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Post Snap With Malcolm Jenkins: 'Looking Forward Toward Turning The Page'

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 was collecting his stuff from his locker on Monday, including the sparring gloves on the top shelf and the grease board with the personal motivational jottings he hung on the metal grating—the only player in the Eagles' dressing room with a grease board attached to his locker and a shelf full of notepads.

Jenkins said he's going to take some time off to reflect upon this past 7-9 season, but mostly to get away from football—if he could. The Eagles' veteran safety knows that seems to be an impossibility with the pending hire of the new Eagles' coach.

"If it was just a normal period of offseason preseason stuff, you tend not to pay attention. But getting a new head coach, and when they do hire somebody, they're probably going to want to get in touch with the leaders on this team and I'm sure I'll get a phone call at some point," Jenkins said. "I have no control in the selection process. I'm sure whoever they hire they'll be well vetted and very qualified. I'm looking forward to turning the page.

"It's the nature of the business. Nothing is guaranteed in this league, no matter how much you make or who you are, coach or player. You get used to the locker room being a revolving door, guys coming in and out throughout the year. You learn that after a while, guys coming in with 90 and you leave with 53."

Jenkins said a large concern for himself and everyone on the current Eagles is who the new coach will be and what kind of a system he brings. Under defensive coordinator Billy Davis, Jenkins was allowed to roam, though mostly was asked to come down into the tackle box to support the run. It translated into one of Jenkins' best seasons as a pro, making a team-high 109 tackles (90 solo, 19 assists), 23 more than the nearest Eagle, linebacker Mychal Kendricks (86-64 solo, 22 assists).

"With a new coach, they change coordinators and change schemes and I wonder what my new role will be and that's important to players, because we all strengths and weaknesses," Jenkins said. "You usually play better when you're asked to play something in which you're good. Right now, you don't know, and gives you a little concern, but I'm sure everyone making the decisions will obviously keep that in mind. They'll make sure they're qualified and lead us. We're waiting to see. I kind of found a great role for myself these last two years. I'm looking to see what my next role will be."

Jeff Lurie asked his players what they wanted in a head coach, and it's something Jenkins complimented Lurie about, since it's a conversation not many NFL owners have with their players.

"We can have confidence in who they select, because they have listened to what is important to us," Jenkins said. "We feel good about the whole selection process. I think the message we're sending is getting a 'players coach,' but that doesn't mean they know football. You ask a lot of players about their coach and they love them to death, but the team isn't good. But you have brilliant football minds that can't relate to their players and can't motivate their players. There is a balance there of finding a player that relate to their players, and doing well with their Xs and Os."

Follow Malcolm Jenkins on Twitter @MalcolmJenkins and like him on Facebook.

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