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Booger Kennedy turns some heads
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Article from Rocky Mountain News posted by Adler on the Mean Green board. Looks as if Booger's doin' good at Denver ! 04-cheers

Younger Kennedy turns some heads
With a low center of gravity, rookie's looks deceiving

By Lee Rasizer And Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News
August 7, 2004

One thing Brandon Kennedy doesn't need to worry about, despite being an undrafted rookie, is getting noticed.

At a smidge over 5-feet-9 and 315 pounds, the squatty defensive tackle tends to stick out, especially standing next to other Denver Broncos defensive players. Even some of the team's safeties and cornerbacks - one of whom is his brother Kenoy - tower above him.

The first-time safety John Lynch got a glimpse of the younger Kennedy, his eyes widened.

"How is that Kenoy's brother?" Lynch said he asked himself. "And then I heard a story that he liked riding horses and I thought, 'That poor horse.' "

But ignore what Kennedy looks like for a second - a fire hydrant in cleats - and instead see what he looks like when the ball is snapped.

That's exactly what the coaching staff is attempting to do. And so far, Kennedy has heads turning for reasons other than physique.

During morning practice Friday, Kennedy made one of the most memorable plays of training camp. Dropping back in coverage on a zone blitz, he read the quarterback and dived sideways with his body parallel to the ground to knock the ball down.

The Broncos players were beside themselves on the sideline.

"He's a little short fat guy, but he makes plays," Broncos defensive coordinator Larry Coyer marveled, adding, "It's about production, and sometimes you've got to overcome that stereotype in your head."

Kennedy has been pigeonholed for a while as too small to be a big-time player.

Coming out of high school in Terrell, Texas, top programs such as Florida, Florida State, Texas and Oklahoma chose not to recruit him. He landed at North Texas, where he led the Sun Belt Conference with 23 tackles for loss as its player of the year his senior season.

He wasn't drafted, partly because he was injured throughout the off-season. He then turned down an offer to sign with Oakland to come to Denver.

"No matter where you're at, the NFL, peewee football, junior high, you hear the D-line coach screaming what? 'Get low.' I don't have to worry about them telling me that too much," Kennedy said.

Center Tom Nalen noted Kennedy's "great center of gravity."

"I can't believe he wasn't drafted," he said.

The disadvantage regarding Kennedy's long-term chances to stick might come in the passing game, where despite his quickness, he can get engulfed by blockers and doesn't have the height to disrupt a quarterback's sight lines.

Kennedy will try to replicate his play-making form during the preseason, and if he does, it'll be considered no small feat.

"He's got a great attitude. The players love him. He's a great guy, a character guy," Coyer said. "He's good to have."





Brandon Kennedy can be seen in Monday night's Bronco's preseason opener against the Washington Redskins at Canton, Ohio.



Kennedy Story in Rocky Mountain News
08-07-2004 09:26 AM
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