Rodney Kinlaw always had a football in his hands.
His dad, Rodney Sr., remembers him with the pigskin, starting for his pee-wee team at age 7. He remembers his son's senior year of high school in South Carolina when he torched defenders for more than 1,700 yards.
Then came the Penn State years. There was '03, when Kinlaw tore his ACL. In '06 he earned the team's Most Improved Player award as a backup. Last season, Rodney Sr. remembers his son being held back early -- until his son stepped into the starting role when Austin Scott was removed from the team.
Once the ball was his, Kinlaw carried it for 1,329 yards and 10 touchdowns.
In his final collegiate game, Kinlaw solved the Texas A&M defense, rushing for 143 yards and helping to cap the Nittany Lions' season with a win in the Alamo Bowl.
That could've been the last time he took a handoff. Kinlaw waited at home the weekend of the NFL Draft for his name to be called, but it never was. Months passed. Kinlaw stayed in shape. He worked out and maintained a healthy diet.
Last Wednesday, a phone rang in Atlanta. Kinlaw, there for a job interview, picked it up and found other work. A shot at his dream job.
On the other end were representatives from the New York Jets. They offered to extend Kinlaw's football playing career. With that call, the Jets signed Kinlaw to a free agent contract, though the terms were not disclosed.
Now, Kinlaw has an opportunity his family said he has prepared a lifetime for.
Yesterday was Kinlaw's third practice as a Jet. He spoke on the phone from the Hofstra campus, where the Jets conduct their training camp, immediately after practice. Kinlaw said he's been trying to learn the playbook. He took part in a scrimmage on Saturday and played in full team practices Monday and yesterday.
"It's been pretty good. The game's a lot faster [than college]," Kinlaw said. "It's just like when I first went to college. You have to learn the plays. That's basically the main part right now, just learning the plays so then I can get in and go full speed."
Despite Kinlaw's injury in college and his limited playing time before his senior year, former Dallas Cowboys general manager and current NFL Draft guru Gil Brandt said he was shocked no teams invited Kinlaw to camp sooner.
Speaking by phone from his office, Brandt rattled off Kinlaw's career accomplishments from his days at Stratford High School in Goose Creek, S.C., to his impressive senior outing at Penn State. Brandt said he had Kinlaw as a "brought to camp" player after the draft ended.
"I was surprised when nobody signed him before [Saturday]," Brandt said. "But it's a tribute to the kid. He must've worked out for them and worked out good."
Kinlaw said he had a tryout with the Jets two weeks ago. He worked out with running backs coach Jimmy Raye. Kinlaw said Raye told him he did a "pretty good job" at his workout and that led to the signing.
The Jets have five other running backs listed on their roster. Nine-year veteran Thomas Jones will likely start. Ahead of him on the depth chart are six-year-vets Jesse Chatman and Musa Smith, third-year return man Leon Washington and undrafted rookie Jehuu Caulcrick.
When he was the Cowboys' general manager, Brandt said he used to carry a total of five running backs on the roster so they could contribute on special teams. Now, teams invest in a specialist like Chicago's Devin Hester separately. There isn't as much demand for extra running backs.
Brandt noted the Jets will probably use Kinlaw as a kick returner, a job he is familiar with. During his tenure as a Nittany Lion, Kinlaw averaged 22.3 yards per return on 28 tries.
If he can't hack it as a returner, Brandt said Kinlaw might not make the final roster.
"Now everyone's got a Hester, a specialist as a kick returner," Brandt said. "And so for somebody like Kinlaw, the outstanding kick returner could cost a guy like Kinlaw a spot."
Brandt said he believes Kinlaw has the speed, instincts and character traits of an NFL player, but his size could limit him. Kinlaw is 5-foot-9, an inch taller than Chatman and current returner Washington.
Rodney Sr. said his son wanted to get bigger to prepare him for the punishment he could withstand in the NFL. At Penn State, Kinlaw had to cut weight to 201. The Jets list Kinlaw at 210 pounds.
For Kinlaw, however, it's not as much about size. It's about what he can do when he has the ball in his hands. He said the numbers his senior year speak for themselves.
From the Hofstra campus after his third NFL practice, Kinlaw takes himself back to his house, back in time to April right after he was left out of the NFL Draft. Each time a running back was selected, Rodney said to himself and his father, "I know I'm better than him." After Day 2 of the draft, Rodney Sr. said his son "felt pretty down" on himself.
Kinlaw doesn't feel the same way now as he did then. Now he has the chance. Now he must prove himself.
He's fine with that.
"I thought -- especially after my senior season -- only starting the fifth game and having 1,300 yards, I impressed some people," Kinlaw said. "I guess I did that at times, so I guess I'll have to do that all over again now. Just show them that I can play football."
