Rookie Giants linebacker Devon Kennard tackles some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: How would you sum up what it’s like being a New York Giant?
A: Waking up with a lot of pride, because it’s one of the best places to play in the world, and although it’s been a tough year, you can tell that this is a place that can and will win again, and it’s an honor to go to work every day.
Q: How can you tell this is a place that can and will win again?
A: The tradition, the work ethic of everyone from the owners to the GM to the coaches, to that end. The kind of people that come through these doors, you can’t hold down for long.
Q: Describe your on-field mentality.
A: I want to be as aggressive as possible. I feel like that’s one of my advantages. And I want to have fun on the field. I like competing and making plays with my brothers.
Q: You seem driven to be successful.
A: I think in all aspects of my life. That’s one thing I believe in, is you can’t try to be successful in one area ’cause it doesn’t work that way. You gotta try to be successful in everything you do and everything you touch, and that’s kind of the way I try to live.
Q: Why are you so driven?
A: I will say I’m so driven ’cause, 1) I love to compete, and if you love what you do, you want to be the best at it. I try to find things that I love and I enjoy doing, and I come to work every day to try to be the best at it, and I feel like if you’re not doing that, then you’re not really living.
Q: You were selected by the Giants with the 34th pick in the fifth round this April. What was the draft like for you?
A: It was one of the most stressful days, and it turned into one of the best days. It was the third day for me, and I was just waiting around praying and hoping a team [would] call. … Minutes felt like hours. I remember my palms were sweating. I was nervous. I kept walking outside, like just trying to get my mind off of it, praying somebody would call. And as soon as the Giants called and I got that phone call, it’s like all the weight fell off (smile), and it turned out to be one of the best days of my life, reaching that goal.
Q: Did you expect to make the impact you’re making now as a rookie?
A: It was always a dream, and I knew I was capable, but given how my career went in college, and where I got drafted, I’d be lying if I said I knew I was gonna get plugged in and start a good portion of the season, etcetera, etcetera. But I was confident in myself and I knew that I would go in and do my very best at getting the respect of my teammates and coaches and show that I can help the team win in whatever regard.
A: There’s been some great linebackers here, guys I’ve grown to watch for years or hear about. I didn’t really watch LT, but seeing clips of him and just how great and how he changed the game, and got Jessie Armstead all the time, and all these guys … Harry Carson, Carl Banks … just such a rich tradition at linebacker, and God willing, I’ll be able to add my name to the list.
Q: What style of linebacker do you see yourself as?
A: I’d have to say smart and physical. I try to pride myself on understanding defenses and what I need to do and where I need to be, and that’s something I’m growing in, getting into the system and trying to learn as much as I can, so I can know where I need to be and when I need there and everything else, and then once I get there, get there in a bad attitude.
Q: You like to inflict pain?
A: I can’t say my goal is to hurt somebody, but I want them to feel me. When I make contact with somebody, I want them to feel me and respect me.
Q: Do you ever go one-on-one with your dad Derek, a former NFL offensive lineman?
A: No, we always mess around, he’s an old man now (smile), but we always mess around and I always tell him I’ll beat him in one-on-ones all day. But, I don’t know, in his prime and my prime, that would be a crazy battle. He was a physical, big guy. I told him if I had a head full of steam I’d get him though (laugh).
Q: While in college at USC, you played against Oregon QB Marcus Mariota.
A: He was as dynamic as he is now, but I think he’s grown into an even better passer, and he can burn you with his legs. He’s deceptively fast. It doesn’t seem like he’s moving that fast, but his stride is going, he’ll break one on you real quick.
Q: Do you think he will be a franchise quarterback?
A: Only time will tell, but I think he has the tools to be.
Q: A Nelson Mandela quote you tweeted: “Don’t judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
A: Something [Giants coach Tom ] Coughlin says often.
Q: Another tweet: “Excellence is risking more than others say is safe, dreaming more than others say is practical, and expecting more than others say is possible.”
A: I think I saw that in a book or something, and for me, I’m always chasing excellence. And I’ve been told many times what I can’t do — with some of the surgeries I’ve had, with all the position changes and coaching changes I went through college. No one expected me to be where I’m at today. If you go and just rely on other people’s expectations of you and let other people tell you what you can or can’t do, you’ll never know how good you can be at anything.
Q: What was the most frustrating period when you were not able to play?
A: I would have to say my true senior year when I tore my pec, and I say that because I had a great spring ball, I was getting primed to have a great season. … I was a true senior, all my best friends were seniors, it was gonna be me, Matt Barkley, T.J McDonald, a couple of other guys leaving that year and … it was unfortunate for me because I didn’t have that opportunity. But you know what? It turned out to be the biggest blessing ’cause we got a new [defensive] cCoordinator the next season, he brought in a new defense, I fit well into his scheme and what he wanted to do, and I was able to have a great year and I was able to finish my Master’s degree. If I would have graduated as a true senior, I would have had to go back and finish it, but because I had to stay an extra semester, I was able to finish the entire Master’s degree, leave USC with two degrees, and then play in Coach Clancy Pendergast’s defense.
Q: USC coach Pete Carroll recruited you, then he left for the Seahawks after your freshman season.
A: It was tough for me, but one of the things we live by at USC is, “Fight on no matter what.” People ask me like, “Did you think about transferring? Why didn’t you transfer?” It wasn’t really a question for me because I wanted to fight on, and I knew that that was life. You can’t run away from issues or problems, adversity’s gonna come, and I knew that it was a great university, I belong there and it would all work out in the end, and it did.
Q: You had five sacks in a game for Desert Vista High in Phoenix. Are you a natural pass rusher?
A: I think I have pass-rush talents. It’s something I’ve done and been comfortable with for a long time. At this level, it’s a work in progress. When I rush, I’m going against some elite offensive linemen, elite running backs, so to say I’m some polished pass rusher, I would not give myself that much credit. But it’s something I have a passion for, and I want to be good at, and I’m gonna continue to work at.
Q: Do you talk trash?
A: Not too much. I get excited, and I celebrate with my teammates. I’m not a guy who’s always jawing off to somebody, but I’ll be the first to say, if we’re making some plays, I’ll tell the offense, “It’s gonna be a long day,” or, “You guys got your work cut out for you today,” or things like that, but I’m not a guy who’s looking to talk mess all game. I try to let my play do the talking.
Q: Describe rookie Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
A: Incredible athlete. He does something that impresses me pretty much every day at practice. I think people quickly forget that he didn’t go through OTAs, minicamp, training camp, anything like that, and came right in the middle of the season and is doing what he’s doing, and I just feel that’s remarkable.
Q: What did you think of his catch?
A: It’s the best catch I’ve seen. There’s some great catches, but how he was overly extended, there was nothing behind him to help him catch that ball, it was all will and ability.
Q: You were in the same draft class.
A: Odell and I have a good relationship, and I think our whole rookie class does. The Giants did a good job of drafting a rookie with similar minds. We all want to come and help this organization win, and we all want to be successful, and we all are hungry to help win.
Q: Describe the New York Giants Way.
A: Doing things the right way — with good work ethic, with integrity, with character, with hard work. We want to win, but we want to win the right way and go about things the right way.
Q: What is your favorite motivational or inspirational quote?
A: There’s three things that I kinda created myself that I try to live by, and it’s something I think about every day, and, 1) is to glorify God. I’m a Christian, and I try to do everything in my power to give God praise, and 2) is to be relentless. I feel like I was put on this earth to chase my dreams and be relentless at everything I’m doing, and I take that literal — if it’s lifting weights, if it’s practicing, when it was school, whatever I’m doing, be relentless at it and don’t be denied. And then the third thing is have fun. Those are three things I try to make sure I can check off at the end of every day.
A: I would say he’s an old-school coach, but he cares about his players, and he does what’s best for his players, and he’s a great leader, and he leads by example in the way that he coaches and the way that he goes about his life. And he demands your respect, but he also earns your respect, and that’s something I really appreciate. He’s the same every day, and I think that’s something that I look up to.
Q: What was it like visiting the 9/11 memorial?
A: It was one of the most humbling experiences for me, just to realize the devastation that happened here, and to be so close. I’m from Arizona, so I saw the pictures and all that, but it made it real for me when I actually got to see it live and in person and hear some of the conversations and the stories and all the different like things that they had. I remember the fire truck that was destroyed, they have it in there, half of it taken off, and just hearing all the stories and seeing the collage of all the people who died, it was just a very humbling experience.
Q: What was it like watching Knicks star Carmelo Anthony at courtside?
A: That was one of the coolest experiences in the world. I always dreamt of being courtside at a game and having an opportunity to see Carmelo Anthony and Dirk Nowitzki compete, and it was a different perspective for me, ’cause being so close, you get to understand how long those guys are, like it’s so hard for them to even get the ball in the paint, ’cause guys are so long, and it just made me appreciate the game even more like seeing it that up close and personal.
Q: Who are some athletes you admire?
A: I’ve always been a huge fan of Kobe Bryant and his work ethic and what he’s done. … Ray Lewis and the passion he played the game with and the energy he brought to the game and how he got the most out of his teammates and everything.
Q: Boyhood idol?
A: My dad.
Q: What was it like riding on his shoulders as a young boy after his Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX over the Steelers?
A: I feel like that was the day I fell in live with the game ’cause it was just such a cool moment (smile), and ever since that moment I feel like there was no question on what I wanted to do with my life.
Q: Longtime friend Logan Reginato is a Rockette?
A: Yeah, she’s one of my good friends, we went to high school together, known her for a long time, since we were kids. A couple of weeks after I got drafted, she found out she made the cuts and everything to become a Rockette. Our schedules are both so busy, she’s performing like every night and I’m in practice and stuff, so we haven’t been able to hang out and do stuff much, but I finally got to go see her perform live, and it was really cool. She’s an awesome dancer, she always has been.
Q: Your grade point in high school was 3.98? What did you mess up at?
A: I got a B in one science class. I think it was biology or something like that, I hate science. In college I didn’t do as well as high school, but I still had like a 3.2, or 3.3, and I got my undergrad (communications) and Master’s degree (communications management focused on marketing) at USC in 4 ¹/₂ years.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Michael Jordan, Barack Obama, Denzel Washington.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “Remember the Titans.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Denzel Washington.
Q: Favorite entertainer/singer?
A: Favorite singer would have to be Beyonce, and my favorite rapper would have to be Jay-Z.
Q: Favorite TV show?
A: “Breaking Bad.”
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Salmon, rice and broccoli, and some avocado.
Q: Do you still take naps in cars?
A: (Laugh). Yeah. It’s funny, my dad and mom just came to the last game and we were talking about that. Unless I’m driving, I knock out in the cars.
Q: Ever go deep-sea fishing?
A: No, I’ve never been deep sea fishing. It’s something on my bucket list, though.
Q: What else is on your bucket list?
A: I want to travel the world, I want to go to Europe, and I want to go to random places like Tahiti, Fiji, some different islands. And then also, I gotta go to a Knicks game, I want to go to a Nets game, a Rangers game, I gotta go to a Yankee game. I drove past it, but I want to go see the Christmas tree, ’cause growing up as a kid, I grew up watching “Home Alone” and that was one of my favorite movies ever. It made me always want to visit New York. New York always seemed like some distant place that I would never be able to go to, like it just seemed do surreal. So every day when I wake up and I know I’m living right next to New York City, I can get there in 10 minutes, 15 minutes, it’s kinda cool. So I’ve always wanted to go to the Christmas tree and the place where they do the I’ve skating.
Q: You did go to Yankee Stadium in June.
A: It’s incredible. It reminds me of the Giant organization in everything, just you can tell that it’s first class with the Yankees. Everything they do, the stadium, how they represent themselves, and it’s something I immediately kinda fell in love with.
Q: Have you been to a Broadway show yet?
A: I actually got to see Denzel Washington perform live on Broadway in “A Raisin in the Sun.” He just absolutely killed it, so it was really cool to see.
Q: On your Twitter feed, you write “I declare” more than a few times.
A: It’s a Joel Osteen book called I Declare. It’s something I kinda started doing on Sundays, on gamedays, I did it in college some my last year, too. It’s these paragraphs, and it’s just like declaring excellence in your life in different ways, and declaring the good things that God has in store for you if you live right and do those type of things.
Q: Is this team on the rise?
A: I think we’re starting to figure it out. We lost some games that were way too close, and we could have won, and it was heartbreaking, but I feel like there’s no success without going through hard times.