St. Louis Rams

Kurt Warner tells TMZ Sports he's 100 percent sure Torry Holt will make the Hall of Fame one day ... despite being snubbed for the honor once again on Thursday night.

"He's a lock to get in," the Rams legend said of his former teammate. "Yes. Just a matter of time."

Holt was expected to finally get the call for the 2022 class at the NFL Honors ceremony ... but when the names were announced, he was surprisingly not selected.

Holt had seemed fairly confident about it all when we spoke to him earlier Thursday morning ... and it no doubt had to be disappointing to learn he didn't get in.

But, Warner says his former favorite target shouldn't sweat ... telling us he knows Torry will get a bust in Canton eventually.

"Unfortunately, as I know well, it takes a little bit of time sometimes," said Warner, who had to wait several years before he was finally inducted into the HOF.

"We're in his corner and we do whatever we can 'cause his time is coming. I do believe that [he'll make it next year]."

Holt is in his eighth year of eligibility for the Hall. He's now been a finalist three times.

There might be an explanation for Matthew Stafford's wild interceptions Sunday night ... 'cause Paris Hilton was rocking her big ass engagement ring in a field box at the Rams game -- and that diamond was dancing!!!

Okay, so obviously, the ring had zero impact on the Rams losing big to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday Night Football ... but 40-year-old Paris had her rock on full display as she hit up SoFi Stadium with her fiancé, 40-year-old Carter Reum, to kick off their wedding week.

The game was a bit of a bummer for L.A. -- the Rams lost 28-16 -- but it's clear the underwhelming performance didn't bother the couple as they get ready to get hitched this week.

"Having so much fun seeing the @RamsNFL with my love," Paris said on Twitter. "4 Days to go!"

Paris and Carter even had custom merch to match their wedding date -- with both rocking #11 jerseys.

Naturally, Paris had to show off her ring -- which reportedly cost more than $1 million -- with a pair of leather gloves.

Jeff Fisher is calling BS on Jon Gruden ... saying the coach was dead wrong when he claimed in an email that the NFL forced him and the Rams to draft Michael Sam.

Fisher released a lengthy statement late Tuesday night refuting Gruden's claim that Roger Goodell was the one who pressured the head coach to pick Sam in the 7th round of the 2014 NFL Draft due to the pass rusher's sexual orientation.

"As a head coach for over 20 years," Fisher said, "we drafted or didn't draft players based on a variety of qualities. Their sexual orientation would never -- and should never -- play a part in the decision-making process."

Fisher added, "The NFL never encouraged or discouraged me regarding the selection of a potential prospect."

In one of Gruden's many crass emails sent between 2011 and 2018 that were made public this week ... Jon wrote to a Washington Football Team exec that he believed Goodell urged Fisher to take Sam because he was gay.

In the email, Gruden used an anti-gay slur to describe Sam.

Fisher said in his statement he's still a big supporter of Sam's ... and praised the courage it took for him to go public with his sexual preference.

"I continue to support Michael, and his decision to come out as the first draft eligible openly gay player in the league," Fisher said. "It took courage to serve as a role model for those competitive football players who may also happen to be gay."

Sam played in all four of the Rams' preseason games in his rookie year ... but was cut just before the regular season began. He later signed a contract to join the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, but was cut after just a few weeks there as well.

Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk ain't gonna like this ...

The ex-head coach of the original 'Greatest Show On Turf' Rams says this year's version is better ... AND more explosive!!!

"They're close," Dick Vermeil tells TMZ Sports. "But, I really think you'd have to say that this team overall might be a little better."

Of course, there were three versions of the 'GSOT' Rams ... coached by Vermeil in 1999 -- and then by Mike Martz in 2000 and 2001.

But, they were all badass ... with Warner and Faulk leading the way -- and potential Hall of Famers like Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt streaking down the sidelines too.

Yet when Vermeil crunched the numbers for us ... and compared them to Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and the guys in L.A. now -- he says this 2018 team wins.

Kurt Warner's got the blueprint for Johnny Manziel to make it back to the NFL ... revealing to TMZ Sports the ultra-simple game plan -- STOP THROWING PICKS!!

Yeah, we know ... enlightening stuff -- but Warner's speaking from experience!

Remember ... Kurt was an arena league QB and an NFL Europe signal-caller before finally becoming the Rams' and Cardinals' leader ... and he had PLENTY of games with four picks before NFL success.

So, he's telling us what got him back in the NFL ... and it's exactly what Johnny Football needs to do as well.

"Let's get down to zero interceptions, and make a whole bunch of plays," Warner says.

"And that's how he's going to make his way back."

Reggie Bush is set to get PAID ... 'cause a jury in Missouri just awarded the former NFL star a $12.5 MILLION payout in his lawsuit against the Rams.

Back in 2015, Bush -- a 49er -- was playing the Rams in St. Louis at Edward Jones Dome. While returning a punt, Bush was pushed out of bounds and slipped on a slab of concrete just outside the playing field.

Reggie tore his lateral meniscus -- a serious injury -- which ended his season.

RB filed a lawsuit against the Rams in 2016 -- accusing them of stupidly installing a ring of concrete around the field ... creating a big risk for players in cleats.

Last week the trial started ... and the jury awarded Reggie a massive payout Tuesday. Bush is set to get $4.95 million in compensatory damages -- money he was given to cover lost earnings ... and $7.5 million in punitive damages.

Here's video of the moment Jeff Fisher told his Rams coaching staff he was just fired -- and Fisher was extremely emotional ... telling his coaches, "Sorry if I let you guys down."

The footage was shot during Week 14 of the 2016 NFL season (on or around Dec. 11) -- Fisher is breathing heavily and trying to collect himself before breaking the news in a team meeting room.

It's clear his staffers were completely blindsided by the announcement.

He promises he'll do everything he can to help get the other coaches new jobs.

In the video -- captured for this season's "All or Nothing" documentary on Amazon -- you can see assistant coach Mike Singletary walk up to Fisher to shake his hand and thank him.

The Rams have since replaced Fisher with 31-year-old Sean McVay. Fisher is currently unemployed.

Cheer up, St. Louis Rams fans ... your ex-running back, Todd Gurley, says there's actually one thing he's gonna miss about your city ... even though he can still get it in L.A.

Gurley was out at LAX when our camera guy decided to flip the script on him ... instead of asking what he LOVES about L.A., we wanted to know what he's gonna MISS about St. Louis.

Check out the clip -- he throws out a delicious answer, but there's only one problem ... what he said he's gonna miss, he admits he can get here.

How well does Todd Gurley know his Roc Nation boss Jay Z? Enough that he can destroy a TMZ camera guy who thought the Rams running back might be light on hip-hop knowledge.

Gurley was at LAX when we asked him about being mentored by Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson ​and what that's meant to him as a man and football player.

TG told our guy that Dickerson basically told him not to be a damn fool -- good advice -- but it was when we challenged him to name three albums by Hova for $100 that he kinda made a fool out of us.

Check it out -- Gurley calmly rattles off the three answers like he's shredding an NFL defense and proving his loyalty to the Roc.

Reggie Bush only has HIMSELF to blame for slipping, falling and injuring himself at the Edward Jones Dome back in November ... so says the city of St. Louis in new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported, Bush sued the city (which owns the stadium) -- claiming it stupidly installed a ring of concrete around the perimeter of the field ... incredibly dangerous for the players wearing slippery cleats.

Bush badly injured his left knee during a fall on the concrete on Nov. 1st -- just one week after another player injured his shoulder slipping on the surface ... and he says the city must pay.

But the city is calling BS -- saying Bush knew about the concrete ring and should have SLOWED DOWN before reaching it.

The city of St. Louis says Bush could have "stopped, slackened his speed to have avoided the accident."

"[Bush] assumed the risk of running on concrete in shoes with cleats on them, and of all danger inherent of playing football."

The craziest part of this lawsuit ... Bush was PUSHED past the playing field and onto the ring.

Watch the clip -- you really think he had time to stop???

L.A. Rams running back Todd Gurley has a decision to make ... a decision central to living and working in the city of Los Angeles ... one that will affect everyone he meets and everything he knows.

Lakers fan or Clippers fan?

BTW -- Todd let us know he's TOTALLY down for a bribe ... and whichever franchise ponies up the best graft for the new sports superstar of L.A. has the best shot at getting his fandom.

USC could have a new rival -- the L.A. Rams -- with players from the basketball team telling us they're not exactly pumped for the team to move to town ... 'cause they might steal all their chicks!

This video is pretty funny ... both Malik Martin and Chimezie Metu explaining why the Rams could screw up the good thing USC has going for it right now ... plus, they're really worried about traffic.

Several of Lawrence Phillips' former college and pro teammates are expected to fly to California for the running back's funeral this weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Multiple people who were close with Phillips tell us ... the funeral is set for Saturday morning with a tribute to the ex-NFL star set to follow at a restaurant owned by another former Rams player, Tony Zendejas.

We spoke with the former Rams kicker who never played on the same team as Lawrence -- but they had several mutual friends -- and Tony says he feels compelled to help pay tribute to Phillips.

We're told Tony reached out to the family and offered to host the event at his restaurant in San Dimas -- the family accepted the offer.

Eric Dickerson has a warning to the Rams players -- BEWARE OF THE L.A. WOMEN!!!

The Rams legend was at LAX when he told us he knows what it's like to be young, rich and famous in L.A. -- and says the young guys moving west need to be VERY aware of the cleat chasers looking to take advantage of an athlete.

"Young players have to look out for some of these girls ... because let's just be honest this ain't St. Louis."

He adds, "There are some beautiful women out here and a lot of these girls they hear the Rams are coming to town they like, 'Oh, I'm gonna get me a football player ... I'm gonna get my rent paid."

L.A. Lakers star Metta World Peace says he's HAPPY to be sharing the city with a NFL team -- but says there's only ONE WAY he would ever root for the Rams.