Mathew Stafford’s arrival in L.A. has Rams fans excited. According to Pro Sports Extra, it also has newly minted Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce very optimistic regarding the team’s chances to play a Super Bowl in their own backyard — SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
“I’m not just being a homer, but I feel like the Rams have a really big opportunity to play a Super Bowl in their own stadium,” Bruce says.
“I think a lot of people will agree with me when I make that pick. My former team, we have quite a few new additions, especially at the quarterback position – we just can’t get around that – with Matthew Stafford.”
Bruce spent 14 of his 16 NFL seasons with the Rams in St. Louis, and he was the go-to player in one of the NFL’s iconic offenses — “The Greatest Show on Turf” — along with Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and Torry Holt.
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From 1999-2001, the Rams set a team record for points (540, 2000) and accumulated 1,569 points. The Rams led the league all three seasons in total offense, passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Bruce was an absolute terror, finishing his career with 1,024 receptions, 15,208 yards, and 91 receiving touchdowns. He was inducted into Canton with the 2020 Hall of Fame Class last month.
He was presented by his brother and by longtime NFL PR legend Tony Wyllie. Wyllie recently retired from his lofty NFL PR gig and became regional president and managing director of Special Olympics operations in North America, Canada, and the Caribbean.
Super Bowl Drought
Bruce believes the Rams’ Super Bowl drought, which has lasted for over two decades, can come to an abrupt end this season. The explosive Rams squad that won Super Bowl XXXIV represents the last time the franchise was clearly the best in the NFL. We know how dominant the Rams defense is.
It ranked first in the NFL in points allowed per game last season. The addition of Mathew Stafford and the subtraction of Jared Goff is the difference. The offensive efficiency and big-play ability are expected to increase with Stafford.
Stafford spent the first 12 years of his career carrying a Detroit Lions franchise that couldn’t even tie its own shoes at times. He’s played through a musical chairs rotation of head coaches and coordinators.
The X-Factor
Stafford has a chance to seriously vie for a championship for the first time in his career with a talented Rams franchise that just went to the Super Bowl in 2018.
They could use some of those monster passing seasons Stafford’s become accustomed to. Hall of Famer Megatron is no longer on the receiving end of those passes, but Stafford remains one of the eight quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season. He can fling that thing.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him in that team, with the defense that we played last year, I think we have two of the more premier defensive players in the National Football League in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. So just with those new weapons, I’m looking forward to it.”
The Rams look much improved, but before the Rams and Bruce can entertain Super Bowl conversations, they have to get out of the tough NFC West, where a feisty Arizona Cardinals squad and a Seattle Seahawks team with Super Bowl aspirations are lurking.
L.A. smacked the Bears 34-14 last Sunday. The Colts should pose a bit more of a threat, but the barometer games are against the Bucs on Sept. 26, Seahawks on Oct. 7 and Dec. 19, and the Ravens on Jan. 2 late in the season, which will probably be a crucial game in the standings for both teams.
Those key games will determine just how ambitious the Rams should be this season, with all due respect to one of the greatest receivers to ever lace up a pair of cleats.
