RamsFanCK's Ram Notebook

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - Many questions have been asked this offseason, including things like will Marshall Faulk retire, or how will rookie cornerback Tye Hill be in his first year? But a question that was posed on NFL.com seems to have Rams fans every starting blankly at their computer screens.

On a recent NFL.com poll fans across the league voted on who the best receiving tandem in the NFL was, and obviously the Rams Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt were one of seven choices. The surprising thing, they came in dead last with 6% of the votes.

In this “what have you done for me lately?” league the Rams receivers where grounded by there slow year. Keep in mind however that the slow year was due to injuries to not only receivers but quarterbacks.

Bruce missed five games, all in October, and Holt missed two in late October their numbers dwindled due to the simple fact of less playing time.

But then two weeks after both Bruce and Holt returned to the field their quarterback, Marc Bulger, became injured and did not play for the rest of the season.

As the next six weeks dragged on for a battered Rams team, Ryan Fitzpatrick manned the quarterback position, but was shortly replaced by Jamie Martin.

With all this complication the duo only gained 1,856 yards and scored 12 touch downs.

While still this is a far cry from poll topping Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin who caught balls for 2,811 yards and 17 touch downs neither of them where forced to put up with any serious injuries and where able to stay on the field.

As the viewing public put them on top they never reviewed what the other choices had done over last few seasons. Take Indianapolis’s Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne who were over looked by the public.

In 2004, quarterback Payton Manning’s record setting year, the two combined for 2326 yards and an astounding 27 touchdowns.

In 05’, however, their TD total dwindled by 10 down to 17. Dropping there stats below those of Boldin and Fitzgerald.

In the Rams glory days, which are soon to return under head coach Scott Linehan, Bruce and Holt combined for 18 touchdowns on the road to a Super Bowl win in the 1999-2000 season. But the past is always overlooked. Hence the “what have you done for me lately,” type of league.

The most confusing thing on the poll is that the Rams tandem is behind players that have yet to play with each other.

Those are the likes of Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn who are now both in Dallas and Keyshawn Johnson and Steve Smith who are united in Carolina. While all these receivers have put up great numbers no one knows quite how they will gel.

All said, the Rams receivers will take it to the field against the Denver Broncos in September and prove once an for all that their two number one receivers are the best tandem on the field.

*-quotes from stlouisrams.com and STLToday

E-Mial Cody Kittle at RamsFanCK@hotmail.com