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Isaac Bruce Re-Signs With Rams (1 Viewer)

Bob Magaw

Footballguy
announced by local st louis journalist bernie miklazs, who definitely has ties to the team & inside sources... i would be shocked if this isn't officially announced soon... at which time i'll remove the unofficial from sub-title... so much for HOU speculation... this is, imo a big deal for rams... glad to see they stepped up to the plate for linehan, the city & fans... few teams will have better trio of WRs than holt, bruce & curtis... with bulger healthy, alex barron & steven jackson having a year more experience, this could be a dangerous offense again...

 
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The Rams felt that although Curtis has good straight away speed his hands are suspect.

Bruce is like money in the bank to Bulger.

 
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thanx to 2112 for espn link... here is the text...

Veteran WR Bruce to return to Rams

By Len Pasquarelli

ESPN.com

Just five days after being released by the St. Louis Rams for salary cap reasons, four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Isaac Bruce will rejoin the only team for which he has every played, ESPN.com has learned.

Bruce has agreed to a new, three-year deal worth $15 million and the contract is expected to be officially executed as early as Friday.

The contract will pay Bruce $6 million in 2006. Under his previous contract, he would have earned $8.1 million total from a roster bonus ($1.5 million), base salary ($6.5 million) and workout bonus ($100,000).

Although he received immediate interest from several teams after his release on Sunday night, and could have signed elsewhere because he did not have to wait until the start of the free agency period, Bruce's aim was to return to the Rams, if possible, to complete his career. One of the team's most interested in Bruce was the Detroit Lions, where former Rams head coach Mike Martz is the new offensive coordinator.

But Rams officials maintained a dialogue with Bruce and agent Jimmy Sexton, and the wide receiver met with team officials, including first-year coach Scott Linehan, on Thursday to discuss his future. Linehan reiterated to Bruce what he had said publicly, that he projected him as still fitting into the team's plans, and wanted him to return if salary terms could be agreed upon.

Negotiations with the Rams were aimed at meeting both sides' priorities. Bruce never visited other teams and there were no substantive contract talks with other franchises. Bruce, 33, represents the final link to the Rams' days in Los Angeles, having been the club's second-round draft choice in 1994. He is one of the most popular players in the St. Louis community and highly regarded by club officials and teammates.

The 12-year veteran has appeared in 167 games and started in 154 of them. He has 813 receptions for 12,278 yards and 77 touchdowns. Six times, Bruce has posted 75 or more catches in a season and he has seven seasons of 1,000 yards or more. His 73-yard touchdown reception provided St. Louis the winning score in its Super Bowl XXXIV victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Limited to 11 appearances in 2005 because of injuries, Bruce had 36 catches and 525 yards, his lowest totals since 1998, when a severe hamstring injury forced him to miss 11 contests. But the Rams and other teams feel Bruce has not slipped much physically and still has some productive years remaining.

 
bruce missed 5 games in 2005... before that, only one game previous six seasons...

in last three seasons prior to 2005, he averaged about 80 receptions, 1,100+ yards & 6 TDs... BTW, this doesn't reflect age-related decline... his last of the three years (2004), was the best, with nearly 90 receptions & 1,300 yards...

marvin harrison, LAST YEAR, had about 80 receptions & 1,100+ yards... good for #12 in receptions & tenth in receiving yards (he did have 12 TDs... bruce for the most part hasn't been big TD guy, with 7 his high in last 5-6 seasons... he did have 12 & 13 TD seasons earlier in his career)...

bruce's average was very close to what rod smith did in 2005... he was #13 in WR scoring in FBG scoring system... there must be a few WRs that make more that haven't been as productive...

as spike alluded to, a three year contract doesn't make it all guaranteed money... he looks like he has a few years left... but if he suffers a steep decline after two seasons, they should be able to let him go at that time...

bruce may be a half-step slower... but his game was never about sheer speed... even if this geezer can't run any better than a 4.5 now, he is constantly getting open on 4.4 guys, because he is silky smooth in & out of his breaks, doesn't chop his steps & need to regather his momentum, retains his speed through route stem & cuts at full speed... plus he is a wily, crafty vet that knows all the tricks...

he is still way above average at mission #1 for any WR... getting open... regardless of his admittedly relatively advanced age...

* he rarely takes a big hit, which has preserved him... great field awareness, when he catches the ball in the middle he almost always gets lower than defender trying to drop the hammer on him...

they don't call him the reverend for nothing... i'm pretty sure he leads a wholesome lifestyle, which has helped him maintain his fitness & edge... he plays younger than his chronological age...

 
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bruce missed 5 games in 2005... before that, only one game previous six seasons...

/SNIPPED/

bruce may be a half-step slower... but his game was never about sheer speed... even if this geezer can't run any better than a 4.5 now, he is constantly getting open on 4.4 guys, because he is silky smooth in & out of his breaks, doesn't chop his steps & need to regather his momentum, retains his speed through route stem & cuts at full speed... plus he is a wily, crafty vet that knows all the tricks...

he is still way above average at mission #1 for any WR... getting open... regardless of his admittedly relatively advanced age...

* he rarely takes a big hit, which has preserved him... great field awareness, when he catches the ball in the middle he almost always gets lower than defender trying to drop the hammer on him...

they don't call him the reverend for nothing... i'm pretty sure he leads a wholesome lifestyle, which has helped him maintain his fitness & edge... he plays younger than his chronological age...
:goodposting:
 
We all saw this coming. St Louis saved some cap space and are looking relatively deep at WR with Bruce back in the mix. Ive got Curtis, so Im not exactly psyched about it from a fantasy perspective, but Bruce is great for the Rams and hopefully will bounce back from a horrible year and produce. Sorry Houston fans. Maybe Givens??

 

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