Tommy Kelly thrilled to be a Patriot
The Patriots acquired lineman Tommy Kelly this off-season to add depth behind veteran captain Vince Wilfork. They also may have saved the career of a player stuck with the perennially basement-dwelling Oakland Raiders.
The monstrous Kelly (6'6", 325 lbs) played his entire career with Oakland (2004-2012), before signing with the Patriots as a free agent in April. During that tenure, the Raiders failed to reach the playoffs once and Kelly was consistently labeled as an underachiever as his on-field results did not live up to the money he was being paid. He was also arrested in September 2008 for driving under the influence, months after signing to a large multi-year extension with Oakland.
Kelly's best year as a pro came in 2011, when he had 27 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in 16 games started. But his production dropped off last season, when despite starting in all 16 games, Kelly had just 1 sack to go with 25 tackles and no forced fumbles. He was released following the season by the Raiders.
But the Patriots are not new to giving once promising players a second chance to revamp their careers and live up to their potential (i.e Albert Haynesworth). And Kelly is the newest one of these experiments. He is just happy to finally have the opportunity to win games, something he never really did out West:
There is no doubt that Kelly has the size and strength to be a force in the middle, especially when paired with one of the best linemen in the league in Vince Wilfork. But Kelly has been a player unable to live up to his potential for the majority of his professional career.
Hopefully playing in a winning culture like New England can be the boost Kelly needs to forget about his many forgettable seasons with the Raiders.
@LiamPCunningham
@PatriotsLife
The monstrous Kelly (6'6", 325 lbs) played his entire career with Oakland (2004-2012), before signing with the Patriots as a free agent in April. During that tenure, the Raiders failed to reach the playoffs once and Kelly was consistently labeled as an underachiever as his on-field results did not live up to the money he was being paid. He was also arrested in September 2008 for driving under the influence, months after signing to a large multi-year extension with Oakland.
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| Kelly chasing down TB12 during his days as a Raider |
Kelly's best year as a pro came in 2011, when he had 27 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in 16 games started. But his production dropped off last season, when despite starting in all 16 games, Kelly had just 1 sack to go with 25 tackles and no forced fumbles. He was released following the season by the Raiders.
But the Patriots are not new to giving once promising players a second chance to revamp their careers and live up to their potential (i.e Albert Haynesworth). And Kelly is the newest one of these experiments. He is just happy to finally have the opportunity to win games, something he never really did out West:
“Just going into a season and knowing I got a chance to do something special. It makes coming to work much easier. It’s not like, ‘Ahh, I got another day of practice.’ It’s like, ‘I’m going to work on this, so I can get a little bit better."(Quote from BostonHerald.com)
There is no doubt that Kelly has the size and strength to be a force in the middle, especially when paired with one of the best linemen in the league in Vince Wilfork. But Kelly has been a player unable to live up to his potential for the majority of his professional career.
Hopefully playing in a winning culture like New England can be the boost Kelly needs to forget about his many forgettable seasons with the Raiders.
@LiamPCunningham
@PatriotsLife
