ALBANY – This time around, Kareem McKenzie will get to sleep longer, which is a good thing for the Giants offensive lineman.
A year ago, McKenzie was the right tackle for the Jets as they endured a pilgrimage of nearly three hours by bus from their Long Island training complex at Hofstra to the New York capital. Wakeup calls came about 4 a.m. for the start of a trip with the purpose of tangling with the Giants in two separate practice sessions that coach Herm Edwards hoped would introduce his club to performing despite an inconvenience. The Jets bussed home that same evening.
“It was a long, inconvenient day,” recalled McKenzie, who estimates he’ll awake today at his normal time, about 7 a.m., from what he anticipates will be “comfortable sleep.”
More than 9,000 fans last year crammed their way around the fields at the University at Albany to watch the dual practices and at least that many are expected today. The sure-to-be bleary-eyed Jets are coming; the well-rested Giants are waiting.
“It was fun day,” McKenzie recalled, “because we weren’t hitting each other.”
It figures to be an interesting day for McKenzie, who spent the first four years of his NFL career anchoring the right side of the offensive line for the Jets.
“You definitely look forward to it, because it’s a chance to see some guys you haven’t seen in a while, catch up a little bit with everybody,” McKenzie said.
That McKenzie has downplayed any emotion attached to this reunion is not surprising. For such a massive man (6-6, 327 pounds), McKenzie caused barely a ripple after the Giants lavished him with a seven-year, $37.75 million contract. He has slid into a starting role with the professional manner that has distinguished his time in the league.
McKenzie is almost never the subject of scrutiny during a game; he has been remarkably consistent in staying out of the harsh glare of the penalty spotlight. In the past three years, McKenzie started all 48 regular-season games for the Jets and was called for only three penalties, including one false start all of last season.
Of course, that was in game situations.
“I can penalize him a lot in practice; that sucker does hold, I can tell you that,” said defensive end Michael Strahan, who lines up across from McKenzie and knocks heads with him every day during training camp. “They all hold, that’s what they do; some are better than others, that’s why they get away with it. He’s very good at it; I can attest to that and say it’s true.”
There have been few growing pains for McKenzie. His low-key demeanor is such that he hasn’t bull-rushed his way into a leadership role on the line. It will come to him naturally.
“I take a step back, because you don’t want to be a distraction in the offensive line itself, you want to melt into the melting pot of the offensive line we have already,” he said. “Just add to it, add a little taste, like cooking a recipe; you want to add that little bit that’s needed to wake up the flavor a little bit. You don’t want to add something in that’s really not necessary and destroy the whole process.”