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Wide receiver Jordan Kent ready to jump in
BY BILL COATS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/19/2009
Nervous but determined, Jordan Kent approached his father a few years ago, asking, "Will you still love me if I do something?"
Ernie Kent was shaken. "He thought I was getting married," Jordan recalled, laughing. "I said, 'No, I want to play football.'"
Because Ernie Kent is the basketball coach at the University of Oregon and Jordan was a member of his squad, you can imagine his initial reaction. "He wasn't really for it at the time," Jordan said, "but he gave his blessing about a week later. He's been one of my biggest fans since then."
Now, Ernie has a new team to support. Jordan, a 6-foot-4, 219-pound wide receiver, signed a free-agent deal with the Rams on Tuesday. He practiced with his new team for the first time Wednesday.
"I think on special teams, I'm ready to contribute," Jordan said afterward. "Obviously there's a learning curve at receiver, but ... I'll be ready to go whenever they need me."
Kent, 25, takes the place on the 53-man roster of second-year wideout Keenan Burton, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Sunday's 28-23 loss to New Orleans at the Edward Jones Dome.
The Rams brought Kent in for a workout in October. Since then, he said he'd been "patiently waiting" for a call-back. "I've been back in Oregon, working out every day and just staying in shape," Kent said. "I knew I had to be ready at moment's notice."
Kent was a two-sport star at Winston Churchill High in Eugene, Ore., a member of state-championship squads in basketball and track. He continued in both sports at Oregon, then heading into his junior year decided to add a third.
"I always wanted to give (football) a shot," Kent said. "I just didn't want to be sitting there 10 years from now thinking shoulda, woulda, coulda. I knew if it didn't work out, I could say, 'Hey, at least I tried it. No hard feelings.'"
Juggling three sports, as well as earning a degree in business administration, required strict discipline, Kent explained. "You go to bed early and you really don't have much of a social life," he said. "There are some sacrifices, but it was a lot of fun doing all three."
Kent, a sprinter, was a four-time All-American in track and a defensive specialist in basketball. He was a rank novice when he walked on to the football team.
Just figuring out how to suit up, with the pads in the right places and the helmet buckled properly, was a challenge initially, he conceded. He saw scant action his first season but started 12 games as a senior, amassing 44 catches for 491 yards and four touchdowns.
Intrigued by the combination of Kent's size, speed and development potential, Seattle took him in the sixth round (No. 210 overall) of the 2007 draft. He spent his rookie season on the practice squad, then got into nine games, mostly on special teams, in 2008. The Seahawks released him in their final preseason cuts this year.
TICKETS REMAIN
As of late Wednesday, about 4,500 tickets remained for Sunday's home game vs. Arizona. The deadline to sell out and avoid a local-television blackout is noon today.
The Rams will decide this morning whether to seek a 24-hour extension from the league, as they did last week before fulfilling sellout requirements.
INJURY UPDATES
Defensive end Chris Long (knee) and guard Richie Incognito (foot) sat out practice Wednesday. Defensive ends James Hall (back) and Leonard Little (knee) were limited, as was defensive tackle Clifton Ryan (toe).
During practice, defensive end C.J. Ah You went down with an injury to his left knee. He was scheduled for an MRI exam.
Spagnuolo said Incognito, who has missed two games, is "very doubtful" for Sunday's game.
BY BILL COATS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/19/2009
Nervous but determined, Jordan Kent approached his father a few years ago, asking, "Will you still love me if I do something?"
Ernie Kent was shaken. "He thought I was getting married," Jordan recalled, laughing. "I said, 'No, I want to play football.'"
Because Ernie Kent is the basketball coach at the University of Oregon and Jordan was a member of his squad, you can imagine his initial reaction. "He wasn't really for it at the time," Jordan said, "but he gave his blessing about a week later. He's been one of my biggest fans since then."
Now, Ernie has a new team to support. Jordan, a 6-foot-4, 219-pound wide receiver, signed a free-agent deal with the Rams on Tuesday. He practiced with his new team for the first time Wednesday.
"I think on special teams, I'm ready to contribute," Jordan said afterward. "Obviously there's a learning curve at receiver, but ... I'll be ready to go whenever they need me."
Kent, 25, takes the place on the 53-man roster of second-year wideout Keenan Burton, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Sunday's 28-23 loss to New Orleans at the Edward Jones Dome.
The Rams brought Kent in for a workout in October. Since then, he said he'd been "patiently waiting" for a call-back. "I've been back in Oregon, working out every day and just staying in shape," Kent said. "I knew I had to be ready at moment's notice."
Kent was a two-sport star at Winston Churchill High in Eugene, Ore., a member of state-championship squads in basketball and track. He continued in both sports at Oregon, then heading into his junior year decided to add a third.
"I always wanted to give (football) a shot," Kent said. "I just didn't want to be sitting there 10 years from now thinking shoulda, woulda, coulda. I knew if it didn't work out, I could say, 'Hey, at least I tried it. No hard feelings.'"
Juggling three sports, as well as earning a degree in business administration, required strict discipline, Kent explained. "You go to bed early and you really don't have much of a social life," he said. "There are some sacrifices, but it was a lot of fun doing all three."
Kent, a sprinter, was a four-time All-American in track and a defensive specialist in basketball. He was a rank novice when he walked on to the football team.
Just figuring out how to suit up, with the pads in the right places and the helmet buckled properly, was a challenge initially, he conceded. He saw scant action his first season but started 12 games as a senior, amassing 44 catches for 491 yards and four touchdowns.
Intrigued by the combination of Kent's size, speed and development potential, Seattle took him in the sixth round (No. 210 overall) of the 2007 draft. He spent his rookie season on the practice squad, then got into nine games, mostly on special teams, in 2008. The Seahawks released him in their final preseason cuts this year.
TICKETS REMAIN
As of late Wednesday, about 4,500 tickets remained for Sunday's home game vs. Arizona. The deadline to sell out and avoid a local-television blackout is noon today.
The Rams will decide this morning whether to seek a 24-hour extension from the league, as they did last week before fulfilling sellout requirements.
INJURY UPDATES
Defensive end Chris Long (knee) and guard Richie Incognito (foot) sat out practice Wednesday. Defensive ends James Hall (back) and Leonard Little (knee) were limited, as was defensive tackle Clifton Ryan (toe).
During practice, defensive end C.J. Ah You went down with an injury to his left knee. He was scheduled for an MRI exam.
Spagnuolo said Incognito, who has missed two games, is "very doubtful" for Sunday's game.
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