Torry Holt is a St. Louis Rams legend, both literally and figuratively — he represents the now-Los Angeles Rams organization in the NFL Legends Community.
When the Rams moved out west, he admitted to Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday he was "p----d off" initially. But his legacy had been cemented, and he wanted to remain a Rams lifer.
It was good thinking.
The Rams won the Super Bowl back in February for the first time since Holt won his with St. Louis 23 years ago.
Holt was in the building when the Rams took down the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20, on Feb. 13, and said he put that night right up there with some of his biggest achievements in life, including the times he became a father, a husband, and a Super Bowl champion himself.
Now, he's trying to "bridge that gap" between St. Louis and L.A.
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"I get a chance to connect with the current as well as the former players and bring everybody together to celebrate, educate each other about the league and reunite with our former teams," Holt told Fox News Digital. "So, that’s been really cool. I think that’s really helped galvanize what our Legends Community is all about, the brotherhood, what we’re trying to operate under with all of our former players — whether you were in St. Louis, whether you were in L.A., whether you were in Cleveland, if you were a Ram, we’re uniting here out in L.A. celebrating the team, celebrating our brothers."
Holt's back in L.A. for the NFL season opener, where his Rams face the current favorites to win Super Bowl LVII: the Buffalo Bills. He's partnered up with Budweiser who have released kickoff beers with all 32 NFL logos on limited-edition cans, since nothing's better than cracking a cold one and hearing those opening theme songs.
"I’m a St. Louis guy, so I’ve been around Budweiser for years. Having played 11 seasons in the NFL and now being a fan myself, I know football starts with Bud Light," Holt said. "Nobody embodies the excitement of the start of the NFL season with fans 21-plus better than the crack of the first beer …
"That’s why I’ve teamed up with Bud Light, to get fans hyped with the kickoff beers. Not only did Bud Light bring the harmonious sound of beer being cracked open to light, but then to also remix of the iconic NFL theme, they’re also making sure fans have Bud Light ready to crack open ahead of Sunday kickoff this season. … It’s really going down."
Add beer to a battle with maybe the two best teams in football, and you get some wild, yet pretty reasonable, expectations from a potential Hall of Famer.
"I’m excited man. … The buzz is happening," Holt said. "I think the city is excited, both teams are excited, both teams [got] championship aspirations, man. So, it’s a lot to be excited about.
"I’m expecting fireworks — I’m hoping for fireworks tonight. You open up the season with two of the more powerful, dominant teams in the league, I’m hoping for fireworks tonight for sure."
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Cooper Kupp is back after he won the receiving Triple Crown and followed that up by winning the Most Valuable Player Award in the Super Bowl victory.
Holt knows a good receiver when he sees one, considering he was elite himself. He was also teammates with Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce — the two of them combined for 28,590 receiving yards in their illustrious careers. But even Holt can't help but marvel at what the newest Rams superstar has done.
"He’s phenomenal, man. I don’t know if he’ll duplicate the numbers of last year, but I think he duplicates the production of last year. That’s what’s key. I commend his endurance … his intent, his work ethic is there, his attention to detail, his ability to win, get open and understand what defenses are doing not only to him but his totality to help out his other teammates and help out the offense.
"This guy is a phenomenal athlete. I think the production … will still be there. Maybe not last year’s numbers, but production certainly will be there, will be intact."
The Rams have a pretty crowded receiver room, but they apparently want Odell Beckham Jr. back — and Holt is all for it.
In eight regular-season games with L.A., Beckham caught 27 balls — five of them touchdowns — for 305 yards, and then he really turned it up in the playoffs.
In his first three playoff games, he totaled 19 receptions for 236 yards (113 of them in the NFC Championship) and two touchdowns.
He also caught the first touchdown of Super Bowl LVI but tore his ACL in the second quarter of the game. It was the same ACL he tore in the 2020 season, but Holt says the Rams should bring him back "once Odell is healthy and ready to go."
"I think L.A. is the home for Odell … I think he’s gelled and mixed in really well," he said. "These guys, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald, have open arms to a lot of big stars, a lot of alpha males that they’ve been able to get on board because of leaders like Aaron Donald and Kupp and come here and win. So, if he wants to continue building his legacy in regards to winning, having a chance I think to perform at the level that he still has left, I think L.A. is the best place for him."
No one has repeated since the New England Patriots did so 20 years ago. However, the former Ram thinks it's easily attainable for this year's squad if they stay healthy.
"If they are healthy, they can compete with anyone in the National Football League," Holt said. "They’ve shown it within the division and outside of the division.
"But health is going to be key because you need everyone, you need all 21 of the ones plus that you’re counting on — you need them every week. And not only do you need them, you need them at their best. And that’s the thing about the Rams last year when they won a championship. Because when Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford and Jalen Ramsey and those guys’ best was needed, they showed up. Not only did they get the big bucks — we often talk about guys and girls getting the big bucks — but do they show up? Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. These guys get the big bucks and they showed up last year. And I think they’ll show up again if they continue to stay healthy all year."
