Post Snap With Malcolm Jenkins: "We're Ready" For Dallas
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, PA (CBS) — Malcolm Jenkins always plays with an edge. Aside from his usual even veneer, the veteran Eagles' safety can erupt from time to time. That came out in the Eagles' 43-24 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, personal compensation for the mistakes he felt he made in the blowout loss to Green Bay the previous week. It's also great mental preparation for this Thursday's NFC East showdown in Dallas.
With DeMeco Ryans out for the season with a ruptured right Achilles, Jenkins has emerged as the leader of the defense. He has a simple message to his teammates and the Eagles' fans: "We're ready!"
"We talked about the week before and how we had plays here and there and how we got away from our identity and our fire; someone had to pay a price [for the Green Bay game] and for me, it was about setting the tone and being that way the entire game against Tennessee," Jenkins said. "I thought we did a good job of doing that. We need that intensity and fire no matter what the score says, and it's going to be the same this week and moving forward.
"That's what we put on film earlier this year and that's what we have to continue to do. Being a leader, I have to set the tone. The biggest message as a leader for Dallas is to tell everyone this is the biggest opportunity we have so far, and everyone is watching us on the biggest stage against one of the best teams in the league. Go compete—this is our opportunity to take what we've worked for and throw it all out there and see where we stand. I think we're confident."
Dallas poses a huge challenge on many levels. For one, the Cowboys have arguably the best offensive line in football. Secondly, that offensive line has provided time for Tony Romo and opened huge holes for DeMarco Murray to rush for an NFL-best 1,354 yards on a league-high 268 carries.
Murray averages 24.4 carries a game, 5.1 yards per carry and 123.1 yards a game. If Dallas continues to win, Murray is a leading candidate for MVP. The closest one to Murray in yards per game is Houston's Arian Foste, who trails him by over 20 yards, averaging 102.8 yards a game.
The Eagles say the short week will actually provide more rest time, since the coaching staff will probably will the time preparing with walk-throughs instead of contact and running.
"To be honest, the short week doesn't bother me much," Jenkins said. "The biggest thing is how the coaches handle it. We talk about do you practice or do you walk through, and most of the time we just walk through. That gives us enough time to get rested and be ready to play. It's not a big deal to me. They're coming off a short week; we're coming off a short week. The schedule has been out, so it's not like it's a surprise. So we're ready. If we had to play today, we'd be ready. It's too big of a game and too big of a stage for us to come in with the mindset that we're at any disadvantage. We've been looking forward to this game and it's been on our calendar for a long time. Whether it's a short week or a long week, we're ready to go."
As for stopping Murray … "I'm sure I'll be asked to come down and support the run defense in stopping Murray. You have to respect their run and stopping their run will be a big part of this game. It really starts up front and getting penetration and being disruptive. I'm mentally ready to be down in the box and I tell [Eagles' defensive coordinator] Bill [Davis] all of the time that I really like playing in the box and in the noise, especially early in the game when it gets me going."
Malcolm Jenkins is offering a VIP experience that includes two premium seats and VIP passes to join him on the sideline at the Eagles v. Cowboys showdown here in Philly on December 14. Click here for details.
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