My Imaginary Lunch with Isaac Bruce of the San Francisco 49ers

As part of the BR-CBSSports.com search for 32 correspondents to cover the NFL this coming season, they've asked us to write out some questions we might use in an interview with one of the teams we are looking to cover.

Which is actually one of my favorite things to do—interviews that is, not make questions for them, though that can be fun.

However, one-sided interviews are sort of odd. So, instead of just throwing questions out into the ether, I decided with each question, I'd give YOU the reader, my reasons for why I'd ask something.

For my subject I chose a guy who hasn't been a Niner that long, but has been in the league longer than anyone else on the team.

I don't need to introduce you to Isaac Bruce. If you were a 49ers fan, you saw him score all too frequently against the team for many years. Same thing if you were just a fan of the NFL. The guy is class and has been for a long time.

I thought his insight on what this team has gone through, as well as where it might be headed, would be interesting to hear.

Once again this off-season, we’re bombarded with more Brett Favre will he/won’t he retirement talk. This off-season you struggled with this very question yourself. What was the final thing which brought you back?

When a player starts considering whether or not he is done with his playing career, it's always interesting to know why they hang them up or don't. With the Favre story going on again, we might get some insight from Bruce which we never get from Favre as to why players decide they can't leave.

You were with the Los Angeles Rams when they moved to St. Louis. We constantly hear about teams interested in moving from their cities due to everything from stadium issues to plain old money. Having witnessed that transition, what are your thoughts on moving franchises?

Not a year goes by that someone isn't talking about how Team X is moving to Los Angeles or how Team Y is thinking about leaving a city. I know how fans see it. I know how the media sees it. I always wonder what players think about it. And Bruce, having lived it and seen its effects, is a natural guy to ask about it.

You played for Mike Martz during the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ years in St. Louis, but the success wasn’t replicated here in San Francisco. What do you think the biggest problem was translating that vertical game to this team?

I'd be curious how honest an answer you get here, but a decent transition question. Bruce did see the offense work in the past—and was there last season when it didn't. I'd be interested to hear what he saw from the inside. Depending on the answer, I might ask a follow up like "what could the team have done to make it work?"

Last year you caught your 1,000th reception—against your former team, no less. What went through your mind as you hauled in that touchdown, and what did it mean to do it with the franchise you had spent the previous 14 seasons in the stadium with you?

Milestones are important and rarely do players get to reach one against a former team. While not all his past teammates were there, plenty were. While it wasn't Cal Ripken breaking Lou Gehrig's "Iron Man" Streak, it's a significant milestone and should hold some meaning for Bruce.

Speaking of records, you also played in your 200th career game, the most for any current player. Last season you passed Andre Reed moving into fifth on the all time reception list and you're currently third on the all time yards list. Talk to me about how you stay productive for so long and what goes into both your in-season and off-season training regimen.

When a guy plays well for as many years as Bruce has, there's a reason. Bruce has eight 1,000-yard seasons and while his production has dipped, he still can play. I want to know what drives him, and how he gets into the shape he needs to be in to excel at his age.

Michael Crabtree is fresh out of college. Josh Morgan is entering into his second season. So is Jason Hill. When it comes to being the most experienced player at your position, how to you perceive your role as it pertains to the younger guys and what kind of advice do you dole out?

When someone shows up at your place of business to take your job, you could be excused if you weren't ready to explain to them all the in's and out's you learned on the fly. But that's not the word on Bruce. This might also be a very good lead-in to a coaching question.

Even though you’ve only been with the team for a year or so, you’ve already had the 49er experience of constantly shifting offensive coordinators and coaches. How do you approach your job when the landscape changes so frequently?

Again, always interesting to hear a vets take on something like this. Some guys will say it shouldn't matter, some will say it can be disastrous. This is the kind of question that could lead to some good Alex Smith discussion as well.

Speaking of which...

A big question mark again this season is the quarterback position. What are some of the things you see in both Shaun Hill and Alex Smith that would make them assets to the passing game?

I wouldn't want to outright ask him who he thinks is better, so this is a good way to find out his thoughts on them, get some insight into who might be a better fit, and also get his read on how the two players have developed—or haven't.

Like the receivers, whoever wins the quarterback job will be relatively inexperienced. As a veteran receiver, what can you do to help a guy succeed?

A good wide receiver with a sharp mind can go a long way toward helping a young quarterback succeed. Sure, neither Shaun Hill nor Alex Smith are babes in the woods, but they haven't exactly lit the league on fire.

Like with the wide receivers, what does a guy like Bruce feel his role is in helping his QB be successful?

As you head towards the end of an incredible career, what do you think will be the next step for you? What are you looking forward to most about beginning another phase in your life, and where might that lead you?

A good closing question, and one he'll hear a ton over the next year or so. So many players move on to television and radio, yet many of his contemporaries have already established themselves in those mediums while he was still playing.

I'm curious to see where he sees himself in a year, in two—in 10. Will he coach? Will he write?

Or will he sit in front of his TV with the rest of us and watch Favre go through another year of will he/won't he?