Kennedy may miss season with foot injury
Associated Press
MACOMB, Ill. -- Jimmy Kennedy, the St. Louis Rams' No. 1 draft pick in 2003, broke his right foot during training camp and could miss the entire season.
Kennedy was expected to have surgery Friday in St. Louis. Rams officials said Kennedy would be out for at least three months.
A 330-pound defensive tackle, Kennedy was hurt Thursday during a non-contact one-on-one pass-rush drill against the Chicago Bears. The Rams and Bears are holding joint practices through Saturday. Kennedy was planting his foot to make a cut when he went down.
The injury was not initially believed to be serious, but an exam after practice revealed the break. Kennedy was expected to have surgery Friday in St. Louis. Rams officials said Kennedy would be out for at least three months.
Kennedy was the 12th overall pick in the 2003 draft but was a huge disappointment last season. He showed up for 2003 training camp overweight and played only sparingly in 13 games with 10 tackles, one quarterback pressure and one pass defended.
Things had been looking up for him this season. New defensive coordinator Larry Marmie was allowing Kennedy to play at 330 pounds, closer to his playing weight at Penn State. Lovie Smith, the Rams' defensive coordinator last season and now head coach of the Bears, had directed Kennedy to play at around 305 pounds.
Coach Mike Martz had seen improvement. "He's not where he needs to be, but he's made terrific progress," Martz said earlier this week. "By a long shot, he's got a lot of development to go."
Marmie said the injury was disappointing.
"Jimmy had been working hard and getting better all the time," Marmie said. "He could have been in the rotation -- can't have too many defensive linemen."
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