THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- John Fassel, the Los Angeles Rams' interim coach, spoke to Kenny Britt over breakfast on Monday morning and was stunned to learn this is the first 1,000-yard season of his career. All those years in the NFL, all those years as a primary target -- Fassel thought Britt would have reached the coveted mark at some point over the last seven seasons. But Britt didn't even reach 800 yards during that time.
It's a circumstance that runs nearly parallel to that of the Rams.
Drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2009 then signed by the Rams in 2014, Britt is the franchise's first 1,000-yard receiver since Torry Holt in 2007, which is nothing short of amazing. The organization went eight consecutive years without a 1,000-yard receiver, right in the middle of possibly the most passer-friendly era in NFL history.
To put that into some stunning context:
From 2008-15, the NFL produced 174 1,000-yard receivers, none of whom did it for the Rams. All 31 other teams had at least one 1,000-yard receiver. Twenty-eight of them had at least two. The Broncos and Cardinals each had five different receivers go over 1,000 yards, and nine teams -- the Lions, Falcons, Steelers, Broncos, Patriots, Packers, Cardinals, Cowboys and Colts -- each had at least eight 1,000-yard performances in that eight-year span.
Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall each had seven 1,000-yard seasons from 2008-15. Vincent Jackson had six. Roddy White, Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald each had five.
Marshall had 1,000-yard-receiving seasons with four different teams during that time (the Broncos, Dolphins, Bears and Jets). Steve Smith (Panthers and Ravens), DeSean Jackson (Eagles and Redskins), Vincent Jackson (Chargers and Buccaneers), Eric Decker (Broncos and Jets) and Anquan Boldin (Cardinals and 49ers) each did it for two teams.
Fifteen of the 1,000-yard seasons during that time came from tight ends.
A running back, the Steelers' LeVeon Bell, had as many as 854 yards through the air in 2014. That's more than any Rams receiver during that time. The highest total by the Rams came from Holt himself, when he finished the 2008 season with 796 receiving yards. The Rams' leading receiver in 2009 had 589 yards (Donnie Avery), in 2010 had 689 yards (Danny Amendola), in 2011 had 683 yards (Brandon Lloyd), in 2012 had 698 yards (Chris Givens), in 2013 had 671 yards (Jared Cook), in 2014 had 748 yards (Britt) and in 2015 had 681 yards (Britt).
This is in no way an indictment on Britt and what he accomplished this year. And it isn't strictly a Jeff Fisher problem, either. These struggles also include Jim Haslett, Scott Linehan and Steve Spagnuolo. They encompass six offensive coordinators, a list that includes Al Saunders, Pat Shurmur, Josh McDaniels, Brian Schottenheimer, Frank Cignetti and Rob Boras (though Boras took the job late in 2015 and was at the controls when Britt reached 1,000 yards in 2016). And they include 11 starting quarterbacks: Trent Green, Keith Null, Kyle Boller, Marc Bulger, A.J. Feeley, Sam Bradford, Kellen Clemens, Shaun Hill, Austin Davis, Case Keenum and Nick Foles.
With those 11 under center, the Rams accumulated 24,651 passing yards from 2008-15, a mark that was better than only the Chiefs during that time.
Now Jared Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in 2016, and the Rams, in search of a new coach, are trying to figure it out.
