Buffalo gets the ball on opening series. EJ Manuel does a designed roll out moving along the line of scrimmage, and all of a sudden he gets blasted from the weakside, ball pops loose and a Giants D-lineman picks it up and runs into endzone for quick touchdown.
....but then I load up on information come draft time. All of the clips that I viewed of Kennard showed him to be painfully slow and void of any burst. I wonder why he's looking so good in training camp? Can anyone take a stab at answering this? Thanks!
....and that he didn't have continuity with the coaching staff during his time at USC. But once again, he looked like a JAG on his highlight reels at draft time. What gives?
are the starting unit Kennard beason and mcclain? there is so much hype around this kid, it is like he is the only linebacker we have. I am extremely excited that he is consistantly doing well every practice. however, is he beating out williams and paysinger too? have not heard a peep about them. He is headlining every practice with smarts and big hits. like he is the next ray lewis. I hope he is. I just want to know if he will be with the starting unit when beason comes back.
Most of the action was way too far from me at camp, but what surprised me about him is he didn't look as big and lumbering as he did on the USC highlights. In fact, when I saw him, he didn't look like a DE/LB tweener at all. I had to double-check his roster number.
He moves around pretty good and he doesn't look as big as he was listed to me.
to strike gold with a LB they drafted in the mid to later rounds, just from a numbers perspective. How many have they drafted that were mediocre at best?
I hope Kennard is as good as the early reports are indicating he is.
I think either Lance or John Smelt said he was getting 1st team reps. They seemed to think he was really far along considering Tom Coughlin's usual practice of limiting rookie exposure early on.
RE: I admit that I don't watch much college football during the year.... Â
....but then I load up on information come draft time. All of the clips that I viewed of Kennard showed him to be painfully slow and void of any burst. I wonder why he's looking so good in training camp? Can anyone take a stab at answering this? Thanks!
Cause the rest of our LB's are that bad? Haha, I have no idea. Juice maybe?
played DE, likes to hit and enjoys sacking the QB mixed with 4.62 speed makes me wonder if the Giants have found a decent guy for a linebacker blitz occasionally.
He is JAG. Somebody show me tape where he has done anything? He sucks. Not good at all, just another scrub the FO has provided to the staff to try and shoehorn into their scheme!
The key thing thus far is that he seems to have instincts on how to play the position. Something that another USC LB really did not have while here with the Giants
Clearly this all changes with an extended period of pads on, thus far it is encouraging
are the starting unit Kennard beason and mcclain? there is so much hype around this kid, it is like he is the only linebacker we have. I am extremely excited that he is consistantly doing well every practice. however, is he beating out williams and paysinger too? have not heard a peep about them. He is headlining every practice with smarts and big hits. like he is the next ray lewis. I hope he is. I just want to know if he will be with the starting unit when beason comes back.
No, if Beason was healthy the starting unit would be JW - Beason - McClain. It's possible Kennard takes advantage of this opportunity though and supplants McClain though.
“It’s an honor,” Kennard said. “But at the same time it’s not like I’v’e done much of anything yet. We haven’t played any game, any preseason game or anything like that. I still have a long ways to go.”
can't really provide much input on him til I see some pro film but if were not calling Chase Blackburn in week 8 when we somehow have 2 healthy linebackers left, I'm all for the Kennard train.
I want to name him "bunny guts" but that name was taken by someone who never became legendary. Do you know who that was? I cannot remember his name just his legendary status on BBI
HINT: a white fullback #44 / wannabe halfback
When was the last time a rookie got so much hype?? Â
And a hit in a shoulder pad drill is all well and good but our issue on defense was speed last year and he doesn't have enough of it at LB.
Yeah it's not as simple as getting more speed. I'll take a guy who knows where to be, how to shed blockers, and how to tackle over speed any day of the week.
a 4.62 40 for LB doesn't speak to me as lacking speed. Â
during his first season at LB and he looked much better and faster than he did during the final two seasons. I am really happy to hear all the positives comments about Kennard but I am still waiting until I see him play before I get too excited. The Giants are long due for a mid round LB to pan out and Kennard just might be the real deal but time will tell.
The fact that he can play MLB also is huge because Beason has not had a good track record of staying healthy for an entire season.
....but then I load up on information come draft time. All of the clips that I viewed of Kennard showed him to be painfully slow and void of any burst. I wonder why he's looking so good in training camp? Can anyone take a stab at answering this? Thanks!
Don't get me wrong, I just worry about his lateral quickness in today's NFL. We used a lot of big nickel in recent years with Deon Grant, T2, Rolle, Jacquian Williams all playing the rover or hybrid role. Even with Beason on the field in those sets we got fricasseed by faster teams. We handcuffed some teams playing bad QBs but our run came to a halt against SD when our lack of speed was badly exposed. I worry about a guy like Kennard in coverage. 4.62 in a straight line 40 is fine, it's his lateral quickness covering the likes of LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, DeMarco Murray that worries me.
I think he'll be great on running downs and our run D was on point last year, I worry about him on passing downs.
On passing downs I don't see him on the field just yet Â
the 3 safety look with Beason and Williams at LB should be a frequently featured set, and Williams has the speed upgrade we so desperately need in a coverage linebacker.
Brandon Spikes 5.0 time at the Combine. He turned out to be a pretty decent linebacker for the Pats.
If you're smart, and figure out how not to get beat on big plays, you can make it in the NFL. Then, if you figure out how to steal the ball from the offense - that's how you become a difference-maker.
There have been a few "serviceable" ones, but I'm thinking, damn, you'd probably have to go all the way back to Jesse Armstead to really answer the "hit" part of that question.
And looked to be coming into his own... and then the injury bug bit us... AGAIN.
Agreed Goff really started to come on and looked like he was going to be a solid MLB for us. Unfortunately he suffered the injury and we never got to see him continue his career.
Perhaps I'll make it through the first quarter of a preseason game with some interest for the first time in a long time!
And there standing over the QB is Kennard...
..BBI
not freakishly fast a la vernon davis
but he has more than enough speed
He moves around pretty good and he doesn't look as big as he was listed to me.
Maybe the #59 gives him a Boley like appearance?
I hope Kennard is as good as the early reports are indicating he is.
Cause the rest of our LB's are that bad? Haha, I have no idea. Juice maybe?
We need LB, S, CB's that can get home.
- Greg from LI
The key thing thus far is that he seems to have instincts on how to play the position. Something that another USC LB really did not have while here with the Giants
Clearly this all changes with an extended period of pads on, thus far it is encouraging
I will definitely need my roster page in front of me on Sunday.
No, if Beason was healthy the starting unit would be JW - Beason - McClain. It's possible Kennard takes advantage of this opportunity though and supplants McClain though.
HINT: a white fullback #44 / wannabe halfback
Yeah it's not as simple as getting more speed. I'll take a guy who knows where to be, how to shed blockers, and how to tackle over speed any day of the week.
The fact that he can play MLB also is huge because Beason has not had a good track record of staying healthy for an entire season.
Link - ( New Window )
Optimism
I think he'll be great on running downs and our run D was on point last year, I worry about him on passing downs.
If you're smart, and figure out how not to get beat on big plays, you can make it in the NFL. Then, if you figure out how to steal the ball from the offense - that's how you become a difference-maker.
Not to mention the dud from Nebraska, Dillard.
I'll take it.
Agreed Goff really started to come on and looked like he was going to be a solid MLB for us. Unfortunately he suffered the injury and we never got to see him continue his career.