If Bryan Kehl points a player out in film session, there's a good chance he's Mormon.

It's Kehl's little joke, and teammates have caught on.

"I always point out, he's a Mormon, he's a Mormon, he's a Mormon," said Kehl, a second-year linebacker for the New York Giants who is one of 35 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on NFL rosters.

Midway through his second season, Kehl is trying to "bloom where (he's) been planted" -- and New York has been a good spot. He misses Provo, college football and his starting role. But with the Giants, Kehl has found quality teammates, a Super Bowl-winning franchise and the opportunity to be a special teams contributor.



"It's a dream come true," he said.

Kehl says he's fortunate to be part of a "classy" organization that values character and smarts, an emphasis of general manager Jerry Reese. It makes a definite difference, Kehl says.

"Outside of football, there's not as much to worry about," he said.

Kehl helped BYU win two conference championships during his junior and senior seasons and was drafted by New York after the Giants beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. During Kehl's rookie season, the Giants were 12-4. They enter this Sunday's game against Atlanta on a four-game losing streak, but are still 5-4.

Kehl was recently talking with former BYU and New York Giants offensive lineman Bart Oates, who gave the second-year linebacker a hard time about always being on good teams. The last time Kehl was part of a losing team was 2002, his freshman season at BYU.

"I've been fortunate," Kehl said. "It's been great. I don't know what it's like in the NFL to play on a poor team."

Kehl has recorded six tackles this year while appearing in seven of the Giants' nine games. He was held out of one game with a broken thumb and deactivated before New York's most recent loss. Kehl continues to compete for playing time, but has fallen out of the regular defensive rotation and is listed as third string at weakside linebacker.

Kehl has known from Day 1 that the Giants expect him to be a special teams "standout." So while he'd rather see more playing time on defense, he's trying to excel in another phase of the game.

"I do get after it on special teams," he said.

During a game against Kansas City earlier this year, he recovered a fumble on a kickoff and covered up a surprise onside kick. Following that game, New York Newsday blogger Tom Rock called him a "special teams marvel."

Kehl, a Salt Lake City native who married Utahn Jessica Bingham last offseason, misses both the pace of life of his home state and the college football atmosphere. Playing in the NFL, however, is a realization of his goals.

He's also found a religion-friendly atmosphere. Kehl concedes that not everyone in the NFL is devout -- "There's some guys who aren't exactly trying to be like Jesus," he says -- but the majority consider themselves Christian to some degree. He's tried to "buddy up" with those who share similar beliefs.

"There's some impressive individuals," he said. "It's been nice. It makes a difference."
Kehl, who served a Mormon mission in Toronto, says he's often asked about his two-year church service. His LDS beliefs, and religion in general, are near constant topics.

"If there were 100 days, it comes up 99 times," Kehl said. "People are always referring to it some way."

E-mail: ashill@desnews.com