Wallace Davis, now retired after 38 years of coaching football, remembers certain character traits and physical traits of Tim Walton as if it were yesterday.

“He was one of those players where you might say: Don’t weigh him, play him,” Davis said.

Walton was very much on the small side, playing for Davis’ Carver High Tigers in Columbus, Ga., in the late 1980s. But he played big, and had big thoughts.
He blossomed into an all-state defensive back, and an all-city quarterback playing both ways for Carver.

“He was definitely an overachiever, and he went far beyond what the average player may do,” Davis said. “He was a student of the game of football. He always prepared himself in advance. He definitely was a real good leader and he had a lot of players follow him.”

Never in trouble, always on time, Walton was the kind of person who made borderline players — in terms of character — avoid making bad decisions.

“He’s definitely the type of person that will make a difference for the Rams,” Davis said. “I think coach Jeff Fisher has a very strong vision to hire Tim.”

In a move that becomes official either today or Friday, Walton is joining the Rams as defensive coordinator. At age 41, Walton is on the fast track. But he’s not an overnight sensation, either, working for 14 years as a college coach before joining the Detroit Lions as secondary coach in 2009.

Walton almost joined the Rams a year ago, as part of Fisher’s original staff in St. Louis. But he turned down an opportunity to become assistant defensive coordinator/passing game to stay with Detroit. No one was happier with Walton’s decision at that time than Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham.

“I almost died the other day,” Cunningham told MLive.com during the 2012 Senior Bowl. “I wanted to just sleep for a while, and Tim Walton is getting ready to go to St. Louis. ... I don’t know how much money he was offered, but it was a lot. He didn’t go. Think about that. He did not go. That says a lot. He works for me and is a great friend.”

Well, that was last year. This time around, Fisher made Walton an offer he couldn’t refuse as Rams defensive coordinator. And if you believe Cunningham, who has been around the NFL forever, the Rams are getting a good one.

“I think we have the finest secondary coach I’ve ever worked with in my life,” Cunningham told Detroit reporters at the end of the 2010 season. “Everybody thinks I overrate things, but I don’t. Tim Walton’s the best secondary coach I’ve ever seen —other than Marty Schottenheimer. Tim Walton is like a Woody Hayes disciple — he’s consistent. ...”

Walton didn’t play for Woody Hayes, but he did play for Ohio State and was a co-captain at defensive back for the Buckeyes in 1993.

He went into coaching almost immediately after his playing days ended, starting out at Bowling Green (Ohio) State in 1995. He eventually caught the eye of Tommy West at the University of Memphis, who hired Walton as secondary coach in 2000, and then hired him again in 2008 as defensive coordinator.

“He is a no-nonsense coach, but yet has a good relationship with players,” said West, most recently with Southern Mississippi. “Tough love is what I would call it. A great communicator with the players. A lot of guys can’t be tough and still communicate — and he can do that. He can be very demanding, but in a very positive type of way that he’s trying to get you better.”

Between his two seasons at Memphis (2000-2001) as secondary coach and his one season there as coordinator (2008), Walton worked at Syracuse, Louisiana State and Miami. In 2000 at Memphis, the Tigers ranked fifth in the nation in total defense. He was part of LSU’s national championship team in 2003. In 2005 when he was at Miami, the Hurricanes led the nation in total defense.

“He did a nice job as a coordinator,” West said, referring to Walton’s 2008 season with Memphis. “I wish I’d have been able to keep him. But he left me to go to Detroit. I mean, you’ve got to make that move (to the NFL). I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep him long. ... I thought he’d be on a pretty fast track.”

Walton has a dynamic coaching style, is a firm believer in the 4-3 front, likes an aggressive approach and prefers press coverage. The Rams played very little press coverage last season, but that could change as young cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson grow and improve their technique.
And that’s one thing Walton is known for — teaching and improving technique.

“Coach Walton was very hands-on,” said former NFL cornerback Kelly Jennings, who played for Walton with the Miami Hurricanes. “He’s a technician to the core. I credit a lot of my technique stuff that I learned and used to him. He was very detailed.”

After five NFL seasons, with Seattle and one with Cincinnati, Jennings is working on a master’s degree in Jackson, Miss. Reminiscent of the leader at Carver High who tried to help his teammates make the right decisions, Walton did the same as secondary coach and then coordinator with the Hurricanes.

“One thing he was a stickler on was trying to teach us life, and what life was about,” Jennings said. “Life situations, and how to handle things. I guess how to grow up and deal with life circumstances.”

Jennings said Walton also talked to them about finances and investment. Granted, these were college athletes, but Walton’s 2005 secondary at Miami featured three future NFL players in Jennings, Brandon Meriweather and Kenny Phillips.

Just about everywhere Walton has been, he has helped groom future NFL players — from Michael Stone and Idrees Bashir at Memphis, to LaRon Landry at LSU to Jennings & Co. at Miami.

Now it’s Walton who to some degree must be groomed and grow into his new role as an NFL defensive coordinator.

Can he handle it?

“I think he will,” Jennings said. “I really do. I remember how he studied. Knew his stuff then (at Miami). And I think that alone will help him, being able to get that over to the (players) will be good. I think that will work out well for him.”


(stltoday.com)

Kelly Jennings: The speedy 29-year-old spent one season with the Bengals after five campaigns with Seahawks. Though not a playmaker - only two interceptions in 91 career games - Jennings is a solid pass defender best suited for nickel duty as a slot cover option.



(csnwashington.com)

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are learning to get along without a cornerback who is also one of their cornerstones.

Leon Hall tore his left Achilles tendon in a loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday, ending his season. The Bengals (6-3) will try to stay in contention in the AFC North without one of their most indispensable players.

The Bengals traded for Kelly Jennings last August to provide depth. Jennings, a first-round draft pick by Seattle in 2006, started 14 games for the Seahawks last season. Jennings has missed three games early in the season because of a sore hamstring and his unfamiliarity with coordinator Mike Zimmer’s system.

Now, he moves into a starting spot.

“I finally got a chance to play three games back-to-back,” Jennings said. “With the injuries, I played two games and then I was out another two games. So I’m starting to settle down, calm down.

“It’s a chance for me to play more, a chance for me to get in the groove. I believe this is what they brought me in for — if something like this were to happen — so I’ll be ready to play.”

Click here to order Kelly Jennings’ proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

Kelly Jennings to Cincinnati: The Seattle Seahawks traded Jennings to the Bengals in part because they wanted to get bigger at cornerback. They were tired of seeing Jennings struggle more than a bigger corner might against Larry Fitzgerald and other big receivers. With Jennings gone, 6-foot-4 corner Brandon Browner will get his first look at Fitzgerald in Week 3. Jennings, meanwhile, will not have to worry about facing the San Francisco 49ers' biggest receiver, Braylon Edwards, this weekend. Edwards will miss the 49ers-Bengals game and possibly others after undergoing knee surgery, coach Jim Harbaugh announced. Jennings missed the opener with a hamstring injury and did not factor statistically in Week 2.

Click here to order Kelly Jennings’ proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

According to Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Bengals backup guard Otis Hudson and cornerback Kelly Jennings have returned to practice on Wednesday. Defensive end Robert Geathers is sitting, as are backup safety Taylor Mays and outside linebacker Dontay Moch.

The Bengals acquired Jennings via a trade with the Seahawks, in exchange for defensive tackle Clinton McDonald. The Bengals released Rico Murray Wednesday morning to make room for tight end, most likely comfortable with Jennings availability against the Denver Broncos this weekend.

Click here to order Kelly Jennings’ proCane Rookie Card.


(cincyjungle.com)

According to Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Bengals cornerback Kelly Jennings (acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for defensive lineman Clinton McDonald) and safety Taylor Mays (acquired via trade for the 49ers 2013 seventh round pick), aren't practicing on Wednesday.

Click here to order Kelly Jennings’ proCane Rookie Card.


(cincyjungle.com)

Five quick notes/thoughts on the Seattle Seahawks' trading cornerback Kelly Jennings to Cincinnati for defensive tackle Clinton McDonald:

• Size matters: The Seahawks have gone big and tall at cornerback. Jennings is listed at 5-foot-11, but he's slight of frame and struggled in matchups against bigger receivers.

• Experience does not matter: Jennings was one of two cornerbacks on the Seahawks' roster with significant starting experience. The team has decided to go young -- very young -- and Jennings was practically ancient by Seattle cornerback standards at 28.

• Roster churn: Jennings' departure leaves the Seahawks with five of their own first-round choices and three from other teams. One of their own, cornerback Marcus Trufant, took a pay reduction from $5.9 million to $3 million recently. One of the others, linebacker Aaron Curry, restructured his contract in a manner that makes him easier to trade or release next year. The other three first-rounders project as long-term starters. James Carpenter, Russell Okung and Earl Thomas were chosen by the team's current leadership. The Seahawks are taking a sledgehammer to the foundation they inherited. Chris Spencer, Lofa Tatupu, Josh Wilson, Lawrence Jackson, Rob Sims and Darryl Tapp were all relatively high draft choices under previous regimes.

• Money inconsequential: The Seahawks paid a $200,000 signing bonus to Jennings as part of the one-year deal he signed this offseason. That bought little security in the end.

• NFC West reunion: Jennings heads to a Bengals secondary already featuring NFC West castoffs Taylor Mays and Nate Clements, both late of the San Francisco 49ers. Jennings was never going to live up to his first-round status in Seattle. He has more value to the Bengals without those expectations.

• Clinton who?: McDonald was a seventh-round choice of the Bengals in 2009. The team had released him previously. He played in eight games last season. McDonald stands just under 6-2 and converted from linebacker in college. Nolan Nawrocki of Pro Football Weekly, writing for his 2009 draft guide, lauded McDonald for possessing toughness and a mean streak. He thought McDonald would project as a three-technique defensive tackle in a one-gap scheme. McDonald was not expected to earn a roster spot in Cincinnati.

Click here to order Kelly Jennings’ proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

The Kelly Jennings experiment will continue in Seattle. Peter King of Sports Illustrated reports that the cornerback decided to return to Seattle on a one-year deal. Jennings will again test the free agent market in 2012, where he will probably have more suitors now that a great deal of solid cornerbacks will be off the market.

Jennings had a solid season in 2010 opposite Marcus Trufant, and he could very well step back into that role with the relative youth surrounding the two-deep. Walter Thurmond, who has been practicing in Jennings's spot, is only in his second year out of Oregon, and is still relatively inexperienced to the NFL rigors. Jennings shores up a position of need for Seattle, and should hopefully keep their pass defense from totally crumbling (Football Outsiders only had them ranked at 29th last year though, so an even half-decent performance this season would be a big upgrade).

Click here to order Kelly Jennings’ proCane Rookie Card.


(seattlesbnation.com)

CB Kelly Jennings, Age: 28

The skinny: While much-maligned, the former first round pick has proved durable for Seattle, starting 44 games in his five-year career in Seattle. At 5-11, 180 pounds, at first glance Jennings doesn’t appear an ideal fit for Seattle’s press coverage scheme on the outside. Add to that the fact that it appears the Seahawks would like to clear a path for second-year product Walter Thurmond to start, and Jennings could be headed elsewhere, with Detroit or Houston as possible destinations. However, don’t rule out the possibility of Jennings returning to Seattle –at the right price.

Stay or go? The Seahawks bring back the reliable Jennings for continued depth at a need position.

Click here to order Kelly Jennings’ proCane Rookie Card.


(thenewstribune.com)

The Tacoma News Tribune predicts the Seahawks will bring back free agent CB Kelly Jennings "for continued depth at a need position."
We're not so sure on this one. Coach Pete Carroll wants bigger, more physical corners that can make quarterbacks throw into tighter windows. Neither Jennings nor last year's discard, Josh Wilson, fit that profile. Jennings is likely to get a better offer from another team.

Click here to order Kelly Jennings’ proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

The Detroit News floats the idea of the Lions making a play for free agent CB Kelly Jennings this summer.

A far cry from Nnamdi Asogmuha or Johnathan Joseph, Jennings would hopefully be nothing more than a fallback option. Beat writer Chris McCosky notes GM Martin Mayhew's predilection toward former Seahawks, such as Nate Burleson, Maurice Morris, Julian Peterson, and Lawrence Jackson. Pro Football Focus graded Jennings as slightly below average in coverage, which would constitute an upgrade in Detroit.


(rotoworld.com)

Welcome to our 1st annual and long overdue proCane Rankings where we look back at the 2010 NFL season and rank the 43 proCanes that took snaps in 2010 (except for Sinorice Moss who was placed on IR before the start of the season).

Stay tuned as we countdown from number 43 to number 1. Our rankings are based on each player’s performance last year. In August we’ll go ahead and re-rank the player’s based on our 2011 expectations. For now read our review of each player’s 2010 season and where they rank overall. Enjoy!

To read our rankings of players 43-35, click here.

34. Tavares Gooden LB Baltimore Ravens: The knock on Gooden since his college days has been his inability to stay healthy and 2010 unfortunately was no exception as Gooden played in 10 games, he did not start any and only tallied 18 total tackles last season. He was used by the Ravens on obvious passing situations because of his speed and coverage skills, but missed six games due to injury and was not able to secure a starting spot. At one point the Ravens saw Gooden as Ray Lewis’ successor but his inability to stay healthy has put that in doubt. It would be great to see him be able to play an entire season, hopefully 2011 will be the year.

33. Kelly Jennings DB Seattle Seahawks: Jennings under new Head Coach Pete Carroll had a solid mini camp which translated to him starting 14 games for the Seahawks and tallying a career high 13 pass deflections. Jennings also had his first interception since his rookie season in 2006, was far more consistent this year and wasn’t pushed around as much by opposing receivers. Jennings will be a free agent, but look for him to draw interest from teams including the Seahawks.

32. Rashad Butler LT Houston Texans: Butler who has been activated for all 16 games the last two years for the Texans started four games this past season and performed quite well at left tackle. Butler as a matter of fact opened the eyes of opposing coaches with his solid play and most probably will be snatched up by a team in need of a starting left tackle this offseason.

31. Phillip Buchanon DB Washington Redskins: In his first year with the Redskins, Buchanon, who played in all 16 games and started 5 had a career high in pass deflections (18) and recorded two interceptions. Overall, Buchanon had a solid year, but was at times inconsistent and found himself in Shanahan and Co.’s doghouse on several occasions. Buchanon didn’t contribute as much as was anticipated on punt returns but is still a threat on special teams as well. With one year under his belt with the Redskins look for Buchanon to have a bigger impact in 2011.

30. Calais Campbell DE Arizona Cardinals: There were high expectations coming into the 2010 season for Campbell as he was expected to record double digit sacks and more than adequately replace free-agent departee Antonio Smith. Unfortunately in 15 games Campbell only recorded six sacks, 1 less than the 2009 season though he did have more total tackles (60). The 2011 season will be an important one for Campbell to prove that he can be an elite pass rusher in the NFL, because most expected him to already be one.

29. Darryl Sharpton LB Houston Texans: Sharpton in his rookie season with the Texans was a surprise contributor on defense as he started 6 of the 12 games he was active for before sustaining an injury which ended his season prematurely. When playing though, Sharpton was solid both on special teams and defense where he accumulated 34 tackles and a sack. Look for Sharpton to work his way up the Texan depth chart and eventually become a full-time starter, if not in 2011 then 2012.

28. Vernon Carey RT Miami Dolphins: Carey battled a knee injury for most of the 2010 season but still started 12 games for the Dolphins before being put on injured reserve. Carey playing with a below average Dolphins offensive line was one of the few bright spots. Carey has been solid throughout his career and talk of him moving to the guard position is unfounded. Carey, though still recovering from his knee injury should be 100% by the start of the season.

27. Roscoe Parrish WR Buffalo Bills: Parrish was having the best season of his six-year career as through eight games he had career-high receiving yards, rushing yards and receiving touchdowns. Parrish was the Bills’ #2 wide receiver after finally being given opportunity to shine on offense while he continued to be a threat on punt returns as well. Unfortunately his season was cut short in week 8 after he sustained a season-ending wrist injury, but look for him to return as a starter to the Bills’ offense despite the emergence of Steve Johnson last season.

26. Frank Gore RB San Francisco 49ers: Gore was on pace to have another stellar season for the 49ers with their new-found dedication to the running game. Through 11 games Gore had 853 yards on the ground and over 450 yard receiving along with five touchdowns before fracturing his hip and being placed on injured reserve. It was the fourth consecutive season that Gore was unable to play in all 16 games, but when Gore is healthy, there are few in the league that are better than him especially with how involved he has become in the passing game as well.

Check back tomorrow to see which proCanes were ranked 25th through 16th!

WalterFootball.com, which released it's mock draft late last week, has the Seahawks taking Brandon Harris (pictured in AP photo), a cornerback from Miami:

"The Seahawks need some help with their atrocious pass defense, especially with Kelly Jennings heading for free agency this March. Brandon Harris is a talented corner who had a great regular season, but struggled in his team's winter exhibition game against Michael Floyd."

The thought of drafting another Hurricanes cornerback likely causes some apprehension among Seahawks fans unsatisfied with the production Kelly Jennings, Seattle's first round pick out of Miami in 2006. For the record, Harris is listed at 5-feet-10 1/2 inches (or 5-11, depending on the source) and 195 pounds.

Position rankings: No. 3 by NFLDraftScout; No. 5 by Kiper.



(mynorthwest.com)

Kelly Jennings was on the field for a play that readers of Seahawks.com voted the best of the just-completed decade. It’s just that Jennings had a completely different take – and view – of Jordan Babineaux running down Cowboys QB/holder Tony Romo after a botched field goal attempt to ice the 2006 wild-card win over Dallas at Qwest Field.

Jennings was a rookie cornerback that season, the team’s first-round draft choice out of Miami. Now, he is about to start his fifth postseason game as the Seahawks head to Chicago for Sunday’s divisional game against the Bears at Qwest Field.

In fact, Jennings is one of only 11 players remaining from the Seahawks’ last playoff team in 2007 – joining Babineaux, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, cornerback Marcus Trufant, defensive tackles Craig Terrill and Brandon Mebane, offensive linemen Sean Locklear and Chris Spencer, linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Will Herring and wide receiver Ben Obomanu.

To help celebrate the Seahawks’ return to the postseason after a two-year absence, Seahawks.com asked Jennings for his favorite playoff moment. Here’s what his view of the Romo play – or Babineaux play, if you will – looked like:

“I was actually coming to block it from the other end. If you look at some of the pictures from that play, I’m actually flying through from the other side and I almost tripped Babs. Because when I flew, he had to jump over me to go make the tackle. So I almost kind of messed that up.”

Jennings didn’t trip Babineaux, who was then able to trip up Romo – short of the goal line, and also short of what would have been a first down.
“As I landed after trying to block it, I looked up to see Babs chasing him. So I kind of had a backroom view. Because I almost knocked Babs down, my thought through the whole thing was, ‘Get him. Get him. Get him.’ ”

Babineaux did, to preserve a 21-20 victory that sent the Seahawks to a divisional game in Chicago – which the Bears won 27-24 in overtime on a field goal that the Seahawks could not find a way to prevent.

Click here to order Kelly Jennings’ proCane Rookie Card.



(seahawks.com)

6 proCanes made early exits out of the NFL playoffs after he wildcard round this weekend.

Reggie Wayne (Colts), Javarris James (Colts), Jon Vilma (Saints), Jimmy Graham (Saints), Jeremy Shockey (Saints), Antonio Dixon (Eagles) all lost their respective games and will start their offseason.

Below are the remaining proCanes in the NFL playoffs.

AFC: Ed Reed (Ravens), Ray Lewis (Ravens), Tavares Gooden (Ravens), Willis McGahee (Ravens), Brandon Meriweather (Patriots), Vince Wilfork (Patriots).

NFC: Kelly Jennings (Seahawks), Spencer Adkins (Falcons), Devin Hester (Bears), Greg Olsen (Bears), Sam Shields (Packers).

17 proCanes will participate in the 2010 NFL playoffs. 8 from the AFC and 9 from the NFC. Below is a list of the players.

AFC: Reggie Wayne (Colts), Javarris James (Colts), Ed Reed (Ravens), Ray Lewis (Ravens), Tavares Gooden (Ravens), Willis McGahee (Ravens), Brandon Meriweather (Patriots), Vince Wilfork (Patriots).

NFC: Kelly Jennings (Seahawks), Jon Vilma (Saints), Jimmy Graham (Saints), Jeremy Shockey (Saints), Antonio Dixon (Eagles), Spencer Adkins (Falcons), Devin Hester (Bears), Greg Olsen (Bears), Sam Shields (Packers).