St. Louis Rams' Avery wants to put 'show’ back on air

By CHAREAN WILLIAMS

Donnie Avery knows the history. It wasn’t that long ago that the St. Louis Rams had "The Greatest Show on Turf" with receivers Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Ricky Proehl.

Now, Avery, 25, is the team’s top wideout, with 22 games of experience, 74 catches, 945 yards and five touchdowns.

"I’m honored to play here," Avery said in a telephone interview. "I’m honored to play behind those guys, future Hall of Famers in Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. My deal is to just go out there and follow in the footsteps of those guys."

Avery, who played at the University of Houston under Art Briles, was the first receiver taken in the 2008 draft. After Avery ran a 4.39 at the combine, the Rams made him the 33rd overall pick, ahead of DeSean Jackson and Eddie Royal, among others.

It has been an up-and-down two seasons. He caught 53 passes for 674 yards and three touchdowns last season, while running for another score, and was named the team’s rookie of the year ahead of first-round pick Chris Long. But this season, he has battled foot and hip injuries; he has lost two fumbles and dropped three passes; and he was chewed out by coach Steve Spagnuolo for celebrating a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 38-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The Rams are 0-7, and they rank 26th in total offense.

"If we were winning more, I’d feel a lot happier," Avery said. "We’re just working, trying to get this first win under our belts. ... There are a lot of little things we’ve got to get corrected."

VY’s second chance

It appeared Vince Young’s career as a starter in Tennessee ended with the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars last year when he lost the respect of his teammates by refusing to re-enter the game. But Young gets a second chance.

His future in Tennessee on the line, the former Texas star will start against the Jaguars today.

"God works in mysterious ways," Young told The Tennessean. "To go out vs. Jacksonville and come back on Jacksonville is definitely big. I am just going to get ready to play. For [Jeff Fisher] to give me a shot again to go out and give it a chance again is big for me, because I’ve been waiting for this.

"But this isn’t about me. I just want to put smiles on my teammates’ faces, coaches’ faces and fans’ faces."

There has been speculation that the Titans will move on without Young after this season. The No. 3 overall draft choice in 2006 is scheduled to make a base salary of $7.5 million in 2010.

But Young, who is 18-11 as a starter, has a chance to win back everyone in the organization as well as his job.

"I’m sure he knows that it’s a time for him to be able to regain his teammates’ trust," receiver Justin Gage told the paper. "But more than anything, it’s a chance for him to be able to get back on the field and do what he’s done all his life and what he does best — be a leader and go out there and win games.

"Vince had an opportunity to sit back and watch things unfold and get that passion back for the game that he loves. Now his chance is here."

Where is T.O.?

Terrell Owens has 18 receptions for 242 yards and a touchdown, the slowest start of his 14-year career as a starter. But then, Lee Evans is off to his slowest start in four years; and Josh Reed is off to his slowest start in five years.

The Bills are the sixth-worst offense in the NFL in yards and the fifth-worst in points.

"I mean they’re pathetic to be honest," Owens said of his numbers during his weekly interview with Bills reporters. "Definitely, for myself, it’s very, very frustrating. I hear a lot of people saying I’ve hit the wall; I can’t play any more, this and that. I mean, I know I can play. But that’s the thing. I understand what’s going on with this team."

Owens noted that he has better numbers than Cowboys receiver Roy Williams, who has 12 catches for 230 yards and a touchdown.

"I’ve been looking at my stats compared to Roy E. Williams’ stats over there in Dallas, and my goal is to have better stats than him at the end of the season," Owens said.

What Owens neglected to add is he has played two more games than Williams. The Bills have not had their bye week yet, and Williams missed one game with a rib injury.

Charean Williams, 817-390-7760

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