St. Louis Rams top 5 single season records that may never be broken

The St. Louis Rams are a storied franchise. One that began in Cleveland in 1937, found their way to Los Angeles not even ten years later and landed in St. Louis in 1995 and haven’t looked back. A franchise that has been around as long as the Rams have certainly have hosted some spectacular players. We’ll take a look at five of the most significant single season records in franchise history.

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Passing Yards in a Single Season: Kurt Warner, 4,830 yards 

We will start this list with the single season passing record that belongs to Kurt Warner. Warner threw for 4,830 yards in 2001. Throwing for over 4,000 yards in the late 90’s and early 2000’s put you in rarified air. Even in today’s NFL, while a little more commonplace, still an amazing achievement. This record would be a long shot for most franchises, but given the Rams string of bad luck at the quarterback position it’s even more of a challenge for them. The closest player to challenge Warner’s record was Marc Bulger in 2006 when he threw for 4,301 yards, but still a couple of games off the pace. Warner would go on to receive league MVP honors that year and carry his Rams team to their second Super Bowl appearance in three years.

Receiving Yards in a Single Season: Isaac Bruce, 1,781 yards 

Isaac Bruce is regarded as one of the best, if not the best, wide receiver to ever wear a Rams uniform. Bruce would post his gaudy total in 1995, and not one Ram receiver since has ever been able to best him. Bruce would have a career year in 1995. He posted career highs in receptions with 119, receiving touchdowns with 13 and yards per game at 111. Bruce would finish fourth in the league in receptions and second to Jerry Rice in receiving yards. The next highest receiving yards total on the Rams roster that year, Troy Drayton with 458 yards. Another consequence of poor quarterback play is typically poor receiver play. Torry Holt finished just shy of 1,700 yard receiving in 2000 and again in 2003. After that, you would need to go all the way back to the 80’s to find the next closest total at 1,414 put up by Henry Ellard.

Sacks in a Single Season: Deacon Jones, 22 

Deacon Jones is one of the greatest players of all time, and viewed by some as the greatest Ram of all time. Jones was a master on the defensive side of the football. He specialized in sacking the quarterback well before the term sack was even coined, or recorded as an official statistic. Prior to the 22 sacks he recorded in 1964 and 1968, Jones unofficially posted totals of 26 in 1967 and 24 in 1968. His 26 sacks in 1967 would be an NFL record today. Jones, however, falls just shy of the modern day record, which stands at 22.5 and is held by former defensive end Michael Strahan. Jones was enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame in 1980, and he may have brought this record to rest there as well. The next closest total was posted by a member of the Rams current roster, Robert Quinn, when he totaled 19 in 2013.

November 2, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn (94) celebrates after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi

Interceptions in a Single Season: Dick Lane, 14 

Dick Lane was an architect of the defensive back position. Despite going undrafted in 1952, Lane would sign with the Los Angeles Rams and have an immediate impact. Lane posted his, still current NFL record, 14 interceptions during his rookie season. He used, what reporters at the time, called the “bait and switch” method. He would casually cover a receiver he expected to be targeted and leave a liberal amount of space. Once the play began, and the opposing quarterback began his motion, Lane would strike and jump the route to make a play on the ball. Players in today’s NFL use the same tactic, but they would be lucky to post half the number of interceptions Lane did. Don’t forget, the regular season in 1952 was only 12 games long. Players today will play 16 regular season games and are considered an elite corner if they post seven to eight interceptions. The last Ram to come close to Lane’s record was Ryan McNeil in 1997 when he recorded nine picks.

Rushing Yards in a Single Season: Eric Dickerson, 2,105 

Unlike the last player on this list, Dickerson was a first round selection in the 1983 draft. The Los Angeles Rams would make him the second overall selection behind quarterback John Elway. His 2,105 rushing yards in a single season are not only a Rams season record, but also the highest total ever for an NFL season. However, similar to Lane, his presence was felt as a rookie. Dickerson would set rookie records for carries at 390, rushing yards at 1,808 and rushing touchdowns at 18. All of these totals would be astonishing numbers for a modern day NFL running back. He would set his NFL record setting number in only his second year. He would rush for over 100 yards in 12 games and broke the 2,000 yard mark in 15. The next closest Ram to threaten Dickerson’s record was Steven Jackson in 2006, when he rushed for 1,528 yards.