ATLANTA -- The hard knocks never got to Torry Holt.
In the NFC championship game, the St. Louis Rams' rookie wide
receiver twice had to leave the game. The first time, it was
bruised ribs; the second time, it was a shoulder injury. Neither
kept him out, or from playing a major role in the Rams' 23-16 Super
Bowl XXXIV victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
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| Rams rookie wide receiver Torry Holt celebrates his third-quarter touchdown catch with teammate Az-zahir Hakim. |
"Oh man, I'm hurting right now," Holt said. "On a scale of
one to 10, it was a six maybe. But I had to suck it up."
Holt missed Wednesday's practice leading up to the Super Bowl, and the Rams kept backup wide receiver Chris Thomas active on
Friday just in case Holt, who had been listed as probable, couldn't
go. Just a precaution.
But he also had a cortisone shot. And after the game he couldn't lift his right arm above waist level.
"I had to get a lot of treatment," Holt said. "Luckily, the
training staff got me ready to play and I was able to come up with
some big things."
The sixth pick of the draft, and not Isaac Bruce, has been
quarterback Kurt Warner's go-to guy throughout the playoffs. The
Super Bowl was another big day for Holt, who caught seven passes
for 109 yards against the Titans.
"I was just into my game," Holt said. "I was just vibing, I
was into the rhythm, and was able to use my athletic ability to get
open."
Holt caught six passes for 100 yards in the first half and then
scored the game's first touchdown on a 9-yard reception midway
through the third quarter that put the Rams ahead 16-0.
On the touchdown, Holt beat the one-on-one coverage of nickel
back Dainon Sidney, breaking free after some jukes at the line of
scrimmage.
In the first half, Holt's work was crucial to all three of Jeff
Wilkins' field goals. The only thing lacking was a touchdown pass,
but he wasn't alone. Despite Warner's 277 yards passing, the Rams
led only 9-0 on the three short field goals.
Holt beat Blaine Bishop for a 32-yard catch on the drive that
produced a 27-yarder by Wilkins for the game's opening score. He
had gains of 13 and 15 yards to help set up Wilkins' second field
goal, a 29-yarder in the second quarter.
In a span of three plays on the third field goal drive of the
half, Warner hit Holt for first-down catches of 16 and 18 yards.
Holt was the top player on the Rams' draft board, regardless of
position, and he had a solid rookie season with 52 receptions, a
15.2-yard average and six touchdowns.
He caught a touchdown pass in each of his first two career
starts. He went without a score the next eight games, during which
he also dropped more than his share of balls. He concluded the
regular season with two 100-plus yard receiving games.
Martz said Holt hit a wall, mentally and physically, in the
second half of the season, and then got back to speed for the
playoffs.
"I think like a lot of rookie players, after about Game 11 he
was looking for a bowl game or something," Martz said. "Once the
season ended, he realized this thing was going to continue to go
and that he belongs in this mix of receivers."
In the first two playoff games, Holt totaled 13 catches for 133 yards.