Overnight express lands Kennedy a spot in camp

MACOMB, Ill. -- Jimmy Kennedy was so excited about finally getting his contract done, he began the drive to training camp in the middle of the night.

The Rams signed their first-round draft pick, a defensive tackle from Penn State, to a five-year deal on Tuesday. The agreement was actually reached late Monday night, and Kennedy then did his laundry, packed and left for the 3 1/2-hour drive to Western Illinois University at 4:40 a.m.

He figured he'd missed enough of training camp that he'd just sleep later.

"I had to get here," Kennedy said. "I was feeling it, but once I get through the first practice I should be all right."

Kennedy arrived in time to dress for a special teams practice Tuesday morning, where his appearance drew cheers from fans, and participated in his first workout in the afternoon. He missed the first five days of workouts.

"All eyes are going to be on him," fellow defensive lineman Tyoka Jackson said before the workout. "But I'm going to tell him after it's all said and done, it's football.

"He's been playing it all his life, and obviously he's been excelling at it, so it's nothing different."

The contract was held up because Kennedy's agent, Tom Condon, has three other first-round picks. Kennedy worked out alone at Rams Park in St. Louis while he was waiting.

"It was real tough," Kennedy said. "I was on Tom every day telling him, 'Come on, get me in camp, I'm missing some days.'

"I'm a rookie, and I have to be out there with my team and try to get adjusted."

It might take a little time. He was obviously behind the curve in his first workout, getting a lot of individual attention from defensive line coach Bill Kollar.

"His first day is like the first day of school," coach Mike Martz said. "To look at him the first day, he isn't going to know what's going on and he's going to be out of shape, so there's no sense getting upset about it."

The only player not in camp is holdout offensive tackle Orlando Pace, designated as the franchise player earlier in the year. The sides remain far apart and Martz said he's moving on without him, using Grant Williams at left tackle.

"He could stay out all year, who knows?" Martz said. "Those are things I don't have any control over, so he's not here, so in my mind he's not going to be here."

Kennedy joins a defensive line that features four No. 1 picks, also including Grant Wistrom, Ryan Pickett and Damione Lewis.

"I just want to contribute -- be the best player I can be and contribute," Kennedy said.

Kennedy started 41 games in his career at Penn State and was named Big Ten defensive lineman of the year his senior year at right tackle. He had a career high 87 tackles, 52 of them solo stops, and 5 1/2 sacks.

The Rams were unhappy with Kennedy's conditioning at the team's rookie minicamp. He reported to training camp at 315 pounds, 17 pounds lighter.

"It's definitely going to help, but you can never prepare for football," Kennedy said. "Football shape is totally different from workout shape."

Kennedy said he's recovered for the most part from a bruised knee sustained on the first day of the minicamp. It was the first injury of his career.

"Waking up, sometimes I have phantom pain," Kennedy said. "For the most part it's more in my head."