5 best wide receivers in Los Angeles Rams history

[jap]

Only with respect to hands and perhaps speed. Isaac trumped him everywhere else (quickness, route running, blocking, selling himself as the primary target to make receptions easier for his fellow fly guys, etc.).

 

[Allen2McVay]

That's all fine and reasonable but then it's not a 'historical list'

 

[FarNorth]

Only with respect to hands and perhaps speed. Isaac trumped him everywhere else (quickness, route running, blocking, selling himself as the primary target to make receptions easier for his fellow fly guys, etc.).

No disrespect to Mr. Holt, and statistically very nearly a toss up , but I have to take Reverend Ike first. He had several years with hamstring injuries and not much support or his stats would have been even better. As one observer said, "Bruce's cuts are electric!" and also sheer elegance. One of the very greatest ever to play the game in my opinion.

 

[Mister Sin]

I, personally, think Holt was better than Bruce, just didn't play as long. But it is a 1a/1b deal for me....also....5 Best RAMS WR ever.

 

[Mister Sin]

I'm really excited to see Bruces induction speech.

 

[dieterbrock]

All I can say is that Holt got to spend his athletic prime playing for the GSOT at its best, while Bruce had a lot of tread off his tires by then.
Bruce's 119/1781/13 line & the 84/1338/7 next season with a bunch of chump QB's would be the difference maker for me, if they were even close.
Which they werent IMO, in fact I'd argue Ellard might have been better than Holt

 

[Merlin]

Only with respect to hands and perhaps speed. Isaac trumped him everywhere else (quickness, route running, blocking, selling himself as the primary target to make receptions easier for his fellow fly guys, etc.).

Bruce came through big for us in the Super Bowl too. Making that catch on top of the rest of his game... Yeah he's always gonna be better than Holt in my book.

And you know how important is that to come through like he did? Compare his 6 catches for 162 yards with a 73 yard TD to a guy like Cooks who fumblefucked his way through the game over a decade later sigh.

Also here's the rest of the receivers that day, pretty impressive outing by both our #1 and #2 wideouts:

Bruce 6 for 162 with 1 TD
Holt 7 for 109 with 1 TD
Az 5 for 17
Proehl 4 for 11

Proehl would play much better in the next Super Bowl but the big plays weren't there unfortunately. Fuckin Belichick man.

 

[jap]

No disrespect to Mr. Holt, and statistically very nearly a toss up , but I have to take Reverend Ike first. He had several years with hamstring injuries and not much support or his stats would have been even better. As one observer said, "Bruce's cuts are electric!" and also sheer elegance. One of the very greatest ever to play the game in my opinion.

I loved Henry Ellard as a Horns receiver. No other wideout was able to replace him in my affection ... until Isaac came along! I have waxed eloquent on many Horns forum concerning my admiration for Isaac's skills, and, wouldn't you know it - I'm gonna do it again!!!

Lynn Swann of the early glory days of the Steelers made the sliding catch one of his signature plays. Yet, only a few years into Isaac's career, an NFL scout noted that Isaac was making more Lynn Swann-esque sliding catches in a single season than Lynn made in his entire careerI

Another scout talked about how Isaac absolutely terrified opposing CBs because of his running motion. That scout described Isaac's running as gliding, meaning that he was covering ground in such a manner that made it virtually impossible for the opposing CBs to gauge just how fast he was moving as he approached them headon. When you combine that skill with his terrific route running and the fact that Isaac was one of those very rare players (like Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders) who could make 90-degree cuts at full speed, one can understand why Isaac was consistently double- and triple-teamed as a young wideout. He was literally considered uncoverable by a single CB in his early years.

Isaac knew how to sell routes extremely well - that is, he knew how to fool defenders into thinking he was the QB's primary target, thereby drawing multiple coverage and allowing easier 1-on-1 matchups for his fellow receivers.

And none of my bubbling of praises for Isaac is ever complete unless I also mention his prowess at blocking. Isaac was as complete a wideout as any who ever played this game and one of the best WR blockers in NFL history. His personal best blocking effort included an astounding 14! pancake blocks!!! in a single game! I truly wonder if that is an NFL single game record for WRs.

Yes, Torry had better hands. I remember seeing footage of Torry making one handed, behind-the-back catches while practicing just before regular season games. Both Torry & Isaac would wow the crowds with pregame receiving artistry before the actual game itself got underway. Torry was probably faster than Isaac early on as well. However, except for hands and straight-line speed, Isaac had Torry beat in every other aspect of the receiving game.

 

[dieterbrock]

And you know how important is that to come through like he did? Compare his 6 catches for 162 yards with a 73 yard TD to a guy like Cooks who fumblefucked his way through the game over a decade later sigh.

Cooks 8 catches for 120 yards?

 

[dieterbrock]

It was a 3-3 game in the 4th quarter and 10-3 with 4 minutes to go. There was no garbage time

 

[Allen2McVay]

Just a couple of points.

My initial post to this thread was more of a dig at the author (Skyler Carlin) of an article titled "The 5 Best WRs in L.A. Rams History" and then ignored two of the three Rams' WRs in the Hall of Fame. It's a good article ... Just a bad title.

It's natural to focus on what we have seen over what we did not. Legatron has got a nice thread going with Rams' players by numbers. I frequently comment and suggest players from the 1970's and 1980s. That period covers my youth and young adulthood. Just normal to focus on the teams and players we loved when we were young.

Finally, it's really tough (even impossible) to compare players from different eras. Personally, I don't think stats are the best way to do it.

It's especially difficult in the NFL. In a prior post on this thread, I mentioned the rule changes put in place in the early/mid '70s that significantly changed the game. Pass blocking was almost impossible and pass defenders could maul receivers all over the field. The League realized that fans liked scoring and passing, so the rules were changed to make pass blocking far less restrictive; and, at the same time, pass defense much more difficult. It changed the game.

I don't know who the best Rams WRs were. Based on the guys I have seen (I and go back to 1970), it was Bruce and Holt, followed ... very closely ... by Ellard and then Jackson. However, because I am a fan of football and Rams' history, I also know that Fears and Hirsch were elite receivers in their era; and, therefore ... IMO ... should be mentioned in an article about Best WRs in Rams History.

 

[Loyal]

Um...no Crazy Legs Hirsch? Any wide receiver list without Hirsch is bullshit.

and Tom Fears. Lists like this must reflect the context of their playing time(s). Simply looking at stats is misleading, because the forgotten the 1950's Rams were a great team for a few years. Especially if you include Jack Snow, who never helped win a championship. Not hating on him because Snow was great, but a list with no Hirsch or Fears? C'mon man... ~ Dave51 if he was still with us.

View: https://i.imgur.com/M9VqFZl.jpg

 

[ReekofRams]

For me it’s
1) Bruce,
2) Holt
3) Ellard
4) Hirsch
5) Snow

 

[Loyal]

For me it’s
1) Bruce,
2) Holt
3) Ellard
4) Hirsch
5) Snow

Hater ~ Tom Fears

 

[CGI_Ram]

I was going thru some boxes on Saturday and found a Bruce jersey from the 1990’s I used to wear. It’s in really good shape, might hang it.

Bruce was one of my favorites. We have had plenty of good WRs since, he’s still the best I’ve seen.

 

[dieterbrock]

For me it’s
1) Bruce,
2) Holt
3) Ellard
4) Hirsch
5) Snow

Just happy to see you posting, hope you are feeling better