Tommy Kelly

Tommy Terrell Kelly[1] (born December 27, 1980) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played college football at Mississippi State and was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played with the Raiders and subsequently a single season each with the New England Patriots and Cardinals before retiring prior to the 2015 season. He now lives in Jackson, Mississippi.

Tommy Kelly

Kelly with the Raiders in 2011
Position:	Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:	December 27, 1980 Jackson, Mississippi
Height:	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:	310 lb (141 kg)
Career information
High school:	Jackson (MS) Provine
College:	Mississippi State
Undrafted:	2004
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2004–2012) New England Patriots (2013) Arizona Cardinals (2014)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 479 Sacks: 38.0 Forced fumbles: 10 Fumble recoveries: 4 Interceptions: 1 Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

After a standout basketball career at Jackson's Provine High School, he signed a football scholarship with Mississippi State University, where he played in 22 games and earned 16 starts, making 82 tackles, including 15 for loss and two quarterback sacks. He was signed as a free agent in 2004 by the Oakland Raiders.

Professional career

2004 season

After being signed in 2004 by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted rookie free agent, Tommy Kelly alternated between 3–4 DE and 4–3 DT. In the very few plays that he saw action, he was able to rack up four sacks, including 3 weeks in a row from week 7 through week 9.

2005 season

In 2005, the Raiders moved away from the 3–4 defense, with Kelly finding a spot as the RE. In week 9 alone, Kelly racked up a total of 3 quarterback sacks—reaching Kansas City veteran Trent Green. In each instance, Kelly had lined up as a DT rather than the RE that he had been playing as previously in the year. By the end of the season, Kelly had a total of 4.5 sacks.

2006 season

Tommy Kelly appeared in all sixteen games and had a total of 3.5 sacks.

2007 season

Kelly played in 7 games in 2007, recording 30 tackles and 1 sack[2] before suffering a season ending knee injury while playing against the Tennessee Titans.[3] He was placed on injured reserve by the Oakland Raiders on October 31, 2007.[4]

2008 season

On February 28, 2008, the Oakland Raiders signed Kelly to the largest contract ever given to a defensive tackle on the eve of free agency. Kelly, a defensive end moving to defensive tackle in 2008, signed a seven-year, $50.5 million contract with $18.125 million in guarantees and $25.125 million in the first three years.[5]

Kelly can play every spot on the defensive line, but he replaced the retired Warren Sapp at the three technique for the 2008 NFL season.

On September 14, 2008, Kelly was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.[6] Kelly finished the 2008 season with 55 tackles (31 solo) and 4.5 sacks matching his career high set in 2005.

2009 season

Kelly finished the season with just 55 tackles again (37 solo) and a career low 1 sack.

At the end of the season, Kelly had 60 tackles and 7 sacks and was named as an alternate for the 2010 Pro Bowl.

2011 season

On opening day of the 2011 NFL season, still at right defensive tackle next to Richard Seymour, he recorded 2 tackles and a sack as the Raiders defeated the Denver Broncos. In week 10, he recorded 3 tackles, a game-ending sack and a forced fumble as the Raiders beat the San Diego Chargers. The next week, when the Raiders won against the Minnesota Vikings, he recorded 3 tackles, two sacks and an interception off of a deflected pass.

On March 27, 2013 Kelly was released from the Oakland Raiders making him a free agent.

New England Patriots

On April 8, 2013 Kelly agreed to a two-year deal with the New England Patriots.[7]

Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly was placed on injured reserve following Week 8 of the 2013 NFL season which ended his season.[8] The Patriots released Kelly on August 24, 2014.[9]

Arizona Cardinals

Kelly signed with the Arizona Cardinals on August 27, 2014.[10] He retired prior to the beginning of the 2015 season.[11]

Career statistics

Year	Team	GP	COMB	TOTAL	AST	SACK	FF	FR	FR YDS	INT	IR YDS	AVG IR	LNG	TD	PD
2004	OAK	10	20	16	4	4.0	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
2005	OAK	16	45	35	10	4.5	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
2006	OAK	16	68	53	15	3.5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
2007	OAK	7	30	27	3	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
2008	OAK	16	55	31	24	4.5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2009	OAK	16	55	37	18	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
2010	OAK	16	60	38	22	7.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
2011	OAK	16	41	27	14	7.5	2	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	5
2012	OAK	16	45	25	20	1.0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
2013	NE	5	22	12	10	2.5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2014	ARI	16	33	23	11	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	Total	150	474	324	151	37.5	9	4	0	1	1	1	1	0	18

[12]

Key

• GP: games played
• COMB: combined tackles
• TOTAL: total tackles
• AST: assisted tackles
• SACK: sacks
• FF: forced fumbles
• FR: fumble recoveries
• FR YDS: fumble return yards
• INT: interceptions
• IR YDS: interception return yards
• AVG IR: average interception return
• LNG: longest interception return
• TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
• PD: passes defensed

Coaching career

Arizona Cardinals

On July 21, 2017, Kelly was hired by the Arizona Cardinals as a coaching intern.[13]

References

1. "Tommy Kelly Pro-Football-Reference Profile". rbref.com.
2. NFL Game Log
3. Inside Bay Area
4. NFL Transactions
5. Raiders Fan Favorite Tommy Kelly Hasn’t Played Up To Career Expectations
6. Oakland Raiders Star Busted for DUI
7. Patriots sign Free Agent DL Tommy Kelly
8. "DT Tommy Kelly's Season Officially Over; OL Josh Kline Promoted from Practice Squad".
9. Patriots reportedly release Tommy Kelly, Will Smith
10. Arizona Cardinals on Twitter: #AZCardinals sign DL Tommy Kelly (6-6, 310) to a one-year contract and release DL Ryan McBean.
11. "Mathieu's 'journey' enters third season". FOX Sports. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
12. "Tommy Kelly Stats". Retrieved February 10, 2014.
13. "Arizona Cardinals 'locked in' as they report to training camp". arizonasports.com. Retrieved July 22, 2017.