Kevin O'Connell (American football)
 O'Connell with the Patriots in 2008. |
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| No. 7 New York Jets | |
| Quarterback | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: May 25, 1985 | |
| Place of birth: Knoxville, Tennessee | |
| Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | Weight: 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: San Diego State | |
| NFL Draft: 2008 / Round: 3 / Pick: 94 | |
| Debuted in 2008 for the New England Patriots | |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2011 | |
| TD-INT | 0-0 |
| Passing yards | 23 |
| QB Rating | 73.6 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Kevin William O'Connell (born May 25, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at San Diego State.
O'Connell has also been a member of the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins.
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[edit] Early years
The son of a former FBI agent, O'Connell spent his childhood years in Carlsbad, California, where he attended La Costa Canyon High School.[1] At La Costa Canyon, O'Connell lettered in both football and basketball. In football, as a junior, he passed for 980 yards and seven touchdowns. As a senior, he was named his Team's Most Valuable Player, and selected to All-League, All-North County, and All-San Diego teams. In basketball, he was a two-year letterman, and a teammate of Arizona standout Chase Budinger.[2] O'Connell graduated from La Costa Canyon in 2003.
[edit] College career
O'Connell graduated from San Diego State University in December 2007 with a degree in political science.[3][4] At SDSU, where he was a four-year team captain, he started 21 games, the sixth-most among SDSU quarterbacks, and ranked first in school history in career rushing yards and second in career rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks; in 2007 he led the team in rushing yards. Passing, he ranked tenth in yardage, eighth in attempts, and seventh in completions.[1]
O'Connell played in both the 2008 Hula Bowl and the 2008 East-West Shrine Game.[3] He was the Kai team quarterback in the 2008 Hula Bowl, where he led the offense and was one of the Kai team's only bright spots. He was 11-of-21 for 147 yards, and completed the pass which resulted in the Kai's only score of the game.[5]
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Pre-draft
Just prior to being drafted, San Diego sports writer Nick Canepa described O'Connell as having:
| “ | all the equipment needed to fit in the modern NFL quarterback toolbox. He's 6-feet-6 and weighs 235 pounds. As Don Coryell often said, 'he runs like a deer.' He has plenty of arm. He's smart. He comes from a great background. He has a wonderful personality. He's a leader.[3] | ” |
At the 2008 NFL Combine, O'Connell ran the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds; only University of San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson had a faster time.
[edit] New England Patriots
The New England Patriots selected O'Connell with their third pick (94th overall) of the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft, the highest pick the Patriots had used on a quarterback since they drafted Drew Bledsoe first overall in 1993.
O'Connell rushed for a touchdown in the 2008 preseason against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter, in a game the Patriots eventually lost 19-14. He made his NFL debut on September 21, 2008 in the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins, throwing his first four career passes and completing three.
O'Connell was waived by the Patriots on August 30, 2009, two days after a preseason game in which starting quarterback Tom Brady was injured, and, in the second half, O'Connell threw two interceptions and only threw 3 completions on 10 attempts. The Patriots gave no explanation for releasing O'Connell, who was in competition with veteran quarterback Andrew Walter, signed after his release from the Oakland Raiders, and undrafted free agent rookie Brian Hoyer of Michigan State.
[edit] Detroit Lions
O'Connell was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions on September 1, 2009. He was traded on September 6.
[edit] New York Jets
The Lions traded O'Connell to the New York Jets, for a 7th round 2011 draft pick, on September 6, 2009.[6]
He was named a team captain for the September 20 game against the New England Patriots.[7]
On August 31, 2010, New York would release O'Connell.[8] Following his departure, O'Connell found that had a torn labrum in his throwing arm, an injury he sustained during the preseason.[9] The injury will require surgery.[9]
Following his release, the New York Jets re-signed O'Connell to a two year deal. He has been placed on the injured reserve list.[10] He was later released again on July 29, 2011.[11]
[edit] Miami Dolphins
On August 5, 2011, O'Connell signed with the Miami Dolphins, but was waived on September 3.
[edit] Second stint with the Jets
O'Connell was claimed off waivers by the Jets on September 4, 2011.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ a b SDSU Aztecs Biography for Kevin O'Connell
- ^ Gasper, Christopher L. (2008-09-28). "O'Connell Could be Ready in a Snap". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2008/09/28/oconnell_could_be_ready_in_a_snap/. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ a b c Canepa, Nick (2008-02-12). "O'Connell's Shot at NFL Looks Legit". San Diego Union-Tribune. http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/canepa/20080212-9999-1s12canepa.html. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ Schrotenboer, Brent (2007-11-29). "Offensive Evolution Under Long Has Come to Pass for the Aztecs". San Diego Union-Tribune. http://www.uniontrib.com/sports/aztecs/20071129-9999-1s29azfoot.html. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ "Kevin O'Connell Shines in Hula Bowl". Associated Press. 2008-01-12. http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/011308aaa.html. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ Kowalski, Tom (February 22, 2010). "Lions have seven picks in upcoming draft". MLive.com. http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/02/lions_have_seven_picks_in_upco.html. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
- ^ Florio, Mike (September 20, 2009). "Kevin O'Connell, team captain?". ProFootballTalk. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/09/20/kevin-oconnell-team-captain/. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ Cimini, Rich (August 31, 2010). "Jets cut QB Kevin O'Connell". ESPN New York. http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/news/story?id=5515776. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ a b Star-Ledger Staff (September 3, 2010). "Jets lose confidence in rookie running back Joe McKnight". The Star-Ledger. http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2010/09/jets_lose_confidence_in_rookie.html. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
- ^ Star-Ledger Staff (September 8, 2010). "Jets re-sign Kevin O'Connel". The Star-Ledger. http://twitter.com/JennyVrentas/status/23973631710. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ Mehta, Manish (July 29, 2011). "Jets release backup QB Mark Brunell, still waiting on Nnamdi Asomugha". New York Daily News (Mortimer Zuckerman). Archived from the original on July 29, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/60XkScRCN. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
- ^ Vrentas, Jenny (September 4, 2011). "Jets awarded four players off waivers, including QB Kevin O'Connell; cut Aaron Maybin". The Star-Ledger (Advance Publications). http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2011/09/jets_claim_center_colin_baxter.html. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
[edit] External links
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