
| Bruce helps tutor Rams receivers | |
ST. LOUIS — The young St. Louis Rams’ receiving corps is getting some extra tutoring this week from the guy who holds all of the club’s receiving records. Former Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce is serving as a guest coach for a couple of days during the team’s training camp. “It’s cool,” Bruce said of coaching. “I tell people I have been doing it probably the last eight years of my career. It’s pretty much an easy transition.” Bruce worked as a coach with the Chicago Bears during training camp last year under the NFL’s minority coaching fellowship program. While he enjoys coaching, Bruce isn’t so sure he wants to work the long hours required of a full-time assistant coach in the NFL. “It remains to be seen,” said Bruce, who has a 19-month-old daughter. “I still have this time issue. I like to go home at night and be with my family. I like winning. I expect to do anything to win. I like going home at night.” Bruce was the last coach off the practice field, staying after for about another 20 minutes to work with wide receiver Joe West, a first-year player out of Texas-El Paso. “I really appreciate him coming,” Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said of Bruce. “He’s a busy man, and he has a busy schedule. I was glad he was able to squeeze in a couple of days. I love having Isaac around.” Asked what he can accomplish in span of a couple of days, Bruce said, “I think a lot can be done. We can walk and talk (during) the walk-throughs and tell guys what to expect from the defense. Just show them how to compete one-on-one.” Bruce will be in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday when former Rams running back Marshall Faulk gets inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He expects a large contingent of players from the Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf era also to be on hand. “You know what, we all expected it,” Bruce said of Faulk being voted into the Hall of Fame the first year he was eligible. “We expected to have this moment, this kind of reunion between all of the players showing up at Canton and supporting Marshall. I think it’s huge for this organization and it’s huge for him. Very well-warranted. I always said he was one of the better football players, not just running backs, to play this game.” Bruce, 38, played the first 14 of his 16 seasons in the NFL with the Rams. He’s the Rams’ all-time leader in receptions with 942, receiving yards with 1,109 and receiving touchdowns with 84. Bruce retired in 2009 after two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He’s third on the NFL career chart for receiving yards with 15,208 and seventh in receptions with 1,024. Bruce said some of the NFL veterans who helped him out early in his career were Flipper Anderson, Jack Snow and Jessie Hester. “Every veteran that was in camp helped me,” Bruce said. “Jessie Hester did one of the biggest jobs as far as route running, and really just opening my eyes. Then when I met coach (Henry) Ellard, he really opened my eyes to a lot of things. Guys like that just helped me develop as a wide receiver.” Bruce said he sees a lot of promise in the Rams’ receivers. He also was impressed with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ new system. “Just being in a couple of meetings tonight and this morning, I can truly say, ‘I like this offense,’” Bruce said. “I think guys on the outside (receivers) will really flourish in it, which will open up a lot for Steven (Jackson). I’m excited about it. If I was still playing with only one practice a day in training camp, I would be real happy right now.” While two-a-days have vanished from the NFL, Bruce said he doesn’t yearn to be practicing with the Rams. “Only in the capacity that I was in today,” Bruce said. “I played my last game, and I got all of my football out of me.” Gotta run!. Posted in 1, rams-news | Comments Off
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