Brandon Lloyd
Encyclopedia
Brandon Matthew Lloyd is an American football
wide receiver
for the St. Louis Rams
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers
in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Illinois
.
Lloyd has also played for the San Francisco 49ers
, Washington Redskins
, Chicago Bears
, and Denver Broncos
.
in Blue Springs, Missouri
and was a letterman in football
, basketball, and track. In track he still holds a school record 7'2 high jump. In football, he was a three-time All-Suburban Big Eight honoree, and as a senior, he was also awarded All-Region by the Mo-Kan Magazine and was named an All-State honoree by the St.Louis Post-Dispatch.
season, Lloyd missed all of the 2000 season with a broken femur. He returned healthy and had outstanding seasons in both 2001 and 2002. He was a consensus First-Team All-Big Ten
performer after his sophomore season in 2001, helping lead the Fighting Illini
to a 10-2 record and a BCS
berth in the Sugar Bowl
. After his junior season in 2002, Lloyd declared his eligibility for the NFL Draft
. He finished his college career having the second-most receiving yards (2,583) and touchdown
catches (21) in Illinois history, and ranking third in all-time receptions (160).
by the San Francisco 49ers
and blocked a punt during his first game against the Chicago Bears
on September 7, 2003. On November 2, 2003, he caught his first touchdown pass against the St. Louis Rams
. He finished the season with 14 receptions for 212 yards and two touchdowns. In 2004
, Lloyd started and appeared in 13 games and finished the season with 43 catches for 565 yards and six touchdowns. During the 2005 season
Lloyd started 16 games and posted NFL career-highs and team-highs in receptions (48) and receiving yards (733) and had five touchdown catches. In Week 3 vs. the Dallas Cowboys
, he recorded four catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns, including a 89-yard touchdown catch.
traded Lloyd to Washington Redskins
in exchange for a third-round draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft
and a fourth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft
. His first season is widely considered a failure, as he caught 23 passes for no touchdowns. According to Howard Bryant of the Washington Post, citing NFL.com, "Lloyd suffered through the worst season for a starting receiver in the Super Bowl era... No starting No. 2 wide receiver in the NFL started more games (12) while producing less (23 catches, 365 yards)."
Lloyd never made it out of Joe Gibbs
doghouse, due to a questionable attitude and alleged poor work ethic. On Sunday, November 4, 2007, Lloyd was listed among Redskins inactives as the team traveled to play against the New York Jets. Citing the reason behind the move, Gibbs said that Lloyd had been told to remain behind in Washington as disciplinary action for missing important team meetings. Lloyd would spend the latter part of the 2007 season on injured reserve after having snapped his collar bone while making a diving touchdown catch during team practice.
On February 26, 2008, the Redskins released Lloyd, who caught only two passes for 14 yards for the 2007 season.
after the release of Muhsin Muhammad
and the loss of Bernard Berrian
to free agency
. The move reunited him with Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, who was Lloyd's head coach at Illinois. Lloyd had a successful start to his career in Chicago, establishing himself as a favorite target of quarterback Kyle Orton, with 15 catches in his first four games. An injury forced him to miss several weeks, and he fell out of favor with the coaching staff as a result. He returned to the field in week 11, though did not approach his early-season productivity until the Bears' final game of the season, where he caught four passes from Orton for 34.
expired after the end of the 2008 season. In early April, Bears quarterback Kyle Orton
was traded to the Denver Broncos
in a deal involving Jay Cutler
. As the offseason progressed, the Bears did not make any efforts to resign Lloyd. Being one of Kyle Orton's favorite targets during the 2008 campaign, Brandon Lloyd was once again reunited with Orton when he signed with the Denver Broncos
on June 15, 2009. Lloyd re-signed with the Broncos on March 15, 2010.
During the Broncos' 24-20 loss to the Jets on 17 October, Lloyd was subjected to a helmet-to-helmet tackle/hit by New York safety Jim Leonhard
, resulting in a 15-yard penalty. This hit, along with several other helmet-to-helmet hits during NFL games that weekend, led the league to announce such future 'devastating hits' or 'head shots' will be met with possible suspensions even for first-time offenders, a significant change in league policy, especially during an on-going season.
He led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,448 yards for the 2010 season. and was named 2nd Team All-Pro and was invited to the 2011 Pro Bowl
.
R&B chart, and his song "Heavy" was featured on the Spike TV
show Blue Mountain State
. Lloyd has received criticism for trying to balance careers in football and rap, but he says that making music is important to expressing who he really is. Quoted in a 2011 article, Lloyd said, "I have the guts to stand out and do something I'm passionate about, go against the grain and go against the conventional wisdom that the athlete-rap thing is unsuccessful. Yet I'm going to do it. People will say: 'Oh, you're doing hip-hop music? Who does he think he is, a rapper? He's trying to be someone he's not.' When in reality, I'd be someone I'm not by not expressing myself in music."
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
.
Lloyd has also played for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early years
Lloyd attended Blue Springs High SchoolBlue Springs R-IV School District
The Blue Springs R-IV School District is a school district that serves Blue Springs, Missouri in the State of Missouri. The district has an enrollment of over 13,000 students.-Schools:Elementary*Chapel Lakes Elementary School...
in Blue Springs, Missouri
Blue Springs, Missouri
Blue Springs is a city in Jackson County, Missouri and is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2010 census the population at 52,575.- Geography :...
and was a letterman in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball, and track. In track he still holds a school record 7'2 high jump. In football, he was a three-time All-Suburban Big Eight honoree, and as a senior, he was also awarded All-Region by the Mo-Kan Magazine and was named an All-State honoree by the St.Louis Post-Dispatch.
College career
Lloyd attended the University of Illinois beginning in 1999. After a promising freshmanFreshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
season, Lloyd missed all of the 2000 season with a broken femur. He returned healthy and had outstanding seasons in both 2001 and 2002. He was a consensus First-Team All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
performer after his sophomore season in 2001, helping lead the Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Fighting Illini are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The University offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports....
to a 10-2 record and a BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
berth in the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
. After his junior season in 2002, Lloyd declared his eligibility for the NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
. He finished his college career having the second-most receiving yards (2,583) and touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
catches (21) in Illinois history, and ranking third in all-time receptions (160).
San Francisco 49ers
Lloyd was drafted in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
by the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and blocked a punt during his first game against the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on September 7, 2003. On November 2, 2003, he caught his first touchdown pass against the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
. He finished the season with 14 receptions for 212 yards and two touchdowns. In 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, Lloyd started and appeared in 13 games and finished the season with 43 catches for 565 yards and six touchdowns. During the 2005 season
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
Lloyd started 16 games and posted NFL career-highs and team-highs in receptions (48) and receiving yards (733) and had five touchdown catches. In Week 3 vs. the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, he recorded four catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns, including a 89-yard touchdown catch.
Washington Redskins
On Saturday March 11, 2006, the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
traded Lloyd to Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
in exchange for a third-round draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...
and a fourth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. His first season is widely considered a failure, as he caught 23 passes for no touchdowns. According to Howard Bryant of the Washington Post, citing NFL.com, "Lloyd suffered through the worst season for a starting receiver in the Super Bowl era... No starting No. 2 wide receiver in the NFL started more games (12) while producing less (23 catches, 365 yards)."
Lloyd never made it out of Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs
Joe Jackson Gibbs is a former American football coach, NASCAR Championship team owner, and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner. He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins...
doghouse, due to a questionable attitude and alleged poor work ethic. On Sunday, November 4, 2007, Lloyd was listed among Redskins inactives as the team traveled to play against the New York Jets. Citing the reason behind the move, Gibbs said that Lloyd had been told to remain behind in Washington as disciplinary action for missing important team meetings. Lloyd would spend the latter part of the 2007 season on injured reserve after having snapped his collar bone while making a diving touchdown catch during team practice.
On February 26, 2008, the Redskins released Lloyd, who caught only two passes for 14 yards for the 2007 season.
Chicago Bears
On March 7, 2008, Lloyd signed a one-year deal with the Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
after the release of Muhsin Muhammad
Muhsin Muhammad
Muhsin Muhammad II is a retired American football wide receiver who played for the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
and the loss of Bernard Berrian
Bernard Berrian
Bernard Berrian is a free agent American football wide receiver who last played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
to free agency
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. The move reunited him with Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, who was Lloyd's head coach at Illinois. Lloyd had a successful start to his career in Chicago, establishing himself as a favorite target of quarterback Kyle Orton, with 15 catches in his first four games. An injury forced him to miss several weeks, and he fell out of favor with the coaching staff as a result. He returned to the field in week 11, though did not approach his early-season productivity until the Bears' final game of the season, where he caught four passes from Orton for 34.
Denver Broncos
Lloyd's contract with the Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
expired after the end of the 2008 season. In early April, Bears quarterback Kyle Orton
Kyle Orton
Kyle Orton is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He played college football at Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
was traded to the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in a deal involving Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler (American football)
Jay Christopher Cutler is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He played football at Vanderbilt University. Cutler began his professional football career with the Denver Broncos, who selected him as the 11th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft...
. As the offseason progressed, the Bears did not make any efforts to resign Lloyd. Being one of Kyle Orton's favorite targets during the 2008 campaign, Brandon Lloyd was once again reunited with Orton when he signed with the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on June 15, 2009. Lloyd re-signed with the Broncos on March 15, 2010.
During the Broncos' 24-20 loss to the Jets on 17 October, Lloyd was subjected to a helmet-to-helmet tackle/hit by New York safety Jim Leonhard
Jim Leonhard
James Andrew "Jim" Leonhard is an American football safety for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Leohnard has also played for the Baltimore Ravens...
, resulting in a 15-yard penalty. This hit, along with several other helmet-to-helmet hits during NFL games that weekend, led the league to announce such future 'devastating hits' or 'head shots' will be met with possible suspensions even for first-time offenders, a significant change in league policy, especially during an on-going season.
He led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,448 yards for the 2010 season. and was named 2nd Team All-Pro and was invited to the 2011 Pro Bowl
2011 Pro Bowl
The 2011 AFC–NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2010 season. It took place at 7:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii...
.
St. Louis Rams
On October 17th, 2011, Lloyd was traded to the St. Louis Rams for a conditional pick, the pick is a sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft that would become a fifth-round pick if Lloyd catches 30 passes for the Rams in the 2011 season.Career Stats
| Year | Team | G | GS | Rec | Yards | AVG | LG | TD |
| 2003 | SF | 16 | 1 | 14 | 212 | 15.1 | 44 | 2 |
| 2004 | SF | 13 | 13 | 43 | 565 | 13.1 | 52 | 6 |
| 2005 | SF | 16 | 15 | 48 | 733 | 15.3 | 89 | 5 |
| 2006 | WAS | 15 | 12 | 23 | 365 | 15.9 | 52 | 0 |
| 2007 | WAS | 8 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2008 | CHI | 11 | 5 | 26 | 364 | 14.0 | 32 | 2 |
| 2009 | DEN | 2 | 1 | 8 | 117 | 14.6 | 44 | 0 |
| 2010 | DEN | 16 | 11 | 77 | 1,448 | 18.8 | 71 | 11 |
| 2011 | DEN | 4 | 4 | 19 | 283 | 14.9 | 44 | 0 |
| 2011 | STL | 6 | 6 | 31 | 396 | 12.8 | 34 | 4 |
| Tot. | N/A | 111 | 63 | 260 | 4,101 | 15.8 | 89 | 26 |
Music career
In addition to his football career, Lloyd has recorded music and attempted to lauch a career as a rapper. In 2008 his single "She All Mine" made the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B chart, and his song "Heavy" was featured on the Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
show Blue Mountain State
Blue Mountain State
Blue Mountain State is an American comedy series that premiered on Spike on January 11, 2010. The series producers include Chris Romano and Eric Falconer and is produced by Lionsgate Television...
. Lloyd has received criticism for trying to balance careers in football and rap, but he says that making music is important to expressing who he really is. Quoted in a 2011 article, Lloyd said, "I have the guts to stand out and do something I'm passionate about, go against the grain and go against the conventional wisdom that the athlete-rap thing is unsuccessful. Yet I'm going to do it. People will say: 'Oh, you're doing hip-hop music? Who does he think he is, a rapper? He's trying to be someone he's not.' When in reality, I'd be someone I'm not by not expressing myself in music."