Bruce calls it quits

ST. LOUIS -- Wide receiver Isaac Bruce, whose four Pro Bowls firmly established him among the greatest players in Rams history, retired Wednesday with a message for a struggling franchise that has hit bottom: Be proud of who you are.

"I'd would say, 'Watch your mouth,'" Bruce said of advice he would offer the Rams. "Watch what you say about the team and the organization. And expect great things to happen."

The 37-year-old Bruce is retiring after 16 seasons in which he set virtually every franchise receiving record. He's second in the NFL in career receiving yards with 15,208, tied for second in yards per catch (14.9), fifth in catches (1,024) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (91). He also helped the Rams win the Super Bowl in 2000.

The Rams will honor Bruce by retiring his No. 80 on Oct. 31 during a game against Carolina.

"He was one of the guys early in my career that showed me what it meant to be an NFL player and how to work to become the best," former teammate Kurt Warner said in a statement.

How long had Bruce been in the league?

He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1994, the year before they moved to St. Louis. He came to a team that was among the worst in the NFL -- a situation the current Rams, including No. 1 overall draft pick Sam Bradford -- can relate to. St. Louis was 1-15 in 2009.

Bruce only played on losing teams until 1999, when the arrival of Warner at quarterback, Marshall Faulk at running back and rookie Torry Holt as his counterpart at wide receiver helped to create the "Greatest Show on Turf." The Rams went 13-3 and defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-16 in a dramatic Super Bowl, with Bruce scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the final 2 minutes.

Bruce said he doesn't know exactly what he'll do next, but he believes his career is worthy of the Hall of Fame.