With Tedy Bruschi aging rapidly, New England badly wanted to find a player that could split time with him at one of its inside linebacker spots next season. The Patriots thought they had found their man in South Florida's Tyrone McKenzie, whom they made the 97th-overall selection in April's draft. McKenzie's going to have to wait until at least 2010 to make an impact, though, after suffering a torn ACL during last weekend's team minicamp. According to the Boston Globe, McKenzie got tangled up with a running back during a non-contact drill and went down in a heap.
The rookie from the University of South Florida immediately grabbed for his right knee. He was eventually able to walk off the field on his power and watched the remainder of the morning practice from the sideline, but was not present when the Patriots practiced again in the afternoon.Tough break for the Patriots, who really need some help behind Bruschi -- but an even tougher break for McKenzie, whose path to the pros reads like a Family Channel movie.
McKenzie opened his college career at Michigan State, but left following his freshman year to take care of his mother after she was injured in a car accident. He then transferred to Iowa State for a spectacular season (129 tackles), but moved from there to South Florida when his mom went through a divorce.
In 2007, he set a Bulls' single-season record with 121 tackles and followed that up with 117 last season. All the personal setbacks aside, McKenzie's constantly displayed NFL-caliber talent. The Patriots coveted him because he's versatile -- playing both inside and outside at USF -- and a total ball hawk, as the tackle totals might indicate.
Unfortunately, New England will have to find its linebacker depth elsewhere, at least for a year.
