Brown fills void of Wilkins' retirement

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Josh Brown isn’t intimidated by his role replacing the kicker known as “Money” for his clutch efforts.

Jeff Wilkins, 35, retired from the St. Louis Rams after last season, citing chronic leg and lower back woes. Wilkins had 1,223 points and 265 field goals for the Rams and was a big part of their glory days, including the teams that won Super Bowl 34 and lost Super Bowl 36. He converted nearly 81 percent of his 328 attempts for St. Louis.

To replace him, the Rams signed the free agent Brown, who for years was a thorn in their side when he kicked for Seattle.

Brown, 28, signed a five-year, $14.2 million contract on the first day of free agency in March, making him one of the league’s highest-paid kickers. The contract included a $4 million signing bonus, the NFL’s largest for a kicker.

“People want to know why a kicker is getting this kind of money,” Brown said Tuesday as the Rams (2-1) prepared for their preseason finale on Thursday at Kansas City “The thing is you got to go out and play and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Brown said he knew Wilkins casually as a player before but has gotten to know him since signing with St. Louis.

“I’m taking over big shoes here,” Brown said. “I know that. That’s the cool part of the job. I’m coming from a place where I was successful and I’m stepping in for somebody that was successful.

“Hopefully, that success doesn’t die off.”

Brown, who spent the last five seasons with Seattle, was seventh in the league in scoring in 2007 with a career-high 127 points, including 28 of 34 field goals. His career field goal success rate is 80 percent.

Like Wilkins, he’s had success when it mattered most. He tied an NFL record with four game-winning field goals in the final minute of regulation or overtime in 2006, and two of them beat the Rams, costing St. Louis an NFC West championship, with the Seahawks winning the division at 9-7 and the Rams going 8-8.

In preseason, Brown is perfect on four extra-point attempts and has missed one of four field-goal attempts. Brown hooked a 50-yard attempt wide left at the end of the first half against San Diego in the second preseason game and in his first home game for the Rams.

“I’ve figured out the fans around here are pretty relentless,” Brown said. “They want perfection. So, that’s what we’re attempting to give them every time we go out there.”

St. Louis is a good fit for Brown, who is from Tulsa, Okla., and played college football at Nebraska. He also likes the idea of kicking indoors.

“I wanted to be closer to my family but when you get the opportunity to play in a dome with our position, you take it,” Brown said. “It can prolong your career. I’m excited about this.”