Does DT Jimmy Kennedy Have Gas Left In The Tank?
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Veteran DT Jimmy Kennedy is signing with the Giants, and that’s a good thing now that DT Marvin Austin will be out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
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If you look at the stats of former Ram, Jaguar, Bear, Viking, and Yonkers native DT Jimmy Kennedy — you may be wondering what exactly are the Giants excited about. His last meaningful snaps came in 2009 as a backup, and although he registered 3 sacks across 13 games and one start… it’s a far cry from his 2005 and 2006 numbers when he was a starter. However, what the overall stats don’t say is how consistently effective he is.
Tom Coughlin reportedly believes that Kennedy is poised to bounce back from his injury plagued 2010 campaign, and get back to form in a supporting role. But questions abound about the interior defensive line with the departure of Barry Cofield this year to the Redskins. Linval Joseph looked good Monday night, but is he ready for prime time? And could Rocky Bernard really handle a lions share of snaps in the Giants Defensive Line and stay effective? Worse case scenario and with the injuries we’re seeing from the Giants this preseason, could Kennedy start for the Giants if he had to? He hasn’t played that many snaps since 2006 with the Rams — and I wouldn’t be able to go out on a limb and say his numbers are magically going to reboot in 2011.
I doubt they will in fact. But this is not some kind of a sly move, taking a flyer just to see what happens… this is a signing out of necessity from a snake bitten franchise looking to keep healthy players in a semblance of a defensive unit.
So if Kennedy is relegated to a very limited role simply to provide depth behind starters DT Linval Joseph, the second year rookie, and the veteran DT Chris Canty…. yes this move could prove to be beneficial. But that’s the only scenario in which I can possibly attempt to drink the lemonade after losing Austin and Cofield.