Friday, February 29, 2008
By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer
Two seasons ago, kicker Josh Brown almost single-handedly kept the Rams from a playoff berth, hitting a pair of game winning field goals to pave the way for a season sweep for division rival Seattle.
Now, Brown hopes to get the chance to kick the Rams in to the playoffs after signing a five-year contract with the team late Friday night, according to team sources.
Brown is widely considered one of the best kickers in the league with excellent accuracy and a strong leg. In five years with the Seahawks, Brown has hit 80 percent of his field goal attempts, including 13 from 50 yards or more.
In 2007, Brown was 28-of-34 and hit all 43 of his extra point attempts.
Brown has long been a thorn in the side of the Rams as many fans will remember the 54-yard field goal he made to beat the Rams in St. Louis and the 38-yarder he hit to beat them again in Seattle in 2006.
The Rams fell just short of the playoffs that year and would have made postseason play with a miss on either of those kicks.
The Seahawks had hoped to retain Brown, but other costs made re-signing him more difficult. The team placed the franchise tag on Brown last season, but wasn’t able to get him signed to a long-term deal.
Signing a premier kicker became the Rams’ top priority on Friday morning when kicking stalwart Jeff Wilkins decided to officially retire.
The Rams didn’t wait long to identify and target Brown, though. The sides had discussions with him for most of the day and immediately brought him to town to sign



