce said Friday he has no plans to retire any time soon.
Bruce, who turned 35 on Sunday, is in his 14th year with the Rams. He’s under contract through next year.
“I could (play) three or four more (years) easily,” Bruce said.
St. Louis finally broke into the winning column last week, beating the New Orleans Saints 37-29. Bruce strained his hamstring, forcing him to leave in the third quarter. Hamstring injuries caused him to miss two games earlier this year.
Bruce has practiced all week for the Rams.
“Isaac doesn’t surprise me,” Rams coach Scott Linehan said. “He defies a lot of the odds.
Now Bruce and the Rams are poised to play their archrival Sunday. Bruce and the 1-8 Rams will play at San Francisco against the 2-7 49ers, who have lost seven consecutive games and switched quarterbacks this week. Alex Smith has been benched and Trent Dilfer will start.
However, the 49ers’ last win was a 17-16 decision in St. Louis on Sept. 16. Overall, San Francisco has won four of the last five meetings.
“See, I didn’t even know that,” Bruce said. “They’ve had our number the last two I can remember so they have gotten us pretty good.”
Bruce is poised to move up several NFL lists. He likely will pass Rams receivers coach Henry Ellard for sixth place on the career receiving list. Bruce has 13,763 yards and needs 15 to top Ellard.
“In passing, we’ve mentioned it to each other,” said Bruce, who has 910 receptions in his career. “It’s a pretty big deal for me. So, I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m one catch away. I’m more focused on James Lofton right now.”
Lofton, who retired in 1993, has 14,004 yards.
“The guys ahead of me are there to be caught,” Bruce said. “I’m going to push it as high as I can. I’m thinking 17 to 18. Thousand yards that is, not seasons.”
Ellard wore No. 80 before Bruce so the number has been worn by just two Rams players since 1983.
“I always said if we retire the No. 80 jersey, you’ve got to give Henry the eight and me the zero,” Bruce said. “He did a lot of great work in that jersey.”
Bruce also needs 28 yards from scrimmage to pass Chris Carter (13,940) for 20th place on the NFL’s scrimmage yards list. He needs one touchdown to pass Art Powell (81) for sole possession of 17th place on the NFL’s touchdown receptions list.
He likely will get them this week considering Bruce’s success against San Francisco. This will be Bruce’s 26th game against the 49ers. In Week 2, he had eight catches for 145 yards. In his career, he has 123 receptions for 1,871 yards and 10 touchdowns.
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