New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins eager to fully participate next week
Katherine Terrell, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Katherine Terrell, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on May 30, 2013
New Orleans Saints defensive back Malcolm Jenkins (27) during OTA?s (organized team activity) at the New Orleans Saints practice facility in Metairie, Thursday May 30, 2013. (Photo by Brett Duke, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins hasn't been able to fully participate in OTAs during either of the two sessions available to the media. Jenkins, who has been working through a hamstring injury, has been limited to individual drills in practice so far.
But it's more of a precaution than anything, he said.
"I'm just being smart with it," Jenkins said Thursday. "It's doing pretty good. I was able to do some running today, and do some drills without it bothering me. So I definitely plan to go next week."
The five-year veteran said he's itching to get back to practicing without restrictions. He's one of the few who haven't been able to fully participate.
Normally, he said, the Saints are at 95 percent to 97 percent participation in OTAs. It's been 100 percent this season, and the intensity has traveled from the field to the weight room, where the regimen has been tweaked.
"We've added more of the old school power lifts and hang cleans, as well as just changing up the style of it," Jenkins said. "It's more intense, we have a lot more competition. Guys are keeping notes and they're monitoring our weight. Guys have been able to hold each other accountable and they've really gotten into it."
Watching the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens hold pre-Super Bowl practices in the Saints facility last February only added to that sense of urgency.
"You see how those teams look and how they train, I think it's a good change for us," Jenkins said. "Most teams, they're weight program is more that you train through the offseason and try to maintain, but we're trying to flip that the opposite way and continually try to get better."
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Malcolm Jenkins following in father's footsteps by keeping Piscataway's youth on the practice field
Saints defensive back Malcolm Jenkins will run a two-day football camp at Piscatawa High School starting Friday. (Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports)
By Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger
June 20, 2013
Malcolm Jenkins remembers sitting on the passenger?s side of his father?s Yukon Denali as it rolled through their Piscataway neighborhood picking up all the kids for youth football practice.
Lee Jenkins wouldn?t let his son quit, and he didn?t want any of the other kids to have an excuse for missing practice.
Along the way they would stop at Dwayne Gratz?s house. Gratz now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Steven Miller was next. He recently signed a contract with the Detroit Lions.
And Malcolm, who thought about quitting, ended up as a top-15 draft pick and is entering his fifth season with the New Orleans Saints.
"That was my first example of seeing someone give back," Jenkins said in a phone conversation earlier this week. "He literally took the whole neighborhood. Some parents couldn?t take their kids or didn?t know the importance of it. So he would sign them up and transport all of us ? and I?m talking about the whole neighborhood."
Jenkins now uses his foundation to pay it forward. A free, two-day camp bearing his name will kick off Friday at Piscataway High School and will feature visits from Pro Bowlers Larry Fitzgerald and Roman Harper, fellow Piscataway product Kyle Wilson of the Jets, linebacker Curtis Lofton and a handful of other NFL players to assist in the instruction and informational sessions.
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Ranking the New Orleans Saints' players: No. 16, Malcolm Jenkins
Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins had an inconsistent 2012. (Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
By NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
June 28, 2013
Once again this offseason, our Saints coverage team has ranked the top 25 players on New Orleans' roster. We'll unveil the list every weekday as we count down to training camp.
The criteria is largely based on one question: Who would be the best players on the field if a game was played today? Past accomplishments and future potential also are taken into account.
There were tough decisions, which likely will lead to plenty of second-guessing. So let the debate begin.
No. 16: S Malcolm Jenkins
Last Year's Rank: 15
Season: 5; Age: 25; Height: 6-0; Weight: 204
Five years into his career, Jenkins still seems to have boom-or-bust potential. Nobody made more big plays for the Saints' defense last year, from his touchdown-saving rundown of Tampa Bay receiver Vincent Jackson to his 55-yard touchdown return of an interception against the Oakland Raiders to his goal-line stand pass breakup against Atlanta. But Jenkins also had as many costly mistakes as anyone on the Saints' defense, hesitating on assignments and blowing coverages.
Clearly, Jenkins struggled to adjust to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's zone-heavy schemes last year. And even before that, he had never quite realized his lofty potential since being drafted in the first round in 2009. Perhaps the switch to an attacking scheme under Rob Ryan will provide a needed boost. Jenkins does still have a great combination of size, speed, intelligence and a desire. And he's just 25.
Malcolm Jenkins: "I?m definitely motivated"
By NewOrleansSaints.com
Malcolm Jenkins: "I really think that we have the tools to take this team far"
New Orleans Saints Safety Malcolm Jenkins
Media Availability
Thursday, July 25, 2013
How important is this camp for you personally with the new defense, (with the team) drafting a new safety and being in the last year of your contract? How important is this for you this season?
"Personally, it?s a big season for all the reasons you just named. It?s a contract year and this is a city that I love playing for and that I want to play for in the future. With that in mind I?m definitely motivated. Just the opportunity that we have this year with the type of players we?ve acquired this offseason and having Sean Payton back. I really think that we have the tools to take this team far. That?s enough motivation for me, so I?m coming into training camp pretty motivated."
How important is it to have that sense of normalcy back to the organization?
"It?s cool. This whole offseason we?ve been able to focus solely on football and that?s refreshing. Especially to have Sean (Payton) back and just to not have any distractions in the offseason (is important). When Sean came back he established that he wanted (us) to work out (a little differently) in the weight room and (he) really changed some things up. So the pace has been changed and guys have been focused. Guys have been here and holding each other accountable. We showed up in shape today. We?re looking forward to the momentum that we have going into the season."
Having Sean back for a little while now, have you found him to be more intense or the same guy?
"Probably the same guy. He?s a leader and he picks something to improve on every year. He focuses on that and we follow his lead. It?s definitely nice to have him back but it?s the same old Sean that we know. He?s competitive, he wants to win, he?s going to have a plan to win and now we?re just trying to follow that plan."
You?ve gone through minicamp and OTA?s so is this a non-story now with not having distractions?
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Malcolm Jenkins post-practice quotes: August 23
By NewOrleansSaints.com
Safety Malcolm Jenkins spoke to the media after Friday's practice
New Orleans Saints Safety Malcolm Jenkins
Post-Practice Media Availability
Friday, August 23, 2013
Will this be a good test for you guys Sunday?
?I think coming into this game we all recognize that Houston is a solid team. They have done a lot, especially offensively. They have a great offense and do some great things in the running game and the play action pass as well. They have explosive players all over the field. It will be a good test for us. The biggest thing that we want to do is show up fast, start off fast and show some emotion like we did last week, against a quality opponent. They?re going to make some plays and take some shots down the field. We want to keep the ball in front of us, run the defense like we should and just play fast. We?ll see where that takes us. We definitely want to cut back on the penalties and turnovers, play some smart, situational football and just build off what we did last week.?
How comfortable were you calling the defense last week?
?I did it all week last week in practice. It wasn?t nerve-wracking at all. It was my first time with the mike in my helmet. I enjoyed it.?
Were you surprised they had you do it instead of another defensive player?
?At first, yes, but they?re comfortable having me in front of the huddle, so that?s just how it is.?
Do you anticipate Curtis Lofton doing that?
?Yes, I think Curtis is psychologically a little better, having a linebacker in front of the unit, but if anything were to happen to him or if he goes out before I do, I?ll probably have it.??
How tough was it for the safety position last year?
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New Orleans Saints' Malcolm Jenkins, Roman Harper look to bounce back from dismal 2012 season
San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85) catches a first quarter touchdown as Malcolm Jenkins (27) and Roman Harper (41) collide, injuring Harper during the NFC Divisional Playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on Sunday, January 14, 2012. (Michael DeMocker, Nola.com / The Times-Picayune)
By Nakia Hogan, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on August 31, 2013
It still isn't the easiest conversation to have.
Discussions about the 2012 season and the play of the New Orleans Saints' starting safeties can be painful at times.
Roman Harper and Malcolm Jenkins would rather not rehash all their shortcomings. They prefer to move on from a 2012 season in which the Saints' defense as a whole was dreadful, yielding the most yards in NFL history (7,042), and one in which their own performance on the back end of the defense left a lot to desire.
Instead, they are looking forward to the 2013 season, one they both hope will be a reemergence of better days.
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Countdown to Kickoff in the Big Easy…
posted
09/5/13
Malcolm Jenkins
September’s on the calendar. Back east where I’m from, there’s just a hint of a chill in the night air. Yes, it’s football time! Here in my great, adopted hometown of New Orleans, people are bringing out their black and gold. And, wherever you are, there’s a certain smell in the air because football season is kicking off.
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Around here we say division games count double because when you beat a division rival, you win one, they lose one and you go two games up. We’ll see pretty quickly where our team stands.
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Hey everyone! I’m Saints DB Malcolm Jenkins. I’m from Rock Avenue, Piscataway, New Jersey. This season, I’ll be blogging from New Orleans where they say, “laissez les bon temps rouler”—let the good times roll. So this week let’s talk about the upcoming NFL season and my Ohio State Buckeyes, my men’s accessory line “Rock Avenue” and my foundation’s annual fundraiser.
The season opener is always crazy because Saints fans have been waiting the entire offseason for football. I’ve got a feeling this year is going to be special. And we kick off with our division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, in our home opener in the Superdome, with the return of our great coach Sean Payton. The Dome is going to be electric. Then our second game is against another division rival, Tampa Bay, so we’ve got to get off to a really fast start.
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