Isaac Bruce … w/ vid on IB’s 25 career best plays

As Isaac Bruce prepares for in-person Hall of Fame enshrinement, he reflects on small moments of historic career

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://theathletic.com/2723278/2021/07/29/as-isaac-bruce-prepares-for-in-person-hall-of-fame-enshrinement-he-reflects-on-small-moments-of-historic-career/?source=emp_shared_article

LOS ANGELES — We know all of the highlights, statistics and feats that have vaulted longtime Rams receiver Isaac Bruce into “Hall of Fame” status. So, too, will future generations throughout history, as Bruce’s 2020 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame will finally be formally officialized with an in-person ceremony on Aug. 7, in Canton, Ohio — after a year’s wait, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bruce, who spent 14 of his 16 NFL seasons as a Ram, recorded 1,024 receptions for 15,208 yards and 91 touchdowns over the span of his career. He had eight 1,000-yard seasons, went to four Pro Bowls, won a Super Bowl and retired as the Rams’ all-time leader in receiving yards, catches and scrimmage yards.

But in speaking with The Athletic in July, it was the little memories that kept coming back to Bruce — the small moments behind the grand plays, highlight-reel catches, touchdowns, and even that Super Bowl ring itself.

(Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity)

Let’s go all the way back. When you were first starting your career, did you ever see this as a possibility for yourself?

Honestly, ever since I got drafted in 1994, I always used my imagination to compare myself to the greats that were currently playing at that time. I have a vivid memory of one of my first interviews … right after our first minicamp. I got asked what my expectations were for my career, and I remember saying, “To be the best No. 80 in California.” So that was pretty lofty. I didn’t shy away from it. (I was) always comparing myself, through my game, to the greats at that time. I guess, in the end, you could say that I was envisioning being a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

When did you start to feel like this achievement was really something that could happen?

After the initial interview, I got focused in on football. I got focused in on perfecting my craft, doing everything with excellence — making sure I was crossing T’s and dotting I’s. Doing the small things that I felt like a lot of people were not willing to do. Some people might call blocking “small,” but I don’t. There’s a lot of offensive coordinators that don’t call blocking “small.” So things like that — being in the film, and “looking for work” as we would call it. That really pushed me.

When I was finished playing, that’s when I took a look at the body of work and said, “OK, I think we have a very, very good shot at this, compared to the guys who have already been enshrined, the guys who were on the ballot.” I kind of just played football, made sure I was where my feet were at the time. And at the end, I kind of looked at the body of work and said, “Yeah, we have a shot here.”

You were so wholly invested in each moment — every snap, every practice — making that day about the day you were in. Are there some smaller things, that might go overlooked over the course of a career, that stand out to you even now?

The preparation part was really big for me. Learning from a guy like Henry Ellard, he was my coach for a while. Learning from other greats, as far as preparation was concerned — I felt like that was the biggest thing, really, was to put your body into situations and circumstances that were really uncomfortable. Then, once the season came about, to me it felt easy to play a game. It felt easy to line up and dominate a game, because I knew what I had been through in the offseason as far as the mental training, the meditating, the days on the track when I didn’t want to be on the track — forcing myself to go and have a full workout in the middle of St. Louis. In the spring of St. Louis, it could still be 40 degrees out. Training time starts maybe a month after the season ends. That was just my way of doing things. Those moments of preparation are unmatched, and I always think about those even today — just remembering the preparation part of things is always what puts you over.

On the harder days, what do you remember saying to yourself about getting to the work?

That’s easy. I would constantly say what I already had written down about being the best football player in the NFL. The best wide receiver. The fastest, the quickest, the most explosive. Calling myself a playmaker, a Super Bowl champion. I kept the words to a minimum when I was training, because I didn’t want to sabotage the work that I was putting in by opening up my mouth and inviting something in that I didn’t want to experience. It wasn’t a lot of talking when I was training and preparing. And thank God my coaches and (trainers) recognized that, and the people that I trained with did as well. I think we all learned a lot from each other in that aspect.

You mentioned meditation. What was your process there — and do you feel like getting in touch with yourself in that way helped you with the length of your career and the amount of work that you shouldered in that time?

I personally think that it’s the missing link for a lot of people. I felt like when I would kind of write down who I was as a football player, my identity, and what type of season that I wanted to have that year — I always started with the end in mind. I knew, between (then) and the ending, there would be hardships and it was going to be a roller-coaster ride. But I didn’t want to lose focus on who I was as a football player, which was my identity. I made it a priority. When I got up in the morning, I would go over what was written. I would go over goals, things I wanted to accomplish for that day. And (I would do the same) thing before I went to bed. You have so many guys, they spend their entire offseason in the weight room and getting prepared physically. But they neglect the mental part of it. I feel if you have the mental part under your control — I like calling it, “being promoted to management.” I tell myself and my body what to do, and not vice-versa. I felt like, for me, it was the missing link and the part that was needed for growth.

And all around you at the same time — storied teammates, coaches. Maybe some unsung people, as well, whether it was people in the training room or who inspired you in different ways.

The training room, where Jim Anderson was all of my career. He was a Los Angeles guy, before we came to St. Louis. And you just think about his job: For training camp, you have 85, 90 guys who at some point, you have to care for. Some guys aren’t used to being injured. Some guys don’t like being injured. And some guys end up in the training room way too much. My training sessions with Jim Anderson, he let me share his office with him for about 14 seasons, man. Just him.

Chris Clauson, Dana Leduc, Billy Long, all of these guys were my strength and conditioning coaches when I played with the Rams. I just felt like they were an integral part of what we do, and the way we look when we go out and played on Sundays and Monday nights. And Todd Hewitt and Don Hewitt and Jimmy Lake, the equipment managers, man, their jobs are so very important to us as players. They help us get dressed, they help us to look good and help us make sure we have the equipment to be successful. To me, that’s the last thing you actually do before you go on the field. The seeds have been sown, they’ve been planted. Once you get to that locker room, and put on your equipment, it’s harvest time.

Special moments, indeed. To be able to wear the Rams’ colors for as long as I did, it’s very special to me.

What were some of your favorite memories with teammates — things that happened “off the highlight reel?”

Oh, man, silly stuff. Challenging quarterbacks to (contests of) throwing footballs in buckets — which was probably a game that I never won. Every Friday — Fridays were two days before the game, so we’d do our goal line stuff — and when it’s just the offense, you need extra bodies on the defense to give a look. So it would be myself, it’d be Torry (Holt), it’d be Az (Az-Zahir Hakim), it’d be Ricky Proehl, and we’re actually trying to force Kurt (Warner) to throw an interception on the goal line! He was always stoic, completed passes and made the right choices. It was just things like that, that most people won’t realize and probably won’t see. Only a few of those guys, like the guys I mentioned, have that memory.

We’d try to tip the ball, and then one of us make sure we catch it. And the time we did that — I think it was only one time — we ran it all the way to the opposite end zone and scored a touchdown. (laughs) Everything had to pause until we got back. That was one of those moments.

The first practices I had, my welcoming moment, my baptisms in the National Football League, they all happened in practice — going up against guys like Todd Lyght, (Darryl Henley and Anthony Newman), being tutored by Jessie Hester and Flipper Anderson. These guys really helped me to be on the right path, and stay on the right path … just to watch these guys practice, and prepare to play — that did a whole lot for me.

Are there people you reflect back on now and think that they were a joy to play alongside?

Absolutely. Sean Gilbert, Roman Phifer, Todd Lyght. These guys were funny. Sean Landeta. Just a joy to play with these guys, line up with these guys.

You know, initially we did a lot of losing, when I first got there. It was serious business to us. But at the same time, we did some things that loosened and lessened the moment … they helped me to really become the football player and the man that I became.

Here’s the thing — if you’re trusting everybody to work hard and be prepared, and that game doesn’t go your way, I feel like there’s some bonding that goes on there. We did a lot of losing my first couple of years — we were pretty much neck and neck with Cincinnati with the worst record of the decade. So I think that built a lot in us. Then, at the same time, when your turn comes — you start winning more football games — you have those moments like we had in the Atlanta locker room. We had Todd Lyght, we had D’Marco Farr, we had Keith Lyle and myself — all Los Angeles guys — and we took that moment, and had a picture in that locker room after the Super Bowl win. Those special moments, like that, that just solidified the brotherhood even more.

I imagine it changes your mindset when you do finally get to that pinnacle. You’re not taking it for granted.

Oh, absolutely. I mean, the night before (Super Bowl XXXIV), Todd Lyght came to my room and we talked and reminisced about what we had been through. We reminisced about the season we were having. We opened up about the good, the bad, the ugly — and the very moment that we were in and what we were on the cusp of. As he’s leaving, he says, “Yo, man, we’re World Champions, man. Tomorrow.” And that really hit home. We still have that today. We still have the ability to pick up the phone, dial each other and we’ll go and have dinner. Fortunately, most of the conversation is about our times with the Rams.

You talk about a team that in 1998 was 4-12 … and we go from 4-12 to having the season that we had? Double-digits in wins, something we had never done as teammates, and we had the opportunity to play in a Super Bowl. Just that moment itself, it resonated above our career at that time.

To ultimately retire in a Rams jersey — what was that like for you, emotionally?

Just having that moment, to have the Rams trade back for me and allow me that opportunity to finish what I started, it was great. A lot of guys get that, some guys don’t. I just always feel like I have a home. Some guys who played in the league, they don’t have a home. But I do. And the Rams are my team forever — and I still get emotional about them on game day. Sometimes I think they can hear me. (laughs)

And then you get the gold jacket in the mail. Seeing that — wearing it — what has that been like for you?

Let’s be real — it’s one of those iconic sports pieces. When you think about it, from a numbers aspect, I’m No. 328. And you don’t have more than probably 350 guys who are Pro Football Hall of Famers. And about half of that are actually walking the Earth. It puts you in a special place … I think it commands what every football player who ever strapped on a helmet is looking for. It commands respect. I’ve always said, “We’re not interested in you liking us or disliking us. We’re interested in your respect.” I think having a jacket like that, it commands respect.

Had you seen me with this jacket on around my house, you’d have asked somebody, “Does he have a screw loose?” I was so excited — just wanted to put it on, take as many pictures as I could. It’s kind of like when I got my Super Bowl ring — I didn’t take it off for the first 30 days. Changing shirts, see what I look like in this shirt … and it makes every shirt look pretty good!