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PRO FOOTBALL Healthy Kelly finally can play catch
Redskins hope Kelly catches on in second season
Date published: 6/3/2009
BY RICH CAMPBELL ASHBURN-- Malcolm Kelly darted across the middle of the secondary during an 11-on-11 passing drill Monday, snared quarterback Jason Campbell's pass and burst up the field.Such a common play in practice normally wouldn't elicit a second thought, but this particular one was significant. It prompted a Washington Redskins player looking on from a few yards away to gleefully shout: "He's baaaaack!" Indeed, Kelly's full participation in the second round of organized team activities is a welcome sight for the Redskins this week. Following an injury-marred rookie season and offseason microfracture surgery on his left knee, the 6-4, 227-pound receiver finally seems positioned to contribute to a passing attack that sorely needs a big target that can also stretch the field. "I was just anxious to get back out there and actually run a route, have the ball hit my hands and cut upfield," Kelly said. "It has been a long time, but I'm ready for it." The Redskins are depending on Kelly to validate their reasoning for selecting him 51st overall in last year's draft despite already having drafted pass catchers Devin Thomas and Fred Davis earlier in the second round. Washington hoped that influx of targets for Campbell would jump-start the team's passing attack, but that didn't happen. All three got scant playing time as rookies, and Washington ranked 23rd in the NFL in passing yards per game (189.1). Kelly's knee problems, which existed before the Redskins drafted him, flared up during training camp, and he had arthroscopic surgery on Aug. 4. He was never fully healthy as the season progressed, and the practice time he missed early on proved costly. He was active for only five games and caught only three passes for 18 yards--hardly what he or the team envisioned after he amassed 2,285 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in three years at Oklahoma. "You don't want to be sitting over there, watching everybody else play, especially when you've been making plays your whole life," Kelly said. "It's a pride thing. If you're not out there making plays then you get down on yourself. That's just what really pushes me every day."
Date published: 6/3/2009
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