Kenny Britt needs to catch the ball
Note: This is a Flash Back Post. It was originally published 9-23-2017
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For a guy who is being paid a whole heckuva lot of money to catch passes, wide receiver Kenny Britt inexplicably didn’t grasp the reason why the Browns signed him as a pretty high-level free agent in the offseason.
If he did, then there would have been no reason for head coach Hue Jackson to sit him down this week and explain to him his role on this team. That Jackson had to do it is mind-boggling.
Britt came to Cleveland as a veteran player with a track record of decent success. He was, then, in that regard, the perfect addition for a team full of talented but young and inexperienced wideouts.
Britt would teach them the ropes of pro football. He would show them how to practice, how to prepare during game week and how to handle the ebbs and flows of the game itself. He would mentor them, tutor them, instruct them, be the first one to congratulate them when they did something well and also be the first one to give them some tough love when that was needed.
He would do all that with both his words and his actions. He would be a shining example of what the Browns want their players – and specifically their wide receivers – to be.
In essence, he was brought in to be a coach in shoulder pads – someone the young pass-catchers could look up to because he had been in their shoes once. They could follow his lead and someday way down the road get to where he is now.
It was a great plan. It really was. It made total sense.
Instead, Britt has failed to produce in all areas – during games, on the practice field and in the locker room. He has been just another high-priced veteran free agent going through the motions while collecting a big paycheck.
It was enough for Jackson to pull out his air – that is, if he had any hair.
But, with just two games played and 14 left, beginning with Sunday’s date with the Colts in Indianapolis, there is plenty of time for Britt to get himself turned around and, in doing so, help his students do the same. The need is now more pronounced that ever since Corey Coleman, who was taken in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft to be the go-to wide receiver, is – again – out indefinitely with a broken hand.
So, does Kenny Britt understand now what he’s supposed to do? And can he do it? Just as important, will he be willing to do it?
He says he is, but with anything like this, the proof is in the pudding.
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Cleveland Browns:
- “Browns Re-Sign WR Higgins After Stunted 2019 Season” (AP)
- The ‘Corner Brothers’ (Browns Daily Dose)
- “Browns open as 9-point underdog to Ravens in 2020 opener” (WKYC)
- Missing Cleveland Stadium (Browns Daily Dose)
- “Baker Mayfield says Browns are ‘putting the right pieces together’ during virtual offseason program” (Browns.com)
- New 2020 Cleveland Browns Jerseys
- “Cleveland Browns, COVID-19 and 2020 NFL schedule” (Crowquill)
- Browns Steering Wheel Cover (Browns Daily Dose)
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