Post Snap With Malcolm Jenkins: 'How We Will Handle This Success'
Malcolm Jenkins is a Super Bowl champion and veteran NFL safety. He sits down with CBS Philly's Joe Santoliquito every week. Listen to Malcom live each Tuesday at 5 with Ant & Rob on 94WIP. All of Jenkins' Post Snap interviews are archived at CBSPhilly.com/Jenkins.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — It's been a strange year for the Eagles. They keep dropping valuable pieces—and each week they don't look like they miss anything. Sometimes they even look better.
The biggest concern in the Eagles' 45-21 thrashing of the Carolina Panthers on Monday was whether or not Casey Matthews and Emmanuel Acho could step in and make the defensive calls middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans, lost for the season with a torn right Achilles, usually made.
It looks like they have.
"You're starting to see a lot more guys making plays when we play in unison, and that really affects the game," Eagles' safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "We're excited about the direction we're going. Each week is getting better and better and this was the kind of game where turnovers came in bunches. We're looking forward to build momentum on that.
"The biggest thing we were concerned in losing DeMeco is his command of the defense and making calls and getting guys lined up. I thought Casey and Emmanuel did a real good job making calls and getting guys together. There was no confusion. That allowed guys to line up and pin their ears back and play fast. All the things we put in for our game plan was handled really well. That was inspiring for us, to see where they were going to be."
Jenkins said everything is about preparation and that was the reason for the Eagles' success in causing five turnovers Monday night. It also instilled a deep confidence in the Eagles' defense that there was nothing Cam Newton could do to them.
"We're a team that tries to find any inch to get better," Jenkins said. "When we go into these games, we're eager to go out there and perform, because we know the preparation that goes into it. It's shown over the last three or four games. We have had injuries, but where other people can see them as setbacks, we see them as opportunities for other guys to show what they can do. And they have. We were all waiting for that game when the turnovers came in bunches, and they came in bunches this game."
Jenkins noted the work done by Mark Sanchez, making his first Eagles' start in replacing the injured Nick Foles. Jenkins said everyone was confident in what Sanchez did, especially under the bright glare of the Monday night TV audience.
Sanchez completed 20 of 37 passes for two touchdowns and 332 yards. He also finished with a quarterback rating of 102.5.
The defensive line sacked Newton nine times, five times in the first half when the game was still somewhat competitive.
"We just have to keep the gas pedal down," said Jenkins, who admitted the only thing different he did was break the team during pregame warm-ups, a duty usually performed by Ryans. "Even off this win, we have to find a way to get better, and it will be interesting to see how well we respond to the success we're having. There was nothing crazy anyone had to do in their roles. We're all flying around the ball and everyone feeds off of that. What impressed wasn't the turnovers or the sacks, it was ho w fast guys were getting to the ball. We had more than two guys on almost every tackle, competing with each other to get to the ball.
"Now the biggest concern I have is how we will handle this success. Green Bay is next and Aaron Rodgers has a balanced offense he runs and a group of receivers he can throw to. Aaron Rodgers is one of the top three quarterbacks in this league, and in my mind, the best dual-threat quarterback in the NFL. Most dual-threat quarterbacks can run well, but Rodgers throws well and is a great scrambler. It's going to be a game of matchups and discipline. We can't give up the deep ball."
The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation has launched an exclusive apparel campaign kicking off with Malcolm's "NoPhlyZone." Purchases will support the Foundation's programs supporting youth and families in under-served communities. Visit www.themalcolmjenkinsfoundation.org.
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