Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked on Titans: Looking back at Kenny Britt

Episode Date: May 31, 2018

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Welcome in to another edition of Locked On Titans. I'm Jimmy Morris, joined as always by Terry Lambert. Terry, how are you tonight? Doing pretty good. What's going on? Not too much. We get to go down the Kenny Britt Road tonight, so pretty excited about that. Such an interesting guy, and in a very interesting time period of Titans history. So we're going to talk a little bit about him tonight. Before we do that, I remind you to be right for me at citymiracles.com. Government of the Titans for SB Nation. You can check us out there. Follow us on Twitter. I'm at jmorrismcm. Terry's at tlambertfb.

Follow the podcast account at LockedOnTitans. You can also subscribe to the podcast, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, any of those places. All right, so we talked, I guess it was last week, we did a Chris Johnson episode, similar to what we're going to do here. Just kind of looking back at the careers of these guys with the Titans, kind of what happened to them after they left here, and just, I guess, our impressions of those guys and what we remember about them. Kenny Britt fell into a category with the Titans that, you know, a receiver with a ton of promise for a franchise that has been starved for receivers.

And, you know, a guy that you just look at him and he looks like, I mean, if God were going to create a receiver, he would create Kenny Britt. I mean, he's got that look about him, 4'4 speed, throwing up all the bench reps of the combine. I mean, just lighting that place on fire. Was the guy the Titans needed, and they were able to get him. And we were all really excited about that. I remember there were a couple of – we were talking about this before we jumped on here.

I think three receivers went in the first round of that draft. Darius Hayward-Bey went, like, what went seventh overall, something like that, to the Raiders, which was a huge reach, obviously. And then it was down to Hakeem Nix and Kenny Britt. Hakeem Nix went to the Giants right before the Titans picked. So the Titans got Britt, and we were all thrilled. I mean, a guy that just gave the Titans everything they needed as far as on paper. the Titans everything they needed as far as, you know, on paper.

And then, you know, we know that he never lived up to his potential outside of a couple of specific memories that we're going to have. So, Terry, I'll kind of let you kick it off. What are some of your favorite Kenny Britt memories? Oh, gosh. Kenny Britt was just kind of cruel. But Kenny Britt was just kind of cruel. You know, he shows so much promise having these huge games. He was okay his first two seasons.

But that third year, he looked like he was ready to blossom into one of the league's best, almost 300 yards through two games and a quarter before he blew out that knee against the Broncos. But, you know, you talk about that Eagles game where he had nine catches and all those touchdowns. Just a career that was, I don't want to say wasted, but it kind of was. I really feel like Britt could have been one of the elite targets in the NFL. And then just a multitude of reasons, which we can get into a little later here. But really for me, Britt was the guy that I wanted all along in that 2009 draft. It was the

first time the Titans had really taken one of the guys that I was really all about. And then to see him blossom into what he was, to see him blow out that knee, and to see what he came back and turned into, it was just so disappointing. Yeah, I think that's the thing. I mean, yeah, I think a career wasted here. I don't think there's any doubt about that. Like you said, you saw flashes. It's not like he was a bad pick where they got him

because, like you said, there were times where he showed that ability. It really looked like in that year, in 2011, it looked like he was ready to blossom and be talked about as one of the best receivers in the league. I don't think it's a stretch to say that. And then he blew his ACL out. It wasn't ever really the same.

Like I said, that Eagles game, I just remember he had done something. I can't remember what it was that time. But he was spending it for the first quarter of that game and then like you said he comes back and just puts up i think it was trying to get the line here real quick seven catches 225 yards three touchdowns seven catches 225 three touchdowns you know i mean just just absurd no titan's receiver has ever come close to that just by the way no no no and like i mean and they were like we're throwing the ball to him in coverage he was just you know manhandling the defender catching the ball and

running away from guys um and you know there there's obviously a couple things you before we jump down you're talking about the the tip pass that he caught against the jaguars and ran you know for a long touchdown um obviously the the game-winning drive, the Vince Young game-winning drive against the Cardinals where he caught that ball in the middle of the back. There were some plays like that where you were like, okay, man, this guy is going to be the next star receiver in the league. It really seems like the thing that stood between him and that was the desire to be that and you know i i am

hesitant to question effort to question desire because it's just it's it's so hard for us to know it's so hard for us to see and measure and you know we can you know a lot of these titans teams last couple years come to mind where you know there's a game where you feel like they're going to come out they're going to come out, they're going to, you know, establish their will, get going, and then they come out flat and you're like, okay, you know, what happened here? Were they not focused enough or whatever? That kind of stuff is so hard to tell.

And, you know, when a guy – you can tell sometimes when a guy quits on a play. You know, there was the Kenny Britt play from last year, right, where they snapped the ball and he just stands there at the line of scrimmage and said, you know, he was the Kenny Britt play from last year, right, where they snapped the ball and he just stands there at the line of scrimmage and said that, you know, he quit at that point. But, you know, we can't tell about a guy's desire in the offseason and that kind of stuff. But it just really seemed like with Kenny Britt, he just didn't put in the time and then he ended up, you know, getting a case of the drop sees, so to speak,

at the end of his career here. And, man, like you just just it was frustrating because there was no doubt that he had the ability to to be one of the best and you know talking about before he jumped on you know he's with the Patriots he signed a two-year deal with them or signed a deal with a with an option year at the end of the season last year Patriots picked up that option and you know would it surprise you at all if he comes out this year and has a 1,000-yard season? That would probably surprise me, but, you know,

I could see him being productive there. He's in year 10 now, and the Patriots just have a certain way about him to rehab these guys and milk them for all they're worth. So he couldn't be in a better spot. But I want to go back to where he was drafted. You know, he goes 30th overall, 6'3", 225, run the 4-4, back-to-back, is seasoned at Rutgers with over 1,200 yards. You know, I was younger then, probably missed the writing on the wall.

Probably there was something up there. That kind of production, that size, that speed combo just doesn't fall to 30. So I don't remember if there was talk about, you know, his off the field stuff, you know, his want to. I don't know what made him fall. But it's interesting looking back, a guy with that production, that athletic ability was still on the board at 30. And you talked about his desire.

I think that's part of it. But more than anything, he had eight run-ins with police. In his entire career, eight run-ins with police. So it seems like every time he went home to New Jersey, he was just getting in trouble. And part of that is desire. Part of that is being smart enough to stay out of trouble. But, man, I just can't shake the feeling that Kenny Britt wasted what would have been,

you know, we would have been talking about him as a top ten receiver in this generation. Yeah, and it's funny, like you said, back then we didn't have draft Twitter like we do now. Right. And all that stuff, and so it was a different thing. There wasn't as much information, I guess, readily available to us as it seems like there is now. So, yeah, it just does seem like when you look at this guy and his measurables, there had to be a reason that he was still there. And, you know, he came at a point where, you know,

Jeff Fisher was the one that was, you know, he wasn't the general manager, but by all, you know, accounts out of that building at this point, Jeff Fisher was the one that was calling the shots then. And so at a time there where Fisher really liked getting guys that had that raw athleticism. But Britt was different too because he was productive in college. He was a good player there. Like you said, there probably were some red flags

that we just didn't know about at the time um and what caused him to be available at the pick i was telling terry before he came on i just remember about that draft you know we're coming off the the chris johnson was the first round pick the year before and you know not long before that you'd had lindell white as second round pick and i remember i was watching the ESPN broadcast. And, you know, again, this was before Twitter and people tipping picks and all that kind of stuff. And I just remember ESPN, you know, has the Titans, the pick is in across the bottom of the screen. And then they cut to Beanie Wells.

And they were showing him on the phone and his, you know, family and everybody all excited. And I was, like, flipping out. I was like, I can't believe the Titans just picked another running back in the first round. You know, why in the world are they in a running back? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I don't know if I missed the Kenny Britt thing

or if they didn't have cameras there or, you know, whatever was going on there. But I was pleasantly surprised when it was Britt that was announced as the pick and not Beanie Wells who went on with the next pick, the running back out of Ohio State to the Cardinals. as the pick and not Beanie Wells who went on with the next pick, the running back out of Ohio State to the Cardinals. But, yeah, you know, it's just, you know, and I wonder what would have been different,

what if the Giants would have taken Kay Britt and the Titans would have had Hakeem Nicks. You know, you think with the proximity to New Jersey that he would have had with the Giants, things probably would have been worse. But like you said, that was the big joke, stay out of New Jersey, Kenny. Because every time, it seemed like every time he went up there, he had some type of run with the wall. So, yeah, I mean, it's just that era of this team,

when you look back at so many guys that showed so much promise but didn't show it for a long enough time to where they could kind of all put it together. I mean, you look at what Chris Johnson was able to do. You look at what Vince Young was able to do at times. You know, just all that Kenny Brewer was able to do. But they weren't ever – you don't think of them as like the big three, right? There wasn't ever a season where they all were at their peak at the same time. They all played together, but you never saw them at their peak at the same time.

I think that's a good point, and that's kind of the story of, you know, the late 2010 era Titans, 2007, 2008, that whole era. It just seemed like there was always something missing, whether it be quarterback play. If Titans have a better quarterback than Kerry Collins, they probably don't lose to that Ravens team. It just always seemed to be something there for a couple years now. The joke is Jeff Fisher, that's when he turned into an 8-8 coach,

and that ended up getting him fired. He just couldn't get over that hump. But, man, Britt was supposed to be a big part of that. And after the ACL injury, the dude just wasn't the same. And I don't know what happened because tearing your ACL doesn't affect your ability to catch the football. But he came back that year, and I remember he dropped three or four passes a game uh it was like nothing i had ever seen before uh and i do remember one of the knocks on him coming out was his drops uh he had smaller hands in the bottom 20 percent percentile at the combine that year

but he couldn't catch a cold and it was shocking uh to see him not be able to catch a curl route, a slant route, after the guys out here mossing people for touchdowns. So, you know, when Kenny Britt came along, we've talked a lot about the Titans and their historical need for a receiver. Well, he was the guy. They finally spent a first-round pick on Kenny Britt and got their receiver. And then for him to just show us that and to come back and not even be able to execute the simplest of plays, it was just cruel.

Yeah, it really was. And it was just, like you said, it was just so, just such a, that era was just so much like that. It was like so close to being so good, but just not being able to get over that hump. It was a very frustrating time as a defense. Funny that you brought up Rainy Moss. Coming up, we'll talk a little bit about Kenny Britt and Rainy Moss and why they couldn't play together.

Randy Moss and why they couldn't play together. So going back to that, probably the most fun week of Museum Miracles is when the Titans claim Randy Moss off of waivers. And going back to that, Kenny Brady got hurt. He did something to his knee. He didn't tear his ACL because he obviously, he didn't miss the whole year. I can't remember,

he was probably spraying an MCL or whatever. And, you know, that had happened, I guess it was the Vikings, right,

that released Randy Moss because, yeah, he had gone back to Minnesota. And then, to sign the plan, Randy Moss

up a waiver. She comes in, you know, all the hoopla that went along with that. And then, when Kenny Britt

comes back healthy, you know, Randy Moss is either inactive or didn't play and Jeff Fisher said it was because that Britt and Moss

played the same position and so they couldn't be on the field at the same time. And just, you know, Jeff Fisher, oh gosh, that's another episode we need to do is Jeff is jeff fisher that'll be a good one yeah but like

jeff fisher at that point that was you know toward the end of his tenure here um he would say the most ridiculous things to the media and then be like shocked and they didn't believe him you know and that i just remember that being one of those things where it was like he he passed that off as the reason that randy moss wasn't playing and just expected people to be like oh okay well yeah that makes sense you know and um yeah i just remember the you know like i said there's another disciplinary guy randy moss and i mean we knew when he came in randy moss that is that, that he was done. He was on the back end of his career, clearly. But he had a chance to do something cool, be the

first receiver to ever catch a touchdown for three different teams in the same season that year and all that stuff. And Rusty Smith and all that. Man, that is a team right there. Because if you think about that's the Vince Young shoulder pads in the stands.

Rusty Smith threw a touchdown to Randy Moss. He got called back for pass interference, offensive pass interference. All that stuff that went on. But a lot of that centered around Kenny Britt and the fact that he had gotten hurt. But, yeah, he was a guy that obviously Jeff Fisher loved because when Britt left here, he went to the Rams with with fisher um and had a you know a productive year had over a thousand yards one year with with the i think it was the then st louis rams at that point but again you know it has shown flashes at times of of still having that ability but it's just the like you said he had the drops and then

and you know 99 of the time right drops are a focus issue it's just, like you said, he had the drops. And, you know, 99% of the time, right, drops are a focus issue. It's not something wrong with his hands. It was just all that kind of stuff has continued to haunt him wherever he's gone. Yeah, he had a 1,000-yard season with the Rams in 2016. So, yeah, playing with Tom Brady, there's no telling what he can do. If he can stay straight and, you know, get on the football field, get in the playbook, keep his head on straight. But, you know, it just seems like when you put trust in Kenny Britt,

that's when he lets you down the most. I remember the fantasy football guys talking him up in Cleveland as he's going to be the number one receiver and catch all these touchdowns. And he just quits. He quits on his team. There was a famous tweet going around of a clip of him just not even trying on a play. He ends up getting released. And of course he falls upwards right to the Patriots. I don't know, man. He is an interesting dude.

He's had an interesting career. And it's not over yet, so we'll see what he can do with Patriots this year. Yeah, and I don't know. It's just funny when you think about guys and how you feel about them when they leave here. I don't have the animosity toward Kenny Brett that I do with some other players. Like Chris Johnson, for instance., uh, that like Chris Johnson, for instance,

like I really don't like Chris Johnson and I get blasted on that on Twitter and stuff all the time. But like, I mean, I don't know. Kenny Britt, he was, you know,

obviously more of a disappointment, right. And then Chris Johnson, Chris Johnson at least had some really good productive years, at least before he got paid. you know, and Kenny Britt, the,

the, like I said, the only consistent season he had was the one where he toured acl because he was three games in and had you know two and a quarter really good games um but i don't know he was the guy that you was always smiling i mean always looked happy um you know even when he got in trouble he always had that smile and was always you know really nice to people and all that stuff so So for some reason, I still root for him. I don't really know why. Like I said, there's nothing more maddening if you're a fan

than seeing a guy just standing there on the line of scrimmage when the ball snapped, no matter what the score is or whatever. But I got that root for him. I mean, I hope he ends up having a good year. I think part of it, too, is you hate to see wasted potential. And like we said, that guy had all of it in the world. But it'll be interesting to watch. I wouldn't be shocked if he went out and had a really good year this year,

like you said, playing with Tom Brady. We know the history of what the Patriots have been able to do with guys that were supposedly at the end of their career or, you know, discipline problems or whatever else, they tend to be able to get the most out of those guys. I mean, Randy Moss is another example of a guy that was, you know, a malcontent elsewhere and came in and for the majority of his time in New England, you know, got along with everybody and was productive and all that kind of stuff. So I wouldn't be shocked to see that.

You'll see that out of Kenny Brent. I i mean i don't think there's any doubt we'll see about cory davis right but i mean as far as you know pure ability receivers the titans have had i don't think there's any any doubt that that kenny brett is number one for that group as long as this team has been here hopefully cory davis surpasses him in production and all that kind of stuff. But, I mean, you know, outside of, you know, we don't know about Davis, but are you put even close to what Kniebert had ability-wise? No, not even close. You don't get that athleticism, that size. You don't get that.

So, yeah, his jersey still hangs in my closet to this day. So I still root for him. It's funny you develop these love-hate relationships with players throughout the draft process. This one just happened to come to my team. So I loved him in the draft process. I still love the ability. It's still there.

So I hope we get to see more of it. Yeah. So anyway, that's about to it for our our Kenny Britt retrospective again hope you enjoyed that hit us up on Twitter for ideas for other players we'll reach back a little bit further like I said I just I hadn't even thought about Jeff Fisher but that would be a that'd be an interesting one to do as well we'll try to kick that up here in the next couple weeks the times we we're on the field on wednesday for an ota uh a little bit of talk afterwards but so much of it's closed off now to the media that there wasn't really a whole lot to report on what went on there kevin dodd's still not working here or working with the team or whatever which is the most you know confusing thing to me ever but um anyway so any news comes out of any of that stuff,

we'll hit that up as well. We'll try to get one more show in this week. Then, like I said, as we go on through the summer, try to do a few more of these episodes because that's all we're going to have until training camp kicks up later on. Any more thoughts? Any final thoughts on Kane Britt

before we get out of here? I think I've said my piece. Alright, well, in the meantime, musicofmiracles.com, check us out there. We'll have stuff up about practices and all that kind of stuff, so you can follow us there. Twitter, at jmorsmcm, at tlamby, and the

podcast account at LockedOnTitans. So for Terry, this is Jimmy saying thanks for listening to LockedOnTitans, and we will talk to you again later.