Kurt Warner Says Rams’ Isaac Bruce a Hall of Famer Over Terrell Owens

A hot topic of conversation this week as been former St. Louis Rams head coach, Mike Martz, saying that  it was “ridiculous” to put T.O. in the Hall of Fame over Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner who played with Bruce and Holt, joined the Dan Patrick show on Tuesday to discuss the topic as well as a lot more. Here’s what Warner had to say:

Dan Patrick: Hot topic here: Hall of Fame. Terrell Owens leapfrogging two of your favorite teammates in Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Mike Martz, your former coach, had words he said you couldn’t even print. He was that mad. Can you be objective as an analyst for the NFL Network looking at Terrell Owens, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt as to which one is more of a Hall of Famer. They might all be Hall of Famers, but we have to decide this week, somebody’s deciding if, who’s getting in. Who would you put 1,2,3 on that list?

Kurt Warner: Well, I agree. I believe they’re all Hall of Famers, but if Im going to put one of those guys in at this point in time, Im putting Isaac Bruce in.

DP: Over T.O.

KW: Over T.O. I mean first of all, he’s the older guy. That’s how we know the Hall of Fame works, but he was maybe the most complete receiver that I ever played with, and I played with, at least what I believe to be four guys that will be Hall of Famers in Anquan(Boldin), Larry(Fitzgerald), Isaac(Bruce), and Torry(Holt). Most complete receiver, was the ultimate pro, probably would have had better numbers had he not been around the guys that he was around. But just, to me, when I think what the Hall of Fame is all about: he did it as well during his time as anybody, best route runner that Ive ever been around, individual that represented the league the way it deserved to be represented. So I probably would put him at the top, but I mean, you can’t deny T.O. and what he put up numbers-wise. I mean his stats are staggering.

DP. But do you factor in personality?

KW: I do. I mean I factor that in, because its just a big part of what I think it’s all about. Representing the league and yourself in a particular way. That I hold that to a higher standard than stats. And again, I dont vote, and thats why, because I know its specifically on what happened on the football field. But I think there’s an aspect to lifting your teammates up, to impacting the situation that you’re in in a positive way, and I believe all that should go into the Hall of Fame. But as I say, I mean, this is close. You could make arguments for every one of them. What I saw Torry Holt do early in his career and put up over 1,500 yards I think four straight years. I mean, incredible. I mean T.O. when you look at him, I mean it’s amazing because he bounced around to so many different teams, but to think that he’s number two all-time in yardage, behind the 22,000 we talked about with Jerry Rice. I mean staggering when you think about the stats and what they put up, but for me, I’d probably put Isaac in first.

It’s no surprise that Warner said he would put Bruce in over Owens. Bruce and Warner were both apart of one of the greatest offenses of all-time, and it was Bruce who caught the game winning touchdown in the team’s only Super Bowl win over the Titans.

Warner does say that he does factor in personality into the equation, and there is no question that Bruce fits the mold of what he likes in a receiver. Bruce was unselfish, soft spoken, didnt say a lot, and was a leader by example. In other words, the total opposite of Owens. Warner does say later that he thinks he could have played with Owens as you have to deal with a lot of personalities in the NFL and didnt have a problem with T.O., just that he would put Bruce in over him.

You can listen to the full interview below and to listen to the full Dan Patrick Show, click the link.

Source: DP Podcasts