Rams might miss Bruce even more today

From Matt Barrows, Sacramento Bee

ST. LOUIS – With 60 receiving yards today, Isaac Bruce will surpass Tim Brown (14,935 yards) and take over second place among NFL leaders. With Jerry Rice comfortably in the lead with 22,895 yards, that would leave two 49ers in the top slots. Of course, Rams fans might not see it that way. Bruce, after all, goes so far back with the franchise that he played a season for the Rams in Los Angeles. The taciturn Bruce characteristically made light of his place on the career receiving yardage list in an interview last week. But he admitted that returning to St. Louis, where he still has a home, will be memorable. "It means a lot," he said. "We've shared some things – ups, downs, in-betweens. It's special." Offensive coordinator Mike Martz provided some context.

Martz was Bruce's receivers coach in St. Louis in the mid-1990s and later returned to the Rams as their offensive coordinator and head coach. He said that Bruce always will be revered in St. Louis because for years he was the organization's lone bright spot. "He kind of represented St. Louis for many years," Martz said. "When we weren't doing well, he was kind of our featured player in the mid-'90s. … He played in the first game that was played in that stadium (the current Edward Jones Dome), so there's attachment, I'm sure, for Isaac in St. Louis, too." And while moving ahead of Brown is no big deal for Bruce, his teammates are taking it very seriously.

"It would be an unbelievable honor to be on the field with him at that time and be able to witness that," quarterback Shaun Hill said. "I know if you ask Isaac about it, he'll probably downplay it and all of those things. But that's an unbelievable honor, and hopefully we can get him to that." Bruce, who is in his 15th season, hasn't been as prolific in San Francisco as he was during his heyday in St. Louis, where he once went four consecutive seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards. But his numbers aren't too shabby as a 49er, either. Bruce leads his team in receptions and yards, and he has developed a quick rapport with Hill, who took over at quarterback at midseason. Half of Bruce's 52 receptions have come in the past four games, in which he has averaged 83.3 receiving yards.

That's why 60 yards doesn't seem so farfetched, especially against a Rams pass defense that ranks 24th in the league. Brown, meanwhile, isn't broken up about being knocked into bronze-medal position. In fact, he hadn't been keeping track of the totals. "I knew somebody would overtake me," he said in a brief telephone conversation. "When you look at some of the systems nowadays, if you play long enough, you know you're going to get the yards." Which begs the question: How long does Bruce, 36, plan to play? "If the Lord says, 'Isaac, that's enough football,' I'll stop tomorrow," Bruce said. "If the Niners have me back, then I'll make a decision."
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