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By Tom Orsborn - Express-News
Web Posted: 07/28/2010 12:00 CDT
There's no denying Pacman Jones was a bust during his brief tenure with the Dallas Cowboys.
But the star-crossed player, now with Cincinnati, did make one crucial behind-the-scenes contribution that apparently aided greatly in the development of cornerback Mike Jenkins.
“Before he left, he told me I was really gifted, and I should just go out and just play and not think,” Jenkins said. “I did that last year and had a great season.”
Emboldened by Jones' advice to trust his instincts and prodigious athletic ability, Jenkins emerged as a Pro Bowl player in just his second season.
“He had to learn pro football,” coach Wade Phillips said. “But once he did, he realized he had the ability to make plays, and he just got better and better.”
So much so that Phillips and secondary coach Dave Campo gave Jenkins the green light early last season to play press coverage — his favored way of defending receivers — anytime he wants.
“They gave me the leeway to play my own game,” Jenkins said. “It's a great feeling to know they have a lot of trust in me.”
With his long arms and blazing speed, Jenkins has the perfect attributes for press coverage. And after dropping a few pounds in the offseason, he's even faster than he was last season when he had a team-high five interceptions.
“Deion Sanders was probably the greatest of all time at that; he had the long reach, and he was really fast so when he made a mistake, he could catch up,” Phillips said. “Jenkins is not Deion, but he has the speed, the long arms, and he's got the quickness. I think losing a couple of pounds may have helped him even more.”
He's also benefiting from playing against the Cowboys' talented receiving corps of Miles Austin, Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton and rookie Dez Bryant.
“I feel like as long as I can ‘D' those guys up, I can pretty much ‘D' up anybody in the league,” Jenkins said.
The Cowboys are counting on Jenkins and fellow Pro Bowl corner Terence Newman racking up interceptions as the defense strives for more turnovers.
Last season, Dallas was second in the NFL in points allowed with only 15.6 per game, quite an accomplishment considering it had just 21 takeaways (11 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries). Only four teams had fewer.
“It's something we think and talk about every day,” Jenkins said. “It's embedded in our heads.”
Jenkins often baits quarterbacks into interceptions by appearing to get beat. The Cowboys quarterbacks and receivers, however, are well aware of the ploy.
“You can't run deep on him,” Williams said. “Go back, watch the film. Everybody tries to run behind him. No such thing. He's going to get up and give you the incomplete sign that us receivers hate. He's a great corner, great talent, and he's going to be a longtime Cowboy. You just can't get past him.”
But it would be a mistake to think Jenkins is getting by solely on natural ability. A hard worker driven to succeed, he's all ears when a coach speaks.
“He's very coachable,” Phillips said. “He listens to what you say, he works on what you tell him to work on, and he gets better. And once he got better, he didn't stop listening. Some of them, they get pretty good, and then all of a sudden, well, it's ‘I'm going to do this on my own.' But he takes coaching well.”
Notebook: Felix Jones didn't let a swollen knee prevent him from practicing in the afternoon. “I felt good, so I decided to practice,” the running back said. “It was a little stiff, but I got here early and loosened it up.”... Linebacker Sean Lee will likely miss a few practices with a strained quad. ... Rookie defensive lineman Sean Lissemore left practice in the afternoon with a strained groin.
Web Posted: 07/28/2010 12:00 CDT
There's no denying Pacman Jones was a bust during his brief tenure with the Dallas Cowboys.
But the star-crossed player, now with Cincinnati, did make one crucial behind-the-scenes contribution that apparently aided greatly in the development of cornerback Mike Jenkins.
“Before he left, he told me I was really gifted, and I should just go out and just play and not think,” Jenkins said. “I did that last year and had a great season.”
Emboldened by Jones' advice to trust his instincts and prodigious athletic ability, Jenkins emerged as a Pro Bowl player in just his second season.
“He had to learn pro football,” coach Wade Phillips said. “But once he did, he realized he had the ability to make plays, and he just got better and better.”
So much so that Phillips and secondary coach Dave Campo gave Jenkins the green light early last season to play press coverage — his favored way of defending receivers — anytime he wants.
“They gave me the leeway to play my own game,” Jenkins said. “It's a great feeling to know they have a lot of trust in me.”
With his long arms and blazing speed, Jenkins has the perfect attributes for press coverage. And after dropping a few pounds in the offseason, he's even faster than he was last season when he had a team-high five interceptions.
“Deion Sanders was probably the greatest of all time at that; he had the long reach, and he was really fast so when he made a mistake, he could catch up,” Phillips said. “Jenkins is not Deion, but he has the speed, the long arms, and he's got the quickness. I think losing a couple of pounds may have helped him even more.”
He's also benefiting from playing against the Cowboys' talented receiving corps of Miles Austin, Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton and rookie Dez Bryant.
“I feel like as long as I can ‘D' those guys up, I can pretty much ‘D' up anybody in the league,” Jenkins said.
The Cowboys are counting on Jenkins and fellow Pro Bowl corner Terence Newman racking up interceptions as the defense strives for more turnovers.
Last season, Dallas was second in the NFL in points allowed with only 15.6 per game, quite an accomplishment considering it had just 21 takeaways (11 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries). Only four teams had fewer.
“It's something we think and talk about every day,” Jenkins said. “It's embedded in our heads.”
Jenkins often baits quarterbacks into interceptions by appearing to get beat. The Cowboys quarterbacks and receivers, however, are well aware of the ploy.
“You can't run deep on him,” Williams said. “Go back, watch the film. Everybody tries to run behind him. No such thing. He's going to get up and give you the incomplete sign that us receivers hate. He's a great corner, great talent, and he's going to be a longtime Cowboy. You just can't get past him.”
But it would be a mistake to think Jenkins is getting by solely on natural ability. A hard worker driven to succeed, he's all ears when a coach speaks.
“He's very coachable,” Phillips said. “He listens to what you say, he works on what you tell him to work on, and he gets better. And once he got better, he didn't stop listening. Some of them, they get pretty good, and then all of a sudden, well, it's ‘I'm going to do this on my own.' But he takes coaching well.”
Notebook: Felix Jones didn't let a swollen knee prevent him from practicing in the afternoon. “I felt good, so I decided to practice,” the running back said. “It was a little stiff, but I got here early and loosened it up.”... Linebacker Sean Lee will likely miss a few practices with a strained quad. ... Rookie defensive lineman Sean Lissemore left practice in the afternoon with a strained groin.