Britt addition shouldn't change draft plans/Wagoner

[RamBill]

Britt addition shouldn't change draft plans
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/7224/britt-addition-shouldnt-change-draft-plans

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams agreed to terms with wide receiver Kenny Britt on a one-year deal Monday evening in an attempt to bolster a position that could use the help.

Whether the Rams had any interest in using one of their top picks (Nos. 2 and 13) in May's NFL draft on a wide receiver, Britt's signing should have no bearing on those plans.

First and foremost, Britt's contract is the definition of a one-year "prove it" deal. The idea is to get him into St. Louis and give him a chance to resurrect a once promising career. But the Rams aren't counting on him to take over and magically be the No. 1 receiver they have long lacked. To do so would be awfully short-sighted, and the fact that his contract is only a year and heavy on incentives should indicate that the Rams are simply taking a chance on a player who has flashed ability in the past.

This isn't like signing a DeSean Jackson or Mike Wallace or Vincent Jackson to a multi-year mega-contract. Those are the types of contracts that can significantly change draft ideas.

Teams that are able to win consistently look beyond the next year and plan for the next four or five years. It's hard to see how the Rams can do anything but look solely at this spring and this training camp with Britt. If he hits and it works out, great, but that won't be determined until well after the draft.

Maybe the more interesting takeaway from Britt's signing is that the Rams are at least acknowledging the need for help at a position that coach Jeff Fisher and Les Snead have indicated multiple times they have confidence in. If that is the case, perhaps they actually are curious about adding more help at receiver in the draft.

It's also possible the Rams wouldn't have added any receivers if it wasn't for the availability of a player Fisher knew well and believed in. Either way, the Rams still don't have a receiver who has ever posted more than 775 receiving yards in a season.

Since the Rams aren't going to reveal what their draft plans are, there is no way of knowing how they view the possibility of taking a wideout. But it's probably a safe bet that signing Britt won't make a difference one way or the other.

 

[RamBill]

Ram Bytes: Signing Britt is a decent low-risk gamble
• Bernie Miklasz

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_fcd48025-84e9-5e06-96a9-4582bcd85ab2.html

Good morning from Cincinnati. It's an off day for the Cardinals and Reds, but we'll keep working ...

Even though he has a scandal-filled past and has been on a steep downward trajectory in production, I'm OK with the Rams' signing wide receiver Kenny Britt to a one-year contract. This is pretty much a boilerplate example of a low-risk signing that has the potential of a nice pay off.

If Britt's head is straight, this could work out.

Here are the reasons:

1. Britt is still young. He won't turn 26 until Sept. 19. His athleticism should be fairly intact. Which means he's physically capable of making a positive comeback.

2. Britt should be motivated to succeed and salvage his career. He hasn't been trustworthy in his career. He's viewed as an enigma. If you're playing well, coaches will stick by you. You'll receive multiple chances to get right. But there isn't much if any leeway for troubled players who are no longer productive.

3. Britt should be financially motivated to perform well. They're guaranteeing him only $1.4 million in salary, which isn't much based on NFL standards. But he has reachable incentives that could double his pay. I'm assuming he likes money. I'm assuming he could use the money. The pay-for-play component to this deal that makes it a smart gamble by the Rams.

4. Britt had his best seasons playing for Rams coach Jeff Fisher when Fisher coached Tennessee. That positive history can only help.

5. I'm reluctant to buy into the “changed man” narrative that's so comically predictable in situations like this. So I'm not buying in. Not yet. But if Britt is indeed a changed man, he'll have an excellent opportunity to prove it. Over and over again.

6. Britt has size, standing 6-3 and weighing 215 pounds. The Rams don't have an impact receiver that fits the profile. Brian Quick -- drafted 33rd overall in 2012 after Fisher and GM Les Snead completely overreacted to a private workout -- was supposed to be that guy. But he hasn't gotten there.

7. At his best -- and his peak was brief -- Britt was a legit deep threat. According to Pro Football Focus, Britt was targeted 23 times on deep routes in 2010. He caught 13 of the passes for 460 yards and six touchdowns. That catch rate of 56.5 percent on deep routes is very good. And six touchdowns on 13 catches? Outstanding. But again … does Britt have it in him to become that receiver again?

Let's look ahead...

What does this mean for the Rams' other wideouts?

This signing puts pressure on the Rams' young wide receivers to improve … and soon. It's difficult to gauge the quality of WR play in the Brian Schottenheimer (and Fisher) offense. For the most part, they're just passengers in a run-based attack. But I think we'd surely agree that Chris Givens, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Quick are capable of doing better. I suppose I should also mention Austin Pettis, but he'll be going into his fourth NFL season. He's a decent possession receiver with good hands who has probably peaked by now.

With Britt in the mix, it seems that Quick and Givens are on the spot. According to Pro Football Focus, Rams quarterbacks had an awful passer rating of 60.82 the past two seasons when they targeted Quick. And after a promising 2012 rookie season, Givens regressed terribly last season. Rams quarterbacks had a passer rating of 64.3 when they targeted Givens in 2013, and according to PFF he dropped six of 40 catchable balls. (Having Sam Bradford back at QB should help Givens; they connected in 2012.)

Moreover, Britt is an outside receiver. That's Givens' territory. And Quick hasn't played much slot receiver, either.

I'd like to believe that Givens and Quick can pick it up, but developing young receivers is not a strength of this coaching staff.

Also: Britt doesn't play special teams. So the guys who want to pin down a roster spot need to show that they can contribute on special teams. Quick hasn't played on special teams. Givens worked kickoff returns in 2012, but didn't line up on special teams in 2013. If that continues, the lack of special teams presence works against them.

Next, to reaffirm the obvious: the Rams won't be selecting a WR at No. 2 overall. And probably not at No. 13 overall, either. And if Sammy Watkins and/or Mike Evans become great players, the Rams will endure ridicule for years _ especially if Britt bombs out.

Maybe that's the biggest gamble in the Britt signing. By recruiting Britt, the Rams' interest in Watkins or Evans dissipated. Not that they would have gone for a WR early, anyway.

Just one follow-up note: disregard the theory that Britt struggled in Tennessee because of poor quarterback play. There's simply no factual basis for it. The numbers show — conclusively — that other Titans wideouts put up good WR ratings with the same quarterbacks throwing the football.

For example, Britt dropped 14 passes over the last two seasons. And that isn't on the quarterback. And when Britt played his best football, 2010, he was catching passes distributed by Vince Young, Kerry Collins and Rusty Smith. I discussed all of this last week in my breakdown of Britt's alarming decline as a receiver at Tennessee, and here's the link.

Thanks for reading...

— Bernie

 

[RamBill]

Nick Wagoner joined Kevin Wheeler to talk about the Kenny Britt signing, what it means for the Rams in the NFL draft market, are they out on Sammy Watkins, what direction does Nick see them leaning, they also discussed taking Jadeveon Clowney or an offensive lineman and what to do with the #2 pick.

Listen to Wagoner Talk Britt and Draft

 

[RamBill]

Three questions: Receiver Kenny Britt
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/122961/three-questions-receiver-kenny-britt

The St. Louis Rams agreed to terms with former Tennessee receiver Kenny Britt on a one-year contract Monday night.

Britt spent his first five seasons with the Titans; the first two under now Rams coach Jeff Fisher's guidance.

ESPN Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky has been there for all of it so who better to ask about Britt's potential impact on the Rams?

Kuharsky and Rams reporter Nick Wagoner discuss the Rams' latest move.

Wagoner: Britt had his greatest success under Fisher in 2009 and 2010, what can you say about the relationship those two had and do you think working with Fisher again can help him get his career on track?

Kuharsky: I think Britt needs a disciplinarian and Fisher is more likely to qualify as an enabler. I obviously don't know the style of coordinator and position coach in St. Louis. The late Mike Heimerdinger, Fisher's coordinator in Tennessee, was the big Britt backer and the guy who knew how to get to him and use him, I believe. I don't know whether Fisher can pick up on those things and reconnect with him.

Wagoner: Will be interesting to see whether the Rams can find the recipe to try to rekindle that early success. I'm sure offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will comb through that old film and try to find ways to use him. On the bright side, Britt seems to have the ability to get off press coverage and win contested balls. That should be helpful.

Speaking of that, it seems Britt has always tantalized with potential but never been able to put it all together. How much has injury held him back and how much of it is his own doing? Do you think he can make the changes necessary to succeed?

Kuharsky: Britt always has a smile on his face. It's preferable to pouting, sure. But he's pretty happy-go-lucky whether he is lighting it up or completely tanking, as he did last year. I think that one-year contract is a reasonable risk. A team counting on production from him, instead of thinking any numbers he puts up are a bonus, is living dangerously. Certainly he's not been the same since the major knee injury. From my vantage point, at the end it was way more about his head than his knee.

Wagoner: The Rams have long been desperate for a No. 1 receiver. It seems expecting that from Britt is too much but what do you think would be reasonable expectations for him in St. Louis?

Kuharsky: Look at what Donnie Avery and Darrius Heyward-Bey did the past two seasons in Indianapolis after joining the Colts on one-year deals. I would hope Britt can get it together and be a bit better than those guys were. But if you made me bet? It's more likely he's close to those results.

 

[blackbart]

Jeez even Nick can't get away from that "#1 WR" label

You would think a guy who makes a living like he does would know that fallacy is just a figment of his own imagination. His man crush on Watkins is seeping in to this writing.

 

[RamBill]

Can Kenny Britt be a No. 1 wide receiver for the Rams? Will the signing of Kenny Britt change the Rams’ draft approach? Nick Wagoner breaks it down with Randy Karraker on 101ESPN. They also talk the draft, the positive aspects of taking Clowney, how #13 might be a sweet spot for a CB, questioning the quality of the Safety class in this draft, and the rehabs of Bradford and Jake Long.

Listen to Wagoner with Randy K.

 

[Thordaddy]

Although the contract has yet to be filed to the NFL Players Association website, league sources told the Post-Dispatch that only $150,000 of wide receiver Kenny Britt’s contract is guaranteed if he’s released before the first game of the regular season.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Although the contract has yet to be filed to the NFL Players Association website, league sources told the Post-Dispatch that only $150,000 of wide receiver Kenny Britt’s contract is guaranteed if he’s released before the first game of the regular season.

Even better. The pressure is on him to focus on the prize.

.