Back in the summer, when Devon Kennard was making plays in training camp and looking like a man and not a kid rookie, there was always the mental note that he was a young linebacker with the Giants, meaning it probably would not work out very well. The▨ franchise for years had tried to improve that position with mid-round draft picks and, when that strategy produced a bunch of no-impact players, the front office was forced to search for linebackers in free agency.
Just as Kennard was starting to really cook, he was cooled off by a strained hamstring that cost him valuable practice time and three games, making it tempting to✤ dismiss him as another in a long line of rookie linebackers to turn the promise of the summer i𝓀nto an autumn and winter of inactivity.
You know whom we’re referring to. Since Eli Manning came aboard in 2004, there’s been Jacquian Williams, Greg Jones, Phillip Dillard, Adrian Tracy, Clint Sintim (a second rounder), Bryan Kehl, Jonathan Goff, Zak DeOssie (yes, he was drafted as a linebacker, not only a long snapper), Gerris Wilkinson, Reggie Torbor. Of that group, Williams finally emerged as a starter, the others never did, though Goff and Sintim tore up their knees to 💟hurt their progress.
Well, take a look at Kennard now. No one can steal the rookie spotlight from Odell Beckham Jr., but Kennard is next in line as far as most intriguing player in the Giants’ 2014 draft class. He put on quite a display as the Giants finally won a game, doing a little of everything and a lot of some things in the 36-7 rout of the Titans. The season has been a complete downer for the Giants, but Kennard is someone they plan to build with. And when was the last time you could say that about one of their young linebackers?
Kennard, out 🌳of USC, did not look like a fifth-round pick the way he manhandled the Titans for two sacks, six solo tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and one forced fumble. He accomplished all that despite being on the field for only 32 of the 58 defensive snaps. He is easily the Giants defensive rookie of the year.
The son of a former NFL offensiv🅘e lineman, Derek Kennard, Devon is well-spoken, friendly and respectful. If Jon Beason can return from an inj꧋ury-filled, lost year, perhaps a linebacker trio of Beason, Kennard and Jameel McClain will be the centerpiece of the 2015 Giants defense.
Other notables coming out of a rar💛e Giants victory:
— Eli Manning was delayed a bit getting dressed and attending his postgame press conference in Nashville as he was checked out in the trainers’ room, a ritual some players go through after every game but a stop Manning rarely makes. He later explained it was simply making sure everything was fine from “the wear and tear of the NFL.’’ He looked fine, was not icing any part of his body when he exited the trainers’ room and did not take much punishment in the game — he was not sacked and took only a few solid hits. The same day, Titans rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger was drilled by Kennard and forced out with a shoulder injury that likely will end his season. Manning never misses any snaps, which makes it easy to take for granted his remarkable durability. It also allows the Giants to view him as a physical rock when they look to extend his contract following this season.
— Beckham spotted the other Giants receivers the first four games of the season, and it only took him nine games to take over the team lead in catches with 59, two more than Reuben Randle, who has played in all 13 games. He’s far ahead in receiving yards with 829, averaging 14.1 yards per reception, and he’s tied for the lead with tight end Larry Donnell with six touchdowns. You have to wonder how long Beckham will sit atop the Giants receiver lists in the years to come. He is already a great rookie and rapidly developing into a great player. The last time the Giants had such a promising, productive, young offensive player was … never. The Giants have never had an Offensive Rookie of the Year since that award was established in 1967 and really haven’t had any legitimate candidates, until now.
— Did you like what you saw early in the fourth quarter with the Giants leading 33-7 when Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie stepped in front of a telegraphed Mettenberger pass to the sideline for a well-timed interception? DRC immediately started high-stepping his way en route to a 36-yard return for a touchdown. He celebrated by posing in the end zone, with teammate Antrel Rolle pretending to take DRC’s picture, a choreographed maneuver that isn’t allowed and triggered a penalty flag on Rolle.
To make things worse for the Giants, Damontre Moore was called for illegally nailing Mettenberger during the return, not realizing you cannot take a free shot at the quarterback. Sure, the high-stepping was over the top, but DRC is a flashy player and it’s the world we live in. Rolle’s antics were, well, silly. He explained himself by saying: “We got caught up in the moment. A teammate made a play and we celebrate. We c🌱elebrate as a team.’’ Well, team celebrations aren’t allowed. As for Moore, he continues to show he’s not always in tune with his surroundings.
— You had to be there to see it. The Giants had finally, at long last, won a game as coach Tom Coughlin entered the very small interview room at LP Field. For seven straight weeks, Coughlin had to enter rooms like this and recount how his team screwed up and fell short. You figured Coughlin would be pleased. But as he arrived, he noticed in the corner of the room, up on a shelf and out of the way, a flat-screen TV was on, showing the fourth quarter of the Colts-Browns game. The volume was turned completely down and no one was really paying the action on the screen much attention. But Coughlin was having none of it. “What’s this?’’ he called out, incredulous. “Is this what we’re going to have here?’’ He would not open up his press conference until the TV was turned off and he waited, impatiently, until someone reached up and found the off button. It was almost funny. The guy is not mellowing.
— Just when everyone felt safe to assume, at the very least, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell would be the fall guy for this sorry season, he goes and formulates a game plan that produces 15 sacks in two games — after his defense managed 19 sacks in the first 11 games. There’s been a noticeable increase in the pressure from linebackers and safeties, a dramatic change after Fewell did not bring any pressure — and was criticized roundly — as Tony Romo and the Cowboys marched in th🔜e closing minutes for a game-winning drive. Of course, Fewell’s boldness has come against the Jaguars and Titans, a pair of sad-sack offenses without established quarterbacks or weapons to make a defense pay for its aggressiveness. The Giants pay Fewell to beat the Cowboys, Eagles and the other high-powered offenses in the league, not to bully up on the lousy teams.
— Be careful whom you bury, because you may have to dig up his career. Stevie Brown lost his starting safety spot after a rough three games — he was getting beat deep, a sin for a safety — and slid so far down the depth chart, he was barely seen or heard from for months. He became a persona non grata on defense, relegated to special teams chores. As the defensive performance sagged, the coaching staff slowly came back to Brown, and he played all 58 snaps on defense in Tennessee. Physically, he made a successful return after missing the entire 2013 season following surgery to repair a torn ACL. Now comes the hard part for the Giants: Determining if Brown is worth keeping around.
— Coughlin has been through more than his share of thorough beat-downs this season and, as his press conference ended and the room was beginning to empty, he added, unsolicited: “I want to say something about Ken Whisenhunt and his staff, too. Ken’s an excellent football coach. Obviously going through a first-year process, but he’s a good coach. And his staff is a good staff.’’ It could have sounded gratuitous, but it came across as gracious and old-school from someone who respects the profession and knows his words carry weight.