Kenny Britt is in a race for his biggest score. And neither his 4.4 speed nor shifty elusiveness can help him.
The difference in what truly becomes of the 25-year-old NFL enigma now lies in the work he is willing to put in away from the gridiron. Quiet reflection and candid self-assessment should now be far more valuable to him than idolizing fans and even victory celebrations.
Talent alone does not a star make. After at least four arrests over a three-year period and being benched this season for what his Tennessee Titans coaches blasted as “his lackadaisical approach,” Kenny Britt has come face to face with that sobering reality.
In the midst of yet another painful hiccup, quarterback Jake Locker reportedly demanded that the error-plagued wideout (two drops, two penalties) be benched prior to what amounted to the team’s Week 3 game-winning drive and be replaced by raw, but hard-working rookie Justin Hunter.
Instead of responding as the competitor you would think someone who once appeared poised for stardom would pride himself on doing, he complained and sulked to the point it’s now more likely RGIII and Mike Shanahan will remain digitally connected after the former is shown the door in the latter’s house by year’s end than it is the Titans will extend a return invite to their enigmatic vet.
But now, with his latest season having deteriorated into an 11 catch, 96 yards, no touchdowns of a debacle and summer free agency just around the corner, a light seems to have finally gone off in the five year veteran’s head.
“I am going to be a No. 1 receiver somewhere else if I am not there next year, and that is guaranteed,” Britt recently told the Tennessean. “I am definitely going to be a receiver that makes plays on Sundays and makes something happen for a team … I am going to be the receiver that I was two years ago.”
The only think that makes that boast seem implausible is Kenny Britt being Kenny Britt. Surely, GMs will be skeptical about blowing their budgets on a talent that has always seem to pride himself on chasing fame and fortune as much as does touchdowns and first downs.
Who can forget how Britt while still a star at Rutgers once openly boasted “the money’s in the second contract. It’s not hard,” he added of his plan to become one of the league’s best paid and most celebrated stars, starting with winning Rookie of The Year honors.
“You can three, four balls a game, 16 games that’s 60 catches, average 15 yards a catch, that’s right around 1,000 yards.”
Back then, longtime NFL draft guru Gil Brandt instantly dubbed the then Scarlet Knights star “Hollywood,” flippantly adding he’s a “flamboyant, charismatic personality.”
There have been few changes to the script since then— and even fewer of them have reflected well on Britt.
“The only thing that matters is that I keep getting better,” he recently told reporters. But there’s so much more, like simply earning the right to even call yourself a teammate.
Rather they openly admit it or not, some of Kenny Britt’s teammates feel he quit on them this underachieving season, feel he hasn’t nearly given all he’s capable of providing.
Don’t believe the hype? Just ask Jake Locker.
