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The St. Louis Rams agreed to terms on a three-year deal with rookie wide receiver Keenan Burton yesterday. Keenan was a fourth round pick out of Kentucky. He’s expected to make an immediate impact for the Rams after a great college career where after 45 games, he finished fourth in Kentucky history in catches, third in receiving yards, second in touchdowns and third in all purpose yards. Injuries kept him from being drafted higher so durability is a concern. But VP of Player Personnel Billy Devaney is optimistic:

“He fits the mold we have been stressing. Now we have some depth at wide out and it has put us in a position where there is going to be great competition once we get to training camp.”

Keenan will go camping with Torry Holt, Drew Bennett, Dane Looker, Dante Hall, Marques Hagans, Reche Caldwell, Eric Fowler, Derek Stanley and Brandon Williams — not exactly the Greatest Show on Turf on paper. But with Marc Bulger at quarterback, Keenan will be a welcome addition. He’s the the third member of this year’s Rams Draft class to sign, following fifth round guard Roy Schuening and third round tackle John Greco.

Source: StLouisRams.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Rams Sign Rookie Receiver Keenan Burton

Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett is just one of many fantastic stories of courage and achievement that make up the 2007 class of The Ed Block Courage Awards.

It’s well-known that Kevin suffered a spinal cord injury covering a kickoff in the Bills’ season opener against the Broncos. The injury was life-threatening, but the outstanding work of the Bills’ training staff and team doctors saved his life. Kevin was told that he may never walk again. Through hard work and determination not only was he able to walk again, he was able to visit his teammates in Buffalo before their last home game of the year against the New York Giants.

Kevin is just one of many great stories of courage in this year’s class. Baltimore Ravens CB Samari Rolle gathered the courage to return to the football field after being diagnosed with epilepsy. Detroit Lions RB Kevin Jones was honored by his teammates for returning to action after suffering a season ending foot injury. When Kevin spoke at the Lions Courage House dinner, he told the crowd of a different hero. His stepfather, who had the courage to take-in Kevin, his brothers and sisters, and his mom when he was young. And how his real father was shot and killed when he was eight years old.

This year’s class also boasts three playoff quarterbacks. Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, Tampa Bay’s Jeff Garcia, and Seattle Seahawks back-up QB Seneca Wallace will all represent their teams. Listed below are all the 2007 winners:

• Arizona Cardinals, Bertrand Berry
• Atlanta Falcons, Alge Crumpler
• Baltimore Ravens, Samari Rolle
• Buffalo Bills, Kevin Everett
• Carolina Panthers, Mike Rucker
• Chicago Bears, Tommie Harris
• Cincinnati Bengals, Reggie Kelly
• Cleveland Browns, Gary Baxter
• Dallas Cowboys, Jay Ratliff
• Denver Broncos, John Engleberger
• Detroit Lions, Kevin Jones
• Green Bay Packers, Chris Francies
• Houston Texans, Anthony Weaver
• Indianapolis Colts, Ryan Lilja
• Jacksonville Jaguars, Greg Jones
• Kansas City Chiefs, Eddie Kennison
• Miami Dolphins, Andre Goodman
• Minnesota Vikings, Chad Greenway
• New England Patriots, Steve Neal
• New Orleans Saints, Roman Harper
• New York Giants, Amani Toomer
• New York Jets, Laveranues Coles
• Oakland Raiders, Justin Fargas
• Philadelphia Eagles, Montae Reagor
• Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger
• San Diego Chargers, Darren Sproles
• San Francisco 49ers, Eric Heitmann
• Seattle Seahawks, Seneca Wallace
• St. Louis Rams, Dane Looker
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jeff Garcia
• Tennessee Titans, David Thornton
• Washington Redskins, Marcus Washington

I’ll be posting more on these stories here at EMQB and talking with some of the players for the BPR NFL Podcast leading up to the award ceremony March 11. In the meantime, check out my interview with Cleveland Browns DB Gary Baxter.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Kevin Everett Highlights Courage Awards