Kennedy seeks action after slow rookie year

Last year's No. 1 pick has bulked up and shown signs of improvement.

By R.B. Fallstrom ~ The Associated Press

MACOMB, Ill. -- Jimmy Kennedy would have rather learned on the job at defensive tackle his rookie season with the St. Louis Rams, the way he did throughout his college career.

Last year's No. 1 pick played so little last season, he felt like he was barely on the team.

"You want to be out there, you want to help the team win," Kennedy said Tuesday. "If we would have won the Super Bowl, I would have felt like I got a ring but I really didn't earn it."

It was natural for Kennedy to be frustrated, considering he broke into the lineup at Penn State as a redshirt freshman. He appeared sparingly in 13 games and finished with only 10 tackles, one quarterback pressure and one pass defensed his rookie year.

The Rams' tendency to ease defensive tackles into the lineup was tough to deal with. They had the same strategy with fellow No. 1s Damione Lewis, who got three starts as a rookie in 2001, and Ryan Pickett, who had none that same year.

"I believe if I would have been drafted somewhere else, maybe they would have thrown me right in the fire from day one because they believed that me being on the field, I'm going to learn," Kennedy said. "The Rams say 'Let's develop you technique-wise and everything else."'

Of course, Kennedy was to blame, too. He showed up out of shape for the first minicamp, where he immediately injured his knee, and struggled to play catchup much of the time.

This year, coach Mike Martz has used Kennedy's rookie experience to motivate running back Steven Jackson, this year's first-round pick.

"He had to start from square one and build," Martz said. "He's not where he needs to be, but he's made terrific progress.

"By a long shot, he's got a lot of development to go."

So far this year, it's been a different Kennedy. He's acquired a nickname, "Bear," from Kollar, and a bruising inside game to match.

Plus, he's been allowed to play at a weight that's more comfortable. Last year's defensive coordinator, Lovie Smith, wanted Kennedy at 305 pounds -- 30 pounds lighter than his college weight -- but now Martz is allowing the interior linemen to bulk up more.

"We lost Brian Young and Grant Wistrom, so these guys are counting on me," Kennedy said. "But I believe even if we didn't lose those guys they still would have been counting on me a lot this year.

"You can't stay the same, you have to get better."

In that regard, Kennedy had a lot of room for improvement. After one season, the word bust was already being thrown around.

He arrived at training camp ready to go after a full offseason of working out. Kennedy hit the weights the day after the Super Bowl.

"The attention is nothing that I can't handle," Kennedy said. "You guys have to get used to me being here in the offseason working out, it's a year-round thing. I've been going at it non-stop."

So far, this year he's taken a lot less abuse from the always-vocal Kollar. Part of that, though, is the coach has moved on to a new target, rookie third-round pick Anthony Hargrove.

"It's just better this year," Kennedy said. "I know I don't have Kollar screaming at me, but he's still very intense and he still expects a lot, and I don't want him to start yelling and screaming at me."