Post Snap With Malcolm Jenkins: 'We'll Keep Grinding, Nothing Written Matters'
Malcolm Jenkins is a Super Bowl champion and veteran NFL safety. He sits down with CBS Philly's Joe Santoliquito every week. All of Jenkins' Post Snap interviews are archived at CBSPhilly.com/Jenkins.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Malcolm Jenkins has never been to the Pro Bowl. Maybe this year changes that. You won't hear the talented veteran safety banging his own drum about this. It's not just the way he is. But aside from being a leader on and off the field, Jenkins is having his best season as a pro.
His 99-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Eagles' 35-28 win over the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots was just a small portion of what he's done this season. He leads the Eagles in solo tackles with 66, leads the Eagles in total tackles with 79, and is tied for second on the team with two interceptions. Off the field, he's been one of the more outspoken leaders that has kept this team together during some very adverse times.
But there is one thing Jenkins will admit: This has been his best year in seven NFL seasons.
"I think so," Jenkins said. "It's the most consistent season I've had. I thought last year was a decent year, but I felt like I left some plays out on the field. This year the coaches have left me in a position to make some plays. I think that nickel spot for me as been the most productive when I look at my career through every season and what my production has been like. Every time I've been able to play the nickel position it's worked well for me. Obviously, it's been the area that I've been the most this year, and it's helpful the cast that I've had around me. The way we've been able to get pressure on the quarterback, all the tools we use in coverage. It's a good spot for me."
Jenkins said the addition of Walter Thurmond at safety has been a huge bonus.
"Walter Thurmond saw that play on Sunday, and (Danny) Amendola wasn't even his man, he stepped up and made the play at the point of attack," Jenkins said. "That's how intuitive Walter is. I wouldn't have been able to make that play without him deflecting the pass."
Jenkins also said that Sunday's victory made have given the Eagles new life. The amount of negativity surrounding the Eagles he said has been something that the team has been fighting to ignore.
"Chip Kelly always tells us we're a good football, and sometimes you might think he's blowing smoke, but he wanted to reassure us why we're a good football and then shows clips of every one on the team making huge plays," Jenkins said. "He said if we could do this, no one could beat us. Everyone was waiting for the wood to start to splinter. They were waiting for the people to start pointing fingers. That never happened. There is a noise and distraction this building, inside we keep grinding. And we'll keep grinding. Nothing written matters."
Philadelphia Eagle Malcolm Jenkins and The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation Feed 135 Families from Across the Greater Philadelphia Region with 'Holiday Dinner Basket Surprise'
Malcolm Jenkins and The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation (TMJF) will provide holiday meal baskets for 135 Philadelphia families at the Foundation's Holiday Dinner Basket Surprise
Reflective of the jersey number (27) that Jenkins wears on the field, the Foundation engaged 27 area churches and organizations to help identify 135 families (5 each) to each receive a holiday dinner basket that is inclusive of everything needed to prepare a traditional holiday meal – including a turkey, vegetables and much more. Turkeys were donated by Giant Supermarket. Each organization partner will pick up the festive gifts and deliver them to the families they have chosen. The inaugural Holiday Dinner Basket Surprise will take place in collaboration with Mayor Michael A. Nutter's Annual Holiday Event, hosted in partnership with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). In addition to handing out dinner baskets, TMJF, the Mayor's Office, and the FOP will welcome an additional 25 families with children under the age of 12, providing lunch with Santa and a VIP guest, before surprising each child with a bag of toys.
WHERE:
The Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 5
11630 Caroline Road, Philadelphia, PA, 19154
WHEN:
Monday, December 14, 2015, Noon-4 p.m.
Distributions until 2:30 p.m.
Malcolm Jenkins will be in attendance from noon-2p.m.
Background: Annually, The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation's Holiday Dinner Basket Surprise has served 135 families in New Orleans since 2011. Striving to make an impact in every city in which Malcolm Jenkins has lived, worked, and played, the effort has now expanded to Philadelphia. Covering two cities, this year's effort will feed a total of 270 families across New Orleans and Greater Philadelphia. The event in New Orleans is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015.
Join Malcom Jenkins and Jason Kelce each week in the "Locker Room" the day after Eagles games at 5 p.m. on 94.1 WIP. Follow Malcolm Jenkins on Twitter @MalcolmJenkins and like him on Facebook.
