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Moving up the ladder

Posted December 20, 2007 10:00 pm

Hal Pilger

By Hal Pilger

Gatehouse News Service

And then there were two.

When Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce caught an 8-yard pass from Marc Bulger during Thursday night's 41-24 loss to Pittsburgh at the Edward Jones Dome, it catapulted Bruce past James Lofton's total of 14,004 receiving yards into third place on the NFL's all-time list.

Bruce, who totaled seven receptions for 87 yards against the Steelers, now has 14,070 yards, meaning only two players - Jerry Rice (22,895) and Tim Brown (14,934) - had more receiving yards than Bruce in the history of the league.

"It's big when you sit back and look at the numbers," Bruce was quoted on stlouisrams.com. "Like I say, I am very grateful. I give praise to God daily for the numbers that are being surpassed.

"When you look at the guys and the names, it's amazing that your name can be in the same group with the Tim Browns, the Jerry Rices, guys like James Lofton. It's amazing and humbling."

But don't expect Bruce to be satisfied with his current position.

"I will enjoy being No. 3, but I'm looking forward to No. 2," Bruce said. "It's still going, so it's not my time to sit back and look at the entire body of work."

With his final catch of the night - good for 21 yards in the third quarter - Bruce tied Art Monk for sixth place on the NFL's all-time receptions list at 940.

And no active NFL player now has accounted for more receiving yards than Bruce.

n RAMS RIDDLE: The two interceptions by O.J. Atogwe against Green Bay gave him seven this season, the most in a season by a Rams player since which year? Answer below.

n MEANS A LOT: Wide receiver Torry Holt says his seventh Pro Bowl selection on Tuesday ranks right at the top among all the NFL honors he's received.

"This one right here is probably the most special one that I've made since being in the league," Holt was quoted in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I'm trying to hold down a lot of emotion right now. This is an emotional deal right now for me.

"Coming off the knee surgery. And losing players. And having a 3-11 record (before Thursday's loss). The constant change at the quarterback position. The constant change in the offensive line position . . . .

"And to still be able to hang in there and try to stay somewhat consistent, and then to be thought of by your peers and by your coaches and the fans as an all-pro guy. It's a treat," added Holt, who recently eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the eighth consecutive season despite right knee surgery last February that left him at less than full speed.

Holt joins tackle Orlando Pace as the only Rams' players with seven Pro Bowl selections since the team moved to St. Louis in 1995.

n JACKSON'S ACTION: Despite suffering groin and back injuries that sidelined running back Steve Jackson for nearly five games, he closed in on a third consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season Thursday night with 85 yards on 12 carries, giving him 947 with one game remaining.

Jackson, who's averaged 100 rushing yards over the last six games, needs just 53 in the season finale Dec. 30 at Arizona for 1,000 and is proud of his performance, saying it represents "three consecutive years of playing at a high level."

n JUST IN PASSING: With his three touchdown passes Thursday night, quarterback Marc Bulger has 105 for his career and has moved past Kurt Warner (102) for the fourth spot on the franchise's career list.

The top three are Roman Gabriel (154), Jim Everett (142) and Norm Van Brocklin (118).

n RIDDLE RESULT: Atogwe's seven interceptions are the most by a Rams defender in one season since Dexter McCleon recorded eight interceptions during the 2000 season.

n END QUOTE: Linebacker Brandon Chillar, about pressuring legendary Packers quarterback Brett Favre: "I tried to give it to him as much as I could. I felt like I got a good shot, and to see him get up and smile was kind of funny. He told me that was an all right hit; he was smilin' and laughin'. And that's what makes it fun playing against a guy like that. He's having fun out there."

Hal Pilger can be reached at (217) 788-1548 or hal.pilger@sj-r.com.

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