GEORGETOWN, Ky. — As soon as the Cincinnati Bengals tapped tailback Kenny Irons in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft, Auburn's running backs coach dialed up Rudi Johnson, asking the big dog to embrace the young pup.

Johnson has gladly taken Kenny Irons under his wing, but it won't be long before "K.I." flies away.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound rookie is already breaking loose at training camp, slashing inside with power, bursting outside with speed and feeling the bumps and bruises along the way.

"Any time we put pads on, it's going to be real physical," Kenny Irons said. "You've just got to get used to it. When I get myself back in that groove and get used to the contact, I'll be myself again — running hard, running physical and making people miss. That's the way I like to run the football."

After a brilliant junior year at Auburn, where he rushed for 1,293 yards and 13 touchdowns, Kenny Irons wasn't at full speed for much of his senior season. He battled a series of nagging injuries (turf toe, ankle sprain and bruised shoulder) en route to 893 yards and four TDs.

Is durability an issue?

"Not really," he said. "When I get used to the physical aspect of the game, I'll get back to running with emotion, and things will become second nature to me."

Kenny Irons took a handoff and breezed 47 yards around the right end the first weekend of camp. That kind of speed and dimension has been missing from the offense. Johnson rushed for 1,309 yards and 12 TDs last season, but his longest carry in 341 attempts was 22 yards.

"Whether it's blocking or running outside or catching passes, I just try to fit in and help out the offense as much as I can," Kenny Irons said. "I give all the credit to the offensive line. I just follow those guys. They make my runs easy.

"Rudi's helping me a lot. When times get rough, he'll say, 'Big K, don't worry about it. Toughen it out, and do your thing. If you can't go, I'll take over.' He's a great help. So is (tailback) Kenny Watson."

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