Titans’ Second-Year Receiver Britt Struggling

The Tennessee Titans shocked many NFL pundits last season after they failed to follow-up a very strong 2008 season.  While many suggested that the Titans were still the team to beat and thought they had a good shot of representing the AFC in the Super Bowl, Tennessee would win only half of their games and rely on the legs of Chris Johnson for a majority of their offensive power.

To make matters worse, Vince Young was unable to prove real improvement and Kerry Collins failed to maintain his impressive 2008 form.  Since Derrick Mason left the club in 2005, the franchise has struggled to find a legitimate first receiver for any of their quarterbacks to throw the ball.  They hoped that all changed when they drafted Kenny Britt out of Rutgers in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

While early indications pointed to a positive future, as Britt caught 42 passes for 701 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie, this off-season has given the Titans a reason to be concerned.

Britt has struggled holding on to passes, and his teammates have started to poke fun at him by calling him “Question Mark.” In fact, it seems his performance to this point in 2010 indicate that he has regressed, and have thrown his role as the teams top receiver into question.  Britt has addressed his difficulties, “It has been horrible.  I am disappointed in myself.  I know I have to get better.  They expect me to get better.  And that’s what I plan on doing.”

This is certainly not a good sign for a struggling franchise that already has question-marks at a number of position, particularly a short history of failing to field a group of receivers capable of helping the team’s uncertainty at quarterback.  Of course, any bad sign for a team in the AFC South is a good sign for the Indianapolis Colts and is the kind of thing fans in Indianapolis might find interesting.

If Britt falters, the Titans chances of finding their 2008 form begins to look more difficult and starts to make a team like the Houston Texans appear like the Colts unquestioned competition for the AFC South in 2010.  For more, visit Jim Wyatt’s story in the Tennessean.