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Jets center hikes it home
By Nick French/ [email protected]
Wednesday, December 7, 2005
More than a decade ago, Pete Kendall was tearing up football fields across the South Shore starring for Archbishop Williams as he was being courted by every major college program in the country. He is still tearing up football fields, but now he’s doing it for a living.
Kendall has carved out a sound niche as an offensive lineman in the National Football League and has even exceeded some of his own expectations in his 10th season in the league.
"I don’t know if I saw myself playing this long," said Kendall, who has also played for the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. "It’s been a good run. Ten years is more than anyone can expect to play."
Kendall took the field at Gillette Stadium this past Sunday as the starting center for the New York Jets, returning to area where he grew up for just the second time in his career.
His first trip to Foxboro came last season in his first year with the Jets when both teams were 5-0, and fighting for first place in the AFC East.
"Last year was a much bigger game and I had never played in Foxboro," he said.
He does acknowledge the second trip to Foxboro still had some meaning because, "it’s not just another city."
Kendall got his start in football playing for the Weymouth Pop Warner teams. He played for the Tigerhawks in his first year of organized football, and that team went undefeated.
"I thought we were supposed to win every game," he said. He has since learned that is obviously not the case.
In his time with both Seattle and Arizona, winning games was not a regular occurrence.
The lack of winning in his professional career has been disappointing, particularly the disastrous 2-10 season the Jets are currently enduring. He has only made the playoffs in two of his 10 years in the league.
"I’ve not won as much as I would have liked," he said.
But he knows it is a privilege to play in the NFL and he’s come a long way since his Pop Warner days.
Back then he played every position, and of course his favorite was quarterback. He knew he was talented but never considered himself to be the best.
"I don’t know if I ever thought I was the best player on any of the teams I played on," he said. "I had very good coaching, my father was an offensive lineman in college. I was lucky I had a very good introduction to the game."
He continued to play football as he got to high school at Archbishop Williams. As a sophomore he was an option quarterback, but he got hurt in preseason and didn’t play at all that year.
The following season, having grown into his body more, he was moved over to tight end and defensive end. Despite the position change he didn’t start on the varsity as the season began.
After a slow start, and a .500 record after a few games, the Bishops head coach opened up all the starting jobs for competition again. Kendall seized the opportunity and broke into the starting lineup. Over the final games of the season he began to make a name for himself and local colleges in the area began to take notice.
"It kind of took off from there. By the end of the year I started getting letters from I-AA schools, and playing college football seemed realistic," he said.
Between his junior and senior year came the biggest leap. He put on roughly 50 pounds and by the third or fourth game of the season scholarship offers were coming from everywhere.
The recruiting circus took its toll on him a little bit, especially as the process wound down to two schools, Notre Dame and Boston College.
"The constant phone calls wore me down, and the enormity of the decision weighed me down," he said.
He didn’t let that affect his game though as he dominated the offensive and defensive fronts that season earning him All-America accolades, as well as Massachusetts, and New England player of the year honors.
After the season it was time to choose a college, and while Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz was making personal visits, newly hired BC coach Tom Coughlin was calling Kendall from the locker room after his Giants won Super Bowl XXV.
Ultimately he chose Boston College, partly because of Coughlin, but also because he was unsure where football might take him.
"I was impressed with Tom and I thought he would turn the program around. But I didn’t know what was going to happen to me," he said. "I felt if things didn’t work out football-wise BC would open doors down the road."
He red-shirted his freshman year to bulk up, because there weren’t too many 230 pound lineman playing in the Big East. He retained another year of eligibility and was able to practice with the team, but did not play in games. He also learned from his offensive line coaches, he had three of them in his career at BC, but all three eventually moved on to coach in the NFL.
After a rough start in his first game the following year he quickly blossomed and a career in the NFL became a possibility.
"After that I thought I had a chance and thought if ’I can put together another year like this then I have a chance,’" he said.
During that season he also had one of his best moments on the football field when the Eagles knocked off top-ranked Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. when David Gordon nailed a 43-yard field goal as time expired.
"That cemented that rivalry," he said.
Kendall was on the field protecting the line for the game winning kick that ended the undefeated season and national title hopes for the Fighting Irish.
"It was remarkable, the euphoria , and the joy. It seemed like all the BC fans there found their way onto the field. It was the only time in my career I can relate to Jim Valvano, and was looking for someone to hug."
He flirted with entering the draft early after his junior year, because he had already graduated. That particular draft pool was filled with linemen, and he received mixed signals about where he might end up being drafted.
In the end he chose to stay for a fifth season at The Heights, one he doesn’t regret. Off the field he met his future wife during that final year at BC. During the season he avoided injury and earned his second first team All-Big East selection. For his efforts he was drafted in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks the following spring.
"It worked out well for me," he said. "Looking back it was a very good decision."
After stops in Seattle and Arizona he has found a home with the Jets the past two seasons. He is glad to be much closer to home where he can see his wife and his three young children.
"I do get back here most weeks," he said. "Herm (Edwards, the Jets head coach) has treated me great."
This year he switched from his natural position of guard to center when an injury to the Jets All-Pro snapper Kevin Mawae ended his season in October. He says the transition hasn’t been as smooth as he would have liked. He did the same thing once in Arizona, but it was easier then because he had been in the offensive system for a few years, and the decision to switch came in the off season.
This year the Jets have a new offensive coordinator to learn from and Kendall is making the adjustments on the fly as the man in charge of the blocking schemes before every play.
"I’m trying to learn all the nuances of the job," he said. "At guard everything happens fast, but it’s even faster at center, but I am getting more help there."
He says snapping the ball is the most obvious difference, but starting each play with only one hand free is also an adjustment.
Kendall is under contract for three more years with New York, but in the ever changing dynamics of the NFL’s salary cap era, he knows he could be looking for a new team again at the end of this season. He would like to play a little longer and reach a Super Bowl. But the location of a team will play a factor in who he suits up for next as he enjoys being a short flight home to his family.
"I’d like to play a few more years, but a lot depends on who for and where that is," he said. "We’ll see, I’m not counting on anything more than this year, but I certainly feel like I’ll play next year." When he does decide to hang it up he’ll have a remarkable career to look back upon.
By Nick French/ [email protected]
Wednesday, December 7, 2005
More than a decade ago, Pete Kendall was tearing up football fields across the South Shore starring for Archbishop Williams as he was being courted by every major college program in the country. He is still tearing up football fields, but now he’s doing it for a living.
Kendall has carved out a sound niche as an offensive lineman in the National Football League and has even exceeded some of his own expectations in his 10th season in the league.
"I don’t know if I saw myself playing this long," said Kendall, who has also played for the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. "It’s been a good run. Ten years is more than anyone can expect to play."
Kendall took the field at Gillette Stadium this past Sunday as the starting center for the New York Jets, returning to area where he grew up for just the second time in his career.
His first trip to Foxboro came last season in his first year with the Jets when both teams were 5-0, and fighting for first place in the AFC East.
"Last year was a much bigger game and I had never played in Foxboro," he said.
He does acknowledge the second trip to Foxboro still had some meaning because, "it’s not just another city."
Kendall got his start in football playing for the Weymouth Pop Warner teams. He played for the Tigerhawks in his first year of organized football, and that team went undefeated.
"I thought we were supposed to win every game," he said. He has since learned that is obviously not the case.
In his time with both Seattle and Arizona, winning games was not a regular occurrence.
The lack of winning in his professional career has been disappointing, particularly the disastrous 2-10 season the Jets are currently enduring. He has only made the playoffs in two of his 10 years in the league.
"I’ve not won as much as I would have liked," he said.
But he knows it is a privilege to play in the NFL and he’s come a long way since his Pop Warner days.
Back then he played every position, and of course his favorite was quarterback. He knew he was talented but never considered himself to be the best.
"I don’t know if I ever thought I was the best player on any of the teams I played on," he said. "I had very good coaching, my father was an offensive lineman in college. I was lucky I had a very good introduction to the game."
He continued to play football as he got to high school at Archbishop Williams. As a sophomore he was an option quarterback, but he got hurt in preseason and didn’t play at all that year.
The following season, having grown into his body more, he was moved over to tight end and defensive end. Despite the position change he didn’t start on the varsity as the season began.
After a slow start, and a .500 record after a few games, the Bishops head coach opened up all the starting jobs for competition again. Kendall seized the opportunity and broke into the starting lineup. Over the final games of the season he began to make a name for himself and local colleges in the area began to take notice.
"It kind of took off from there. By the end of the year I started getting letters from I-AA schools, and playing college football seemed realistic," he said.
Between his junior and senior year came the biggest leap. He put on roughly 50 pounds and by the third or fourth game of the season scholarship offers were coming from everywhere.
The recruiting circus took its toll on him a little bit, especially as the process wound down to two schools, Notre Dame and Boston College.
"The constant phone calls wore me down, and the enormity of the decision weighed me down," he said.
He didn’t let that affect his game though as he dominated the offensive and defensive fronts that season earning him All-America accolades, as well as Massachusetts, and New England player of the year honors.
After the season it was time to choose a college, and while Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz was making personal visits, newly hired BC coach Tom Coughlin was calling Kendall from the locker room after his Giants won Super Bowl XXV.
Ultimately he chose Boston College, partly because of Coughlin, but also because he was unsure where football might take him.
"I was impressed with Tom and I thought he would turn the program around. But I didn’t know what was going to happen to me," he said. "I felt if things didn’t work out football-wise BC would open doors down the road."
He red-shirted his freshman year to bulk up, because there weren’t too many 230 pound lineman playing in the Big East. He retained another year of eligibility and was able to practice with the team, but did not play in games. He also learned from his offensive line coaches, he had three of them in his career at BC, but all three eventually moved on to coach in the NFL.
After a rough start in his first game the following year he quickly blossomed and a career in the NFL became a possibility.
"After that I thought I had a chance and thought if ’I can put together another year like this then I have a chance,’" he said.
During that season he also had one of his best moments on the football field when the Eagles knocked off top-ranked Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. when David Gordon nailed a 43-yard field goal as time expired.
"That cemented that rivalry," he said.
Kendall was on the field protecting the line for the game winning kick that ended the undefeated season and national title hopes for the Fighting Irish.
"It was remarkable, the euphoria , and the joy. It seemed like all the BC fans there found their way onto the field. It was the only time in my career I can relate to Jim Valvano, and was looking for someone to hug."
He flirted with entering the draft early after his junior year, because he had already graduated. That particular draft pool was filled with linemen, and he received mixed signals about where he might end up being drafted.
In the end he chose to stay for a fifth season at The Heights, one he doesn’t regret. Off the field he met his future wife during that final year at BC. During the season he avoided injury and earned his second first team All-Big East selection. For his efforts he was drafted in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks the following spring.
"It worked out well for me," he said. "Looking back it was a very good decision."
After stops in Seattle and Arizona he has found a home with the Jets the past two seasons. He is glad to be much closer to home where he can see his wife and his three young children.
"I do get back here most weeks," he said. "Herm (Edwards, the Jets head coach) has treated me great."
This year he switched from his natural position of guard to center when an injury to the Jets All-Pro snapper Kevin Mawae ended his season in October. He says the transition hasn’t been as smooth as he would have liked. He did the same thing once in Arizona, but it was easier then because he had been in the offensive system for a few years, and the decision to switch came in the off season.
This year the Jets have a new offensive coordinator to learn from and Kendall is making the adjustments on the fly as the man in charge of the blocking schemes before every play.
"I’m trying to learn all the nuances of the job," he said. "At guard everything happens fast, but it’s even faster at center, but I am getting more help there."
He says snapping the ball is the most obvious difference, but starting each play with only one hand free is also an adjustment.
Kendall is under contract for three more years with New York, but in the ever changing dynamics of the NFL’s salary cap era, he knows he could be looking for a new team again at the end of this season. He would like to play a little longer and reach a Super Bowl. But the location of a team will play a factor in who he suits up for next as he enjoys being a short flight home to his family.
"I’d like to play a few more years, but a lot depends on who for and where that is," he said. "We’ll see, I’m not counting on anything more than this year, but I certainly feel like I’ll play next year." When he does decide to hang it up he’ll have a remarkable career to look back upon.
