ST. LOUIS (AP) -Isaac Bruce is on the cusp of two more milestones in a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
Bruce needs 60 yards to pass Tim Brown for second in career yards receiving and six receptions to become only the fifth player to accumulate 1,000 catches.
Funny that he may hit both in his first game as a visiting player in St. Louis, where he piled up eight 1,000-yard seasons during a 14-year stay, caught the winning touchdown pass in the 2000 Super Bowl, and played a leading role in what became known as the “Greatest Show on Turf.” At home games, P.A. announcer Jim Holder dramatically elongated the pronunciation – “B-R-U-U-U-C-E!!” – if one of his catches produces as much as a first down.
Nearing the end of his first season with the 49ers (5-9), the cord has not yet been severed. Bruce relishes his role in the glory days, offering an almost lyrical description of the play against the Titans that was the go-ahead score in the franchise’s lone Super Bowl championship.
Beyond the reception on a slightly underthrown ball from Kurt Warner, Bruce recalled minor details such as a fog that seemed to hover over the Georgia Dome field long after the halftime show. He adjusted the route while cornerback Samari Rolle tried to and slipped, the rest of the play concluding in slow motion and without sound with plenty of time to take it all in.
“People in the front row of the dome, their eyes were like bugging out,” Bruce said.
Bruce, too, as he glanced up and watched himself running to glory on the scoreboard just ahead, also taking note of offensive tackle Orlando Pace in the background “with a big paw in the air, celebrating a touchdown before I even got there.”
The Rams (2-12) released Bruce in a salary cap move last winter that was not popular given his contributions and tenure with the franchise that dated to the final season in Los Angeles in 1994. Beyond the milestone watch as he advances on Brown (14,934 yards) and prepares to join Jerry Rice, Cris Carter, Marvin Harrison and Brown in the 1,000-catch club, his homecoming will no doubt spur interest in the home finale from a fast-dwindling fan base.
It won’t be enough, however, to prevent a second straight TV blackout, and sixth in three seasons.
“They love Isaac in St. Louis,” Rams safety Oshiomoghe Atogwe said. “He’s Mr. Ram. Or was Mr. Ram.”
Rams coach Jim Haslett is among the admirers, although he diplomatically hedged when asked if he’d have pushed to keep Bruce if he’d been in charge last winter.
“I love Ike, I think the guy’s a great competitor,” Haslett said. “He was a heck of a player for this franchise for a long time. Still has a lot of juice left in him.”
Bruce would like to bang out both milestones this week, get the hoopla out of the way as part of his reunion game.
“I’m sure it’ll be different from the standpoint of walking down the visiting team’s hall, coming from the buses and seeing many of the ushers that I became friends with,” Bruce said. “The doctor in the X-ray room, I’m pretty good friends with him.
“The biggest thing will just be dressing in the visiting locker room. I think I’ve only been in that locker room probably twice in the years I spent there.”
Cardinals, St. Louis’ team from 1960-87, won their first division title in 33 years with an offense led by Warner, a two-time NFL MVP while with the Rams.
In his first year with the 49ers, the 36-year-old Bruce remains highly productive. He has a team-leading 52 receptions and six touchdowns, while averaging 14.7 yards per catch for a team that has surged since Mike Singletary became coach in mid-October. Before losing 14-9 last week at Miami, the 49ers had won three of four, beating the Rams by 19 points, edging the Bills on the road and beating the playoff-contending Jets by 10.
Singletary hesitates to say he’s “turned it around,” offering merely that the 49ers have played better lately and need to keep heeding his advice not to get caught looking ahead.
“I think for us right now, there’s not a whole lot of thought on next year or anything else,” Singletary said. “It’s just a matter of let’s take them one at a time and go as hard as we can and as long as we can, and see where we end up.”
The Rams had the second overall pick of the draft last April and will be on the clock very early in the 2009 draft, dragged down by 24 turnovers during the losing streak. They’ve been more competitive lately, especially at home, losing 23-20 to the equally downtrodden Seahawks last week after blowing a 17-7 halftime lead, and falling 16-12 to the Dolphins in Game 12.
Haslett had appeared a virtual cinch to return for a full season in 2009 after his 2-0 start, and despite the Rams’ subsequent swoon he remains popular with players.
“Believe me, guys are playing for him,” quarterback Marc Bulger said. “We wanted to win five weeks ago and we wanted to win last week, but we just haven’t been able to get it done.
“If we can win these last two it would be great, and it starts with San Francisco.”
Running back is a potentially pivotable position for the San Francisco-St. Louis rematch. Steven Jackson missed the first meeting with a strained groin, but has played the last three games while helping the Rams return to competitiveness. Frank Gore missed practice Wednesday with a sprained left ankle that sidelined him last week for San Francisco.
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