Tag: Kenny Britt

Rutgers football: Playing, not practice, made Ian Strong perfect for a position change

Rutgers football is getting a strong freshman performance from Ian Strong.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The old adage, that practice makes perfect didn’t necessarily apply to Ian Strong. For the Rutgers football freshman, an offseason position change from defense to wide receiver just weeks into his college career came in a non-traditional way.

It is hard to believe that a player who in Week 1 made the top play in the SportsCenter Top 10 is still so raw at wide receiver.

In high school, Strong played both ways for St. Anthony’s (Hicksville, N.Y.) as a safety and as a wide receiver. But the two-star recruit was brought to Rutgers as a defensive back, despite showing significant promise as a wide receiver.

The reason for this is simple, says head coach Greg Schiano.

“He played wide receiver in games at St. Anthony’s. He didn’t really practice it,” Schiano said on Wednesday following practice.

“But when you watch them in games you’d say ‘This kid is special’ and we needed to bolster our wide receiver corp. And he is going to be special. He’s got a unique skill set, and he’s a big man. So I look forward to seeing him continue to develop.”

For those who have watched Rutgers football for a long time, it is easy to watch Strong on the field and see in his long strides a player reminiscent of Kenny Britt. Like Strong, Britt came to Rutgers with similar size (6-foot-4, 190 pounds) and good length. Strong has a similar catch radius and the ability to turn on the jets in the open field.

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Watch Strong in the open field and it is apparent that not only does he have Big Ten size, but his long strides make him a potential big play threat. When Strong opens up in space, his extension seems to carry him gracefully through each step, a symmetry of power and deft speed that seemingly never sees his gait drop.

Like Strong, Britt began making an impact as a true freshman (29 catches, 440 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2006). Strong is just starting to scratch the surface on his potential as well.

Britt ended up in the NFL as a first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans. Strong’s ceiling remains to be seen, but he is already beginning to show his capabilities.

On the year, Strong has three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he has a really unique frame as a true freshman, one that the coaching duo of [autotag]Dave Brock[/autotag] (wide receivers coach) and John Perry (senior analyst) can mold into a potential game-changer for Rutgers at the Big Ten level.

He has already changed one game this season with a touchdown catch in the season opener against Northwestern that saw incredible athleticism and body control. The play went viral and ended up as the top play of the day on SportsCenter.

It put Rutgers up 7-0 and the Scarlet Knights never looked back.

 

All of which makes a very good start to his Rutgers career even more stark when compared to a recruitment that was reserved.

Despite his production in high school, Strong didn’t register a single Power Five offer other than Rutgers.

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Strong earned his offer from Rutgers during a summer camp prior to his senior season at St. Anthony’s. That day, he showcased incredible athleticism, but his versatility is what once again stood out this spring when he arrived at Rutgers.

“They moved me to receiver because that was the best chance for me to get on the field. So I started working with coach Perry and coach Brock, and they got my development to get to be a receiver to play on the field,” Strong said.

“So I’m just going out there and play. I’m going to develop as the years go on. That’s the main thing.”

The process of getting Strong from the backend to wide receiver started during a meeting with Schiano. It also ended there too.

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Strong didn’t need much convincing to switch meeting rooms. He heard from his coach and was on board with very little convincing needed.

“There was a lot of older safeties. And when I went to Schiano’s office and he told me this was the best chance to get on the field – I’m gonna listen to the man – that’s what he told me,” Strong said.

“He encouraged me that I could really see the field this year. So, I put my trust in him.

“It worked.”

 

Kenny Britt is a big believer in Rutgers football’s new offensive coordinator, Kirk Ciarrocca

Former NFL star wide receiver Kenny Britt believes in the hiring of Kirk Ciarrocca as the Rutgers offensive coordinator.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Kenny Britt spent one season with Kirk Ciarrocca in college and although their time together was brief, it was enough to leave an impact on the former Rutgers football wide receiver.

Ciarrocca, now in his first year back with Rutgers as their offensive coordinator, was the program’s wide receivers coach in 2008. Part of that wide receivers room, a big part of it, was Britt.

Then a junior, Britt would become a first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans that spring following a 1,000-yard receiving senior at Rutgers in 2008. He would play nine seasons in the NFL.

On Saturday prior to the ‘Scarlet-White Game,’ Britt spoke about the impact of Ciarrocca and what his former wide receivers coach now brings to the table as the Rutgers offensive coordinator.

“He brought a lot of energy, a lot of energy into the room,” Britt told Rutgers Wire.

“I know he’s the offensive coordinator now but when he was in the wide receiver room, he’d make sure that we have energy each and every day from the beginning no matter what time we got in and entered that room until we went to the football field. He’s a smart guy. A leadership guy -the guys responded to him.”

Ciarrocca would then become the offensive coordinator of Rutgers the following year, a role he would serve for two seasons. The highly-respected Ciarrocca was at Minnesota last year as their offensive coordinator, where he turned the Golden Gophers into a top-four scoring offense in the Big Ten.

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Britt said that the re-united of Ciarrocca with head coach Greg Schiano is all part of what he sees as the upward trajectory of the program. Rutgers is in the fourth year of a rebuild under Schiano.

The rebuild has been slow, in large part due to the need for Rutgers to build-up its talent level. Britt says that the slow and steady approach will pay dividends, not unlike Schiano’s first time rebuilding the program.

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“Just believe in the system. I’m a believer in the vision from coach Schiano for Rutgers nation,” Britt said. “And if the guys buy in, they’ll have no problem. No matter what, no matter what.”

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Kenny Britt believes that Rutgers football can take the next step this season

Kenny Britt believes in the direction of Rutgers football under head coach Greg Schiano.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Kenny Britt knows first-hand the importance of vision when it comes to Greg Schiano rebuilding a program. Britt committed to Rutgers at a point in the program’s development where the direction of Schiano’s team was no sure thing.

A member of the 2006 recruiting class, Britt was a four-star who was heavily recruited by some of the top programs in the country. But Britt bought into Schiano’s vision for the direction of the program.

And it turned out to be a good decision from Britt. Rutgers went 11-2 and finished his freshman season ranked. They won all three bowl appearances that Britt played in, helping to propel the wide receiver into becoming a first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in the 2009 NFL draft.

“Do I think that? I know that coach Schiano has this team ready to take the next step. I mean, All the guys got to do is believe,” Britt told Rutgers Wire on Saturday.

“Once they start believing, becoming family and trusting coaches – that’s what made us great. We all trusted each other and trusted the coaches.”

At Rutgers, Britt was twice an All-Big East selection and he was a third-team All-American in 2008, his final season with the program.

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He spent nine seasons in the NFL where he posted 329 catches for 5,137 receiving yards and 32 career touchdowns.

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NFL draft history: Every player selected with the 30th overall pick since 2000

We’re looking at every No. 30 overall pick selected since the 2000 NFL Draft and the Philadelphia Eagles’ chances of landing an impact player.

The Eagles need impact players on both sides of the ball, and with two first-round picks in this month’s draft, Howie Roseman will have another opportunity to add depth to a Super Bowl-caliber roster.

First-round picks are expected to be critical contributors.

The list of No. 30 overall selections has several misses, hits, and a few Hall of Fame-worthy performers.

With the NFL draft fast approaching, we’re looking at every player selected with the 30th pick since 2000.

Rutgers football commit Famah Toure has some Kenny Britt in his game

Famah Toure is a bit like former Rutgers football star Kenny Britt.

Famah Toure’s commitment to Rutgers football gives the Scarlet Knights a talented and athletic wide receiver, adding an important potential playmaker at an area where the program needs talent.

A three-star recruit, Toure committed to Rutgers football on Friday evening. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound wide receiver. had a listed final four that included West Virginia, Kentucky and Illinois along with Rutgers.

Toure, a wide receiver out of Irvington, N.J. will remind some Rutgers fans of former Scarlet Knights Kenny Britt.

As a senior in high school at Bayonne, Britt was 6-foot-4, 191 pounds and ranked a four-star by Rivals. His measurables in terms of his length are very similar to the class of 2023 Toure.

Britt was a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft and played nine seasons in the league with four teams.

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Like Britt, his frame would suggest a possession wide receiver. But also like Britt, he has the ability to get open downfield and has good speed and elusiveness in the open field.

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Both Toure and Britt, given their frames and length, possess the ability to be possession wide receivers who can move the chains. But it is Toure’s ability to separate at the line and make defenders miss in the open field that makes him very much like Britt.

According to 247Sports, Toure is the No. 13 player in New Jersey in this current recruiting class.

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Former Titans WR Kenny Britt shares legendary Keith Bulluck story

This story about Keith Bulluck only adds to his legend.

Former Tennessee Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck is one of the best defenders in franchise history, but this story former wide receiver Kenny Britt shared about him only adds to his legend.

Britt says the most epic thing he had ever seen in the league was when he was with the Titans and Bulluck showed up to practice wearing a helmet, shorts, jersey and a pair of Timberland boots.

And it only gets better from there.

That’s what greatness looks like, folks.

Bulluck later explained why he did what he did.

Bulluck spent 10 seasons with the Titans after being drafted with the No. 30 pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. He made one Pro Bowl and was a First-Team All-Pro in 2003. In 2004, Bulluck led the NFL in tackles.

His last season in Nashville came in 2009 when Britt was a rookie, which is when this must’ve happened. Clearly he left a lasting impression on the wide receiver, as he did with the fans that loved to see him play for all those years.

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Rams 2010s All-Decade Team: Offense

Breaking down the best offensive players to play for the Los Angeles (and St. Louis) Rams during the 2010s.

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The 2010s were quite an eventful decade for the Rams franchise. They played in two different cities, had the first overall pick twice, played in a Super Bowl, drafted a generational talent and a massive bust in the first round of the same draft, won two games in a season, hired a coach who produced a timeless meme, and hired another coach who changed how teams hire coaches in the NFL.

There were some incredible highs and some devastating lows. This list is no different. There are players on this list that would make anybody’s overall NFL All-Decade team, and there are players on this list that maybe shouldn’t have even been starting games in the NFL. The Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams of the 2010s were a rollercoaster ride. This list will give you a chance to relive it.

To select our All-Decade Team, we only considered what players did between the 2010 and 2019 seasons. For example, when considering Steven Jackson, we wouldn’t take into account his entire career with the Rams, just his three years playing for the team this decade.

Let’s get into it, starting with the offense.

Quarterback: Jared Goff (2016 – 2019)

(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Goff is the only real option here. In his three full seasons as the Rams starting quarterback, Goff threw for 13,130 yards while completing 63% of his passes. He tossed 82 touchdown passes against 35 interceptions and added five touchdowns on the ground. His rookie season may have been abysmal, but Goff bounced back with two very impressive seasons in 2017 and 2018. He was the first Rams quarterback to be selected to back-to-back Pro Bowls since Kurt Warner in 2000-2001.

Most importantly, he’s helped the team win football games – something the Rams’ other QBs from last decade struggled to do. The Rams have put together three straight winning seasons for the first time since the days of the Greatest Show on Turf. Goff played a significant role in leading the Rams to a 13-3 record and a Super Bowl appearance in 2018. He holds a 33-14 record as the Rams starting quarterback since 2017.

Goff left a lot to be desired in 2019, but his overall tenure with the Rams has been a success. Let’s hope he can return to form in 2020 and cement himself as the quarterback for next decade’s team.

Honorable Mention: Sam Bradford

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Report: Former NFL wide receiver Kenny Britt busted for marijuana possession

Former NFL WR Kenny Britt was arrested for marijuana possession over the weekend in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Kenny Britt played wide receiver at Rutgers and for four teams in the NFL. While in his hometown of Bayonne, NJ. this weekend, Britt was arrested for possession of marijuana, NJ.com reported.

Britt was driving a 2019 Rambler truck when he was pulled over by police, Bayonne Capt. Eric Amato said.

Officers approached the vehicle and detected a strong odor of raw marijuana from inside the vehicle. Police searching the truck recovered marijuana in an amount less than 50 grams, Amato said.

Britt was charged with possession of marijuana 50 grams or less and he was also issued summonses for possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle and obstructing passage of other motor vehicles, Amato said.

Britt, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where he played most of his NFL career, was processed and released on a summons with a pending court date.

Britt made 178 catches in three seasons at Rutgers. Seventeen of them went for touchdowns. Overall, he had 3,043 yards receiving for the Scarlet Knights.

Britt had a 10-year career NFL career. He made 329 catches for 5,137 yards and 32 touchdowns. He was the 30th overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in 2009. He also played for the Rams, Browns and Patriots.