Kelly Jennings
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Seahawks work on bump-and-run in minicamp

Jun/13/07 09:35 AM
KIRKLAND -- Marcus Trufant used his right forearm to jostle D.J. Hackett as he broke off the line of scrimmage, disrupting Hackett's route and depriving quarterback Matt Hasselbeck of his primary receiver.

A few plays later, Pete Hunter missed his jam on Deion Branch, allowing Branch to run past him and take a deep pass from Seneca Wallace.

It's called press coverage -- or bump-and-run -- and the take-and-give tactic has become something to watch at the Seahawks' minicamp because the cornerbacks are using the technique more in each practice than they did in any game last season.

The reason for the increased emphasis in this two-week minicamp that concludes Thursday is multi-faceted.

Stronger Jennings eager for bigger role with Seahawks

Jun/06/07 09:37 AM
KIRKLAND - When veteran receiver D.J. Hackett reported to minicamps last summer, he was excited about the matchup advantages he had against the Seattle Seahawks' hotshot rookie.

Cornerback Kelly Jennings, a recent first-round pick from the University of Miami back then, showed up with impressive quickness but not much bulk. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Hackett learned quickly that his own size and physical game would be too much for the slight rookie.

This summer? Well, that's a different story.

"He's put a little bit of weight on, so it's not as easy to throw him around," Hackett said of the man who is expected to step in for released veteran Kelly Herndon as the starting cornerback.

Latest change in Seahawks' secondary is fat chance for 'Slim'

Jun/06/07 09:36 AM
KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Suddenly, the Seahawk they call "Slim" has a fat chance to become a star.

Kelly Jennings could be his listed 178 pounds - if he were wearing sandbags. He also could be the key new starter in Seattle's remodeled defensive secondary.

When the Seahawks cut starting cornerback Kelly Herndon last Friday, they all but handed one of the NFL's most difficult positions to Jennings.

"It just told me this was my opportunity to step up," Jennings said this week as Seattle's second and final minicamp began.

Seahawks Minicamp | Turning the corner

Jun/05/07 10:25 AM
KIRKLAND — The Seahawks are transitioning from one Kelly to another, and the similarities between the former Seahawks cornerback and the current one are uncanny.

Kelly Jennings slid into the right cornerback spot with the No. 1 defense Monday in the first practice of the team's June minicamp. The former first-round draft pick from Miami has assumed the position following the release of veteran Kelly Herndon last week.

Jennings and Herndon are of similar build and stature (5 feet 11, about 180 pounds), share a first name and a friendship and are not the most vocal people.
By the end of last season, Herndon was out with a broken ankle and Jennings had taken over as a starter for the playoffs. Jennings had one interception last season, playing mainly as the nickel cornerback and on special teams.

Hawks' secondary quiets Cowboys, T.O.

Jan/07/07 01:52 PM
Pete Hunter was a loan officer a week ago and lived fewer than 2 miles from the Dallas training facility, but he knocked down the Cowboys' final pass in the end zone on Saturday night.

Jordan Babineaux played strong safety two weeks ago, but he started at cornerback and made the game-saving tackle of Tony Romo on an aborted field goal.

Kelly Jennings is so skinny he gets called "Slim" by his teammates, but the rookie cornerback came up big when he forced a fourth-quarter fumble that changed the momentum of Saturday's 21-20 Seahawks win.

Jennings, Babineaux key to thin secondary

Jan/03/07 07:05 AM
KIRKLAND - The lockers on either side of those belonging to Jordan Babineaux and Kelly Jennings were empty on Tuesday afternoon. For a few minutes, it was as if the duo was standing on an island with no one else around.

The image served as an appropriate metaphor for this Saturday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Babineaux and Jennings are the Seattle Seahawks' starting cornerbacks, due in large part to a rash of injuries that have knocked out three players in two weeks.