Highlighted Year: Isaac Bruce, 1996

Wide Receiver, St. Louis Rams

Age: 24 (Nov. 10)

3^rd season in pro football & with Rams

College: Memphis

Height: 6’0”   Weight: 178

Prelude:

In two seasons at Memphis after transferring from Santa Monica College, Bruce caught 113 passes for 1586 yards (14.0 avg.) and 15 touchdowns, including 74 for 1054 yards and 10 TDs in 1993. He was chosen by the Rams in the second round of the ’94 NFL draft and had a quiet rookie season, with 21 catches for 272 yards and three touchdowns, before missing the last four games with a knee injury. Bruce broke out in 1995 by catching 119 passes for 1781 yards and 13 TDs, showing off his deceptive speed.

1996 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 84 [12, tied with Wayne Chrebet]

Most receptions, game – 11 (for 136 yds.) vs. Washington 9/22, (for 229 yds.) at Baltimore 10/27

Yards – 1338 [1]

Most yards, game – 229 (on 11 catches) at Baltimore 10/27

Average gain – 15.9 [13]

TDs – 7 [19, tied with seven others]

200-yard receiving games – 1

100-yard receiving games – 5

Rushing

Attempts – 1

Yards – 4

TDs – 0

Passing

Attempts – 2

Completions – 1

Yards – 15

TD passes – 0

Interceptions – 1

Scoring

TDs – 7

Points – 42

Awards & Honors:

2^nd team All-NFC: UPI

Pro Bowl

Rams went 6-10 to finish third in the NFC West.

Aftermath:

Bruce was slowed by injuries in 1997 and ’98, appearing in a combined 17 games with diminished production. Healthy again in 1999, and with an improved supporting cast that included QB Kurt Warner and WR Torry Holt, he had the first of three straight Pro Bowl seasons, scoring 12 touchdowns among his 77 receptions for 1165 yards in ’99, pulling in 87 passes for 1471 yards and 9 TDs in 2000, and averaging a career-high 17.3 yards on 64 catches for 1106 yards in 2001. Bruce stayed with the Rams until 2007, compiling a total of eight thousand-yard seasons and leaving the club as the career leader in pass receptions (942), receiving yards (14,109), and TD receptions (84). He finished up with San Francisco in 2008 and ’09, giving him overall totals of 1024 catches for 15,208 yards, which ranked second all-time in NFL history, as well as 91 TDs. Bruce added another 44 receptions for 759 yards and four touchdowns in the postseason, all with the Rams. He was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and the Rams retired his #80.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

1994: Hughes Returns Kicks for 347 Yards as Saints Edge Rams

The New Orleans Saints were coming off back-to-back losses and had a 2-5 record as they hosted the Los Angeles Rams on October 23, 1994. QB Jim Everett had come over from the Rams in the offseason and was doing well, but the running game was ordinary and the defense, once the team’s strong point under Head Coach Jim Mora, was now a liability. Tyrone Hughes (pictured above), a Pro Bowl kick returner who led the NFL in punt returns in ’93, would be making his first start at cornerback.

The Rams were struggling at 3-4 under Head Coach Chuck Knox. RB Jerome Bettis led the running game and QB Chris Miller was capable – when healthy. Rookie WR Isaac Bruce had been a pleasant revelation, but LA’s defense was also highly suspect.

There were 47,908 fans in attendance at the Louisiana Superdome. Tyrone Hughes returned the opening kickoff an innocuous 17 yards and the Saints drove 77 yards in nine plays. Jim Everett, appearing against his former team for the first time, started hot and completed passes to WR Torrance Small for 16 yards and WR Quinn Early for 11 while WR Michael Haynes gained 12 yards on an end-around. The series concluded with RB Derek Brown running the final three yards for a touchdown and Morten Andersen added the extra point.

The Rams punted following a short possession and New Orleans again drove to a score. Along the way the Saints converted three third downs, all on Everett passes, as they again went 77 yards, this time in 10 plays. The big one resulted in a TD as Everett connected with TE Wesley Walls from 30 yards out. Andersen again added the PAT for a 14-0 lead.

WR Todd Kinchen returned the ensuing kickoff 47 yards and that seemed to invigorate the Rams offense as Chris Miller threw to WR Willie “Flipper” Anderson for 23 yards to the New Orleans 30. Another pass completion was followed by two short Jerome Bettis carries before, on the first play of the second quarter, Miller threw to Isaac Bruce in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown. Tony Zendejas added the extra point and the home team’s lead was cut to 14-7.

Hughes returned the kickoff 23 yards and the Saints made it to their 46 before having to punt. However, they got the ball back quickly when, on the next play, Miller’s pass was deflected and intercepted by Hughes at the LA 12. New Orleans wasn’t able to reach the end zone, but Andersen booted a 21-yard field goal to make it a ten-point game.

Once again the Rams turned the ball over when CB Jimmy Spencer intercepted a Miller pass at the Los Angeles 42 and returned it to the 31. Everett went for the score with a bomb intended for Haynes on the first play, and while it fell incomplete the Rams were flagged for pass interference. With first-and-goal at the one, it seemed as though the Saints were on the verge of taking control of the game. But on the second play, RB Lorenzo Neal fumbled and SS Toby Wright picked up the ball at the two and returned it 98 yards for a TD. Zendejas added the extra point and suddenly, what had appeared to be a rout in the making was now a three-point contest at 17-14.

The Saints struck back with equal suddenness. On the ensuing kickoff, Hughes pulled in the kick at his eight and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown. Andersen’s successful conversion again made it a ten-point margin for the home team.

LA responded with a 33-yard drive in six plays following Kinchen’s 33-yard kickoff return. Miller connected on back-to-back passes to Bruce for 25 yards and also had a 10-yard run on a third-and-12 play. It set up a 47-yard Zendejas field goal and the New Orleans lead was cut to 24-17.

Hughes returned the next kickoff 31 yards but the Saints failed to move and punted. The Rams backed themselves up with penalties on their next series and Sean Landeta’s 55-yard punt was returned 25 yards to midfield by Hughes. With just 48 seconds remaining in the first half, Everett passed the Saints into field goal range and Andersen obliged with a successful kick from 40 yards to give New Orleans a 27-17 lead at the intermission.

The Rams started the third quarter with a new quarterback in place of the injured Miller, Chris Chandler. Their first series was a short one that resulted in a punt, which Hughes returned 13 yards before fumbling. Small recovered for New Orleans at his 35, and from there the Saints advanced 46 yards in 10 plays. For the most part, they kept the ball on the ground with Bates and Brown carrying, although Everett added a pass to Walls for 28 yards to the LA 30. Andersen capped the drive with a 37-yard field goal and the New Orleans lead was extended to 30-17.

Los Angeles responded with a long 15-play, 55-yard possession. Nine of the plays were runs by Bettis, who gained 41 yards, including one yard that converted a fourth down. Chandler completed one of his four passes and Zendejas kicked a 32-yard field goal.

The 30-20 score didn’t last long when, on the kickoff that was also the final play of the period, Hughes again returned it all the way for a touchdown, this time covering 98 yards. Andersen made it a 37-20 contest entering the fourth quarter.

The teams traded punts before the Rams put together a scoring drive. A long completion on the first play was called back for offensive pass interference, but Chandler hit on four of his next six passes and RB Johnny Bailey ran for a seven-yard TD.

The Saints followed up with a series that consumed 4:32 and reached Los Angeles territory. The drive finally sputtered out at the LA 39 and Tommy Barnhardt punted, but now it was time for the Rams to make a big play on a kick return as CB Robert Bailey (pictured at right) ran it back a record-setting 103 yards for a touchdown. No one had downed the ball when it sailed into the end zone, looking as though it would pass on through, but it bounced back and sat live and untouched. While Saints players complained that the ball had hit the end line and they heard a whistle, Bailey’s quick thinking as he picked up the live ball and took off was rewarded and Zendejas added yet another successful conversion. With just under four minutes remaining in regulation, the once seemingly comfortable New Orleans lead was cut to three points.

The Saints were able to get a first down on their next series as they ran the time down to 34 seconds before punting. Johnny Bailey returned it 14 yards to the LA 40, but Chandler was sacked on the next play and then threw a pass that was intercepted by CB Selwyn Jones to effectively end the contest. New Orleans won by a final score of 37-34.

It was certainly a game made memorable by big plays – there were four touchdown returns of over 90 yards. The Saints outgained Los Angeles (314 yards to 242) and had more first downs (18 to 13). The Rams also turned the ball over three times, to one suffered by New Orleans, and were penalized 9 times, at a cost of 84 yards, to five flags thrown on the Saints.

Tyrone Hughes set a NFL record with 347 yards on combined kick returns, with 304 on 7 kickoff returns and 43 on three punt returns. The previous single-game record for return yards was 294, held jointly by Detroit’s Wally Triplett in 1950 and Woodley Lewis of the Rams in 1953. Hughes also broke Triplett’s record of 294 yards for kickoff returns alone with his 304 yards and he became the fourth player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a game.

Jim Everett completed 17 of 26 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown with none intercepted. Derek Brown rushed for 86 yards on 26 carries that included a TD. Quinn Early and Michael Haynes each caught four passes, for 40 and 36 yards, respectively, while Wesley Walls had the most receiving yards with 65 on three receptions that included a score.

For the Rams, Chris Miller, before leaving the game with a concussion, was successful on 7 of 11 throws for 88 yards and a TD, but with two interceptions. In relief, Chris Chandler went 7 of 17 for 74 yards and was intercepted once. Jerome Bettis was held to 63 yards on 18 carries. Johnny Bailey had four catches for 36 yards while also running the ball once for a seven-yard touchdown. Isaac Bruce and Willie Anderson each gained 44 yards on three receptions, with Bruce having a TD among his. Lost in Tyrone Hughes’ heroics was a fine kickoff returning day by Todd Kinchen, who averaged 32.8 yards on his four returns. Also overshadowed was Robert Bailey’s record 103-yard punt return – the only one of his 11-season NFL career.

“I have the easiest part as far as being a punt returner and kick returner,” said Hughes. “All you have to do is get back there, catch the ball, and run. The hard job is up there on the blockers. They have to do the work and I get all the fun.”

“It was a pretty weird game,” summed up LA veteran guard Tom Newberry. “There were a lot of points scored in a lot of bizarre ways.”

The Saints continued to struggle, losing three of their next four games, and finished second in the NFC West with a 7-9 record. The Rams, in their final season in Los Angeles, were last at 4-12.

Tyrone Hughes led the NFL in kickoffs returned (63) and yards (1556) although his 24.7 average ranked ninth. His 6.8 average on 21 punt returns was only half of his NFL-leading 13.6 of the year before, but he did lead the league in non-offensive touchdowns with four (two on kick returns, two returning fumbles). 

2000: Rams Edge Bucs in Defensive Battle for NFC Title

After nine straight losing seasons, dating back to when the franchise was still located in Los Angeles, the St. Louis Rams rose to 13-3 in 1999 and were in the playoffs for the first time since 1989. 63-year-old Head Coach Dick Vermeil, in his third year at the helm following a lengthy hiatus from coaching, had built an offensive powerhouse, although it certainly didn’t look to be the case when newly-acquired QB Trent Green went down with a season-ending injury in the preseason. But in a stunning development, unheralded backup QB Kurt Warner stepped into the job with spectacular results. He was helped by the presence of outstanding veteran WR Isaac Bruce and rookie WR Torry Holt as well as, perhaps most significantly, RB Marshall Faulk, obtained from the Colts, who had over a thousand yards each in rushing and catching the ball. The defense was an afterthought but was also much improved. The high-powered offense had been on full display in a 49-37 Divisional round win over the Vikings.

On January 23, 2000 the Rams hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC Championship. Coached by Tony Dungy, the Bucs went 11-5 in topping the NFC Central and were coming off of a one-point win over Washington in the Divisional playoff round. They featured an outstanding defense that included DT Warren Sapp, linebackers Derrick Brooks and Hardy Nickerson, and SS John Lynch, all of whom went to the Pro Bowl. The offense was conservative and ground-oriented, depending on running backs Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn. QB Shaun King had replaced injured veteran Trent Dilfer and was attempting to become the first rookie quarterback to guide his team to a Super Bowl. Nevertheless, the Rams came into the contest as solid 14-point favorites.

There were 66,946 fans at the Trans World Dome hoping to see their team win its first conference title since moving to St. Louis. Kurt Warner received an immediate indication that he was in for a battle when his first pass was tipped and then intercepted by DE Steve White in St. Louis territory. The Bucs got a 25-yard field goal by Martin Gramatica off of the turnover to take a 3-0 lead.

St. Louis came back to score with a methodical 16-play drive that covered 74 yards and led to a Jeff Wilkins field goal from 24 yards. On the first play of the second quarter, the Rams got a break on defense when a snap to Shaun King, in shotgun formation, flew past the quarterback and into the end zone. King, seeking to prevent a possible defensive touchdown, knocked the ball through the end zone for a safety.

The Rams had a chance to score again after the free kick but a 44-yard field goal try by Wilkins was unsuccessful. The teams traded punts and the Bucs put together a promising drive that reached the St. Louis 24. However, Mike Alstott was then thrown back for a two-yard loss and King was sacked by LB Charlie Clemons to take them out of field goal range. Before the first half was over Tampa Bay threatened again, but CB Todd Lyght intercepted King’s pass at the St. Louis 33 to extinguish the drive. The Rams carried a precarious 5-3 lead into halftime.

Opening the third quarter, the Buccaneers put together a solid series that covered 66 yards in nine plays and included a pass from King to WR Jacquez Green for 32 yards in a third-and-eight situation that had more yardage attached due to a facemask penalty. Gramatica capped the drive with a 23-yard field goal that put Tampa Bay in front by 6-5.

The Rams came out throwing on their next series as Warner tossed nine passes and they moved from their 13 to the Tampa Bay 24. But the tenth pass was picked off by LB Hardy Nickerson at the Tampa Bay two to snuff out a scoring threat with just under four minutes remaining in the period.

The Buccaneers kept the ball on the ground and punted. Now in the fourth quarter, Warner again threw an interception in the Rams’ next series, this time with CB Brian Kelly giving Tampa Bay good field position at the St. Louis 42. The Bucs were unable to do anything with it and the teams again traded punts.

The Rams made a big play on defense midway through the fourth quarter when rookie CB Dre’ Bly intercepted a Shaun King pass at midfield. Six plays later, in a third-and-four situation, the Rams finally hit pay dirt.

With 4:44 left in the game, Warner threw to the team’s number four receiver, WR Ricky Proehl, who pulled the pass in along the left sideline over a leaping Brian Kelly for a 30-yard touchdown. While he juggled the ball momentarily, he came down cleanly in the end zone (pictured at top). The pass attempt for a two-point conversion failed but the Rams were back in front.

The Buccaneers had time but continued to come up short against the Rams defense. On their final drive, the Rams came through with two sacks of King, by DT Jeff Zgonina and DE Grant Wistrom. With 47 seconds left, an apparent 13-yard completion to WR Bert Emanuel to the St. Louis 23 was overturned on review. King, needing long yardage, then tossed two incomplete passes to end any hopes for the Bucs. St. Louis came away with a hard-fought 11-6 win to advance to the Super Bowl.

The Rams led in total yards (309 to 203) and first downs (17 to 12). Neither team was able to run the ball effectively, with the Bucs gaining 77 yards on 23 rushing attempts and St. Louis amassing just 51 yards on 21 carries. The Rams turned the ball over three times, to two by Tampa Bay, while the St. Louis defense stepped up with five sacks.

Kurt Warner, heavily harassed but never sacked, completed 26 of 43 passes for 258 yards with a touchdown but also three critical interceptions. The Tampa Bay defense did a good job of taking Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce out of the game – Faulk rushed for 44 yards on 17 carries, with six of those rushing attempts going for either no gain or a loss, and had only three catches for five yards, and Bruce gained 22 yards on three pass receptions. Instead, slow but dependable Ricky Proehl, typically an afterthought in the speed-based passing attack, gained 100 yards on 6 catches that included the game-winning TD and Torry Holt hauled in 7 receptions for 68 yards.                                                                                   

For the Buccaneers, Shaun King (pictured below) was successful on 13 of 29 throws for 163 yards with no TDs but three interceptions. Mike Alstott rushed for 39 yards on 12 carries and Warrick Dunn contributed 35 yards on 9 attempts. Dunn also was the team’s co-leader with four catches, for 37 yards, while Jacquez Green gained 59 yards on his four receptions.

“Kurt (Warner) and I talked prior to the play on a TV timeout,” explained Ricky Proehl, who had not caught a touchdown pass during the regular season, of the game-winning score. “He said if the safety comes we’re running a fade. They had good coverage. I went up to the ball and tried to screen (Brian Kelly) off. I was fortunate to make the play.”

“Kurt Warner put it (the pass) up exactly where he had to put it,” said Warren Sapp. “You take your hat off. He threw it early because we had the blitz on, but he put it in a perfect spot. That’s why he made the play.”

Speaking about the Tampa Bay defense after the game, a relieved Kurt Warner said, “they had a great scheme coming in. We never knew when they were going to blitz and when they weren’t. It seemed like everything we did, they were all over us.”

The Rams went on to win a close-fought Super Bowl over the Tennessee Titans. With Coach Vermeil stepping down into what became a brief retirement, offensive coordinator Mike Martz was promoted to head coach and St. Louis went 10-6 in 2000, losing to division-rival New Orleans in the Wild Card round. Tampa Bay came back to go 10-6 in 2000 and finish second in the NFC Central, although still grabbing a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. The Bucs fell to Philadelphia, also in the first postseason round.

2001: Saints Come From 18 Points Behind to Beat Rams

The New Orleans Saints were coming off of a 10-6 year in 2000 under first-year Head Coach Jim Haslett and were 3-2 in ’01 as they faced the St. Louis Rams, the team they had beaten out for the NFC West title and then defeated in the Wild Card playoff (the first playoff win in franchise history), at the Dome at America’s Center on October 28, 2001. The Rams, under second-year Head Coach Mike Martz, were a perfect 6-0 thus far and seemed almost invincible.

St. Louis, with its outstanding passing offense, struck quickly on the second play from scrimmage. WR Az-Zahir Hakim took the handoff on a reverse and the former high school quarterback proceeded to fire a pass to WR Isaac Bruce for a 51-yard touchdown. The Saints then fumbled the ball away on their first possession, as TE Cam Cleeland was stripped by St. Louis LB Don Davis after catching a short pass from QB Aaron Brooks. CB Aeneas Williams recovered for the Rams and five plays later, following pass completions by QB Kurt Warner of 25 yards to WR Torry Holt and 13 yards to TE Ernie Conwell, Conwell ran for a two-yard touchdown. St. Louis was ahead by 14-0 and the game was barely four minutes old.

New Orleans got on the board thanks to a 33-yard John Carney field goal, and the score was 14-3 after one quarter. But the Rams scored again early in the second quarter. A pass interference call on Saints CB Kevin Mathis gave St. Louis a 38-yard gain to the New Orleans 36 yard line, and then Warner connected on passes of 13 yards to RB Trung Canidate (filling in for injured star RB Marshall Faulk) and 19 to Bruce to set up Canidate’s one-yard touchdown run.

The Saints drove 66 yards in 12 plays for another field goal by Carney, this time of 44 yards. But Jeff Wilkins responded with a 54-yard field goal late in the period that gave the Rams a halftime lead of 24-6 (Wilkins had missed an attempt earlier that broke a string of 30 consecutive successful field goal attempts).

Down by 18 points, New Orleans came back in stunning fashion in the third quarter. First, rookie RB Deuce McAllister returned the opening kickoff of the second half 46 yards to the St. Louis 48. Two plays later, Brooks connected with WR Joe Horn for a 46-yard touchdown.

On the ensuing St. Louis possession, Saints safety Sammy Knight roared into the backfield on a safety blitz, batted Warner’s pass and intercepted it. His 13-yard return ended up at the Rams’ 16 yard line. New Orleans lost yardage on the possession, however, and settled for a 44-yard field goal by Carney.

St. Louis CB Dre’ Bly fumbled the kickoff and it was recovered for the Saints by RB Fred McAfee at the Rams 16. Five plays later Brooks rolled out and tossed a six-yard pass to Horn for a touchdown. An attempted two-point conversion failed when RB Ricky Williams was stopped short of the end zone, but the Saints were now only two points behind at 24-22.

The Rams went three-and-out on their next possession and had to punt. It took just two plays for New Orleans to take the lead when Brooks went deep down the sideline to WR Willie Jackson and connected for a 49-yard touchdown. Once again, the attempted two-point conversion failed, but the Saints were now ahead by 28-24.

The Saints onslaught continued when DE Darren Howard intercepted a short Warner pass and returned it 37 yards to the St. Louis 23. The resulting possession lasted five plays and ended with Carney hitting on a 23-yard field goal. The third quarter ended with the Saints in the lead at 31-24, having put up 25 points in the course of the period.

St. Louis finally got on the board again in the fourth quarter following a 12-play, 87-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Warner to Holt. With the score now tied at 31-31 and the clock winding down to under five minutes, it seemed as though the Rams would yet pull the game out. But at the New Orleans 23, Canidate, who had caught a screen pass, fumbled and safety Chris Oldham recovered for the Saints and ran 43 yards before being pushed out of bounds at the St. Louis 36.

A 14-yard run by Ricky Williams got the ball to the 22, but it seemed that the Rams had dodged a bullet four plays later when they blocked Carney’s 30-yard field goal attempt. However, Bly was penalized for being offsides, giving New Orleans a first down. They ran three times to run the clock down and Carney’s fifth field goal of the day, from 27 yards, gave the Saints a 34-31 win.


St. Louis outgained the Saints, 474 yards to 320, and had 25 first downs to New Orleans’ 15. But they also turned the ball over eight times, including the four that fueled the New Orleans third quarter comeback.

Aaron Brooks (pictured at top) completed 20 of 31 passes for 254 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Joe Horn caught 8 passes for 121 yards and two of the TDs. Ricky Williams led the running game with 77 yards on 17 carries.

For the Rams, Kurt Warner went to the air 47 times with 29 completed for 385 yards; however, while he threw for one TD, he also surrendered four interceptions (two by Sammy Knight, pictured above left). Isaac Bruce was the most productive receiver, catching 7 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown, but while Trung Canidate caught 10 passes for 107 yards, he only gained 19 yards rushing on 12 carries in relief of Faulk, including the one short TD. Az-Zahir Hakim, who contributed a touchdown pass, was the team’s leading rusher with 20 yards on two runs.

“They're not robots, they can be beaten,” said Joe Horn afterward. “I think we proved that today and we look forward to meeting them again.” The result was very different when the clubs met for the rematch in New Orleans – the Rams won, 34-21. Indeed, St. Louis lost only once more the rest of the regular season in posting a 14-2 record and re-taking the NFC West. However, they were stunned by the underdog New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. New Orleans failed to generate any momentum from the come-from-behind win, going 3-7 and losing the last four games of the year. The Saints finished in third place in the division at 7-9.

Kurt Warner (pictured below) was the NFL’s leading passer (101.4 rating) and also led the league in completion percentage (68.7), passing yards (4830), touchdown passes (36), yards per attempt (8.8), yards per completion (12.9), and percentage of TD passes (6.6).

Aaron Brooks, in his first full season as the starting quarterback, ranked fourth in the NFL with a career-high 3832 yards and tossed 26 touchdown passes, although he was also among the league leaders with 22 interceptions.

1999: Warner to Bruce TD Passes Propel Rams to Win Over 49ers

By Week 5 of the 1999 NFL season, the St. Louis Rams had already created a sensation. The Rams had not had a winning record in ten years and were coming off a dismal 4-12 campaign in ’98. Head Coach Dick Vermeil, who had made a comeback to the sideline in 1997 after a 15-year absence, had not been able to turn the club around and it appeared that things would not get better when Trent Green, the quarterback signed away from Washington as a free agent, went down for the year with a knee injury – Green had been playing well in the preseason, and so the blow was all the greater.

Into the starting job at quarterback came Kurt Warner (pictured above), a 28-year-old unknown out of Northern Iowa who had most recently been playing arena football and in the NFL’s developmental league, NFL Europe. The 6’2”, 220-pound Warner proved to have a quick release as well as a strong and accurate arm and was a comfortable fit in the wide-open passing offense installed by offensive coordinator Mike Martz.

After three games (the Rams already had a bye week), St. Louis was 3-0 and had run up convincing scores against the Ravens, Falcons, and Bengals. Warner had passed for 894 yards with 9 touchdowns against just two interceptions, taking advantage of an excellent group of wide receivers that included sixth-year veteran Isaac Bruce, rookie Torry Holt, second-year speedster Az-Zahir Hakim, and slow-but-steady Ricky Proehl.

On October 10, the Rams hosted the division rival San Francisco 49ers at the TWA Dome. The 49ers, under Head Coach Steve Mariucci, were 3-1 entering the contest. Moreover, they had dominated the Rams since 1990, when they were still located in Los Angeles, winning a total of 17 straight games. The 49ers were playing with Jeff Garcia at quarterback in place of veteran star Steve Young, who was out with a concussion (he would, in fact, never return).

The St. Louis offense maintained the established pattern of the first three games, with Warner tossing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Bruce to cap a seven-play, 83-yard drive midway through the first quarter. Along the way, Warner had connected with RB Marshall Faulk, a key offseason acquisition from the Colts, for a 23-yard gain in a third-and-six situation.

Just three minutes later, Warner tossed a second touchdown pass to Bruce, this one covering five yards. While the 49ers recovered as Garcia completed passes of 21 yards to WR Terrell Owens and 11 yards to WR J.J. Stokes in a six-play drive that resulted in a 42-yard Wade Richey field goal, WR Tony Horne returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards and, on the next play, Warner hit Bruce once more for a 45-yard TD. The Rams were up by 21-3 after one quarter.

San Francisco responded with a nine-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard touchdown run by RB Lawrence Phillips – a failed first round draft choice of the Rams who had behavioral issues that eclipsed his great talent and was roundly booed by the St. Louis fans. Along the way, Garcia had again done well, with two key passes that totaled 44 yards to RB Charlie Garner and a 19-yard completion to all-time great WR Jerry Rice in a third-and-13 situation.

The Rams extended their lead to 28-10 when Warner completed a nine-play drive that covered 89 yards with a 22-yard TD pass to TE Jeff Robinson. However, the 49ers got a break just before halftime when Warner fumbled in his end zone and it was recovered by DT Junior Bryant for a touchdown. The Rams’ lead at halftime was 28-17.

There was no more scoring until late in the third quarter. The Niners put together an 11-play drive that included a 31-yard run by Garner and ended with a 43-yard field goal by Richey to narrow the St. Louis margin to 28-20. It didn’t stay narrowed for long, though, as Horne returned the ensuing kickoff for a 97-yard touchdown.

For all intents and purposes, the game was over. The Rams scored one last touchdown in the fourth quarter, Warner connecting for the fourth time with Bruce on a scoring pass of 42 yards, and the final score was 42-20.

“I was happy more for the guys who were in Los Angeles with me and we went through a lot of trying times trying to beat this team,” Bruce said afterward. “I'm glad it's over.”

It was another convincing statement from Kurt Warner and the Rams offense. Warner completed 20 of 23 passes for 323 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. His 14 touchdowns in the first four games of the season were unprecedented in NFL history. Isaac Bruce caught 5 passes for 134 yards and the four touchdowns, while Torry Holt gained 67 yards on his three catches. RB Robert Holcombe gained 47 yards on six carries to lead the team, and RB Justin Watson was right behind with 46 yards on 11 attempts. Marshall Faulk was held to six yards on seven carries, but contributed 38 yards on four pass receptions.

Playing catchup throughout, Jeff Garcia went to the air 36 times with 22 completions for 233 yards, giving up three interceptions while completing no touchdown passes. Terrell Owens caught six passes for 60 yards while Charlie Garner added five receptions for 57 yards and led the team with 52 yards on 13 runs.

The Rams made it to 6-0 before losing two straight games, but then went 7-1 the rest of the way to finish first in the NFC West with a 13-3 record – the team’s best since 1975. They went on to defeat the Tennessee Titans in the Super Bowl by a 23-16 score. San Francisco went in the opposite direction, winning just once more to end up at 4-12 and in fourth place in the division. It was the first time the 49ers had finished under .500 since the 1982 strike season and was the worst tally since 1979.

Kurt Warner went on to have an MVP season (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers of America, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Bert Bell Award), leading the NFL with a 109.2 passer rating, 41 touchdown passes, 65.1 completion percentage, 8.7 yards per attempt, and 8.2 TD percentage. His 4353 passing yards ranked second.

Isaac Bruce (pictured below) had a Pro Bowl year (less surprising in his case – he was an established star who had previously been selected following the ’96 season), catching 77 passes for 1165 yards (15.1 avg.) and 12 touchdowns.