Kris Jenkins, Mr. Versatility
Rex Ryan knows that Kris Jenkins can play well at Nose and Defensive Tackle, but what else can he do?
… this week at Jets minicamp, head coach Rex Ryan has occasionally moved Jenkins away from his customary nose tackle position to defensive end. All a matter of experimenting, Ryan said.
“We know he can play nose tackle,” Ryan said. “I also want to challenge him mentally to where he can learn all of the spots. That way, if we think we have a certain mismatch with our guy, then we’ll put him in those spots.”
Ryan made a similar move with Haloti Ngata while in Baltimore. But he said he sees Jenkins spending the majority of his time at the familiar tackle spot where has earned four Pro Bowl appearances.
Jenkins said he knew going into this season that he would be expected to become a faster player on the defensive line.
“I think I’ll be moving around,” Jenkins said. “This is a more versatile defense, so they are going to have me doing a lot more.”
It’s an interesting proposition, but one I can’t seem to grasp I think until I see it. It gives the Jets more options in how to play their defense, but it seems to me as it neutralizes Jenkins best strength in his ability to anchor a Defensive Line. Obviously if it’s just a play here or there, then fine. Howard Green, Marques Douglas and Shaun Ellis can all play effectively inside in spot duty, so it will be fun to watch this, but I think doing this extensively will put a drain on the ILBs, so I don’t expect the team to do this too much.
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I think we always under estimate how difficult it is to play LDE in a 3-4. Kimo failed , Coleman was adequate, and I don’t think Douglas is the answer, my hope is that DeVito steps up. LDE faces the strong side running of the offense, Jenk at LDE could blow that up. There is also the surprise element, and the reduction of strain on the body while keeping him on the field. On a positive spin ,it is a way to keep Jenk on the field in Pouha or Green is playing well.
I first suggested using Jenkins at DE in this thread: http://www.thejetsblog.com/2008/02/29/kris-jenkins-gets-new-35-million-5-year-deal/
and a few people said I was crazy. At the time, the Jets still had DeWayne Robertson and I was suggesting they could do a lot worse than have D-Rob at nose and Jenkins at DE or maybe could have drafted Sedrick Ellis to play alongside KJ.
I doubt the Jets see Pouha/Green/Ropati (even in a rotation) as anywhere near strong enough to hold down that position full time, but maybe they are high enough on one of those to consider using it from time to time. They might as well try it out, anyway, and if it doesn’t work, then they know not to use it!
You can move a huge explosive guy all over the line in a 4-3, as the Titans showed with Haynesworth last year. In a 3-4 (or a 3.5-3.5) or a 46 look, that’s even easier.
Robertson’s a free agent, by the way and I’d be a lot more willing than many of you to bring him in for a look if he’s cheap enough. I know he represents this complete failure amongst many Jets fans, but that’s when viewing him as a 4th pick earning a ton of money. As a low cost FA, he’s got to be better than Pouha. Now you can all call me crazy again!
Concerning the ILBs, particulary Harris and others brought in before Ryan was head coach, they were drafted to play the conservative two-gap 3-4; they should be accumstomed to physical punishement. We’ll see how Bart Scoot reacts. There’s really no excuse. I believe such an alignment signals overload blitz (lightning) on one side, zone (blitz), etc. Anyhow Baltimore had Kelly Gregg and Ngata; Green and Pouha can easily fill that role. Again, as I’ve said before, if necessary they can slide over into a traditinal 4-3 loook and vice versa, etc.
Bent, Robertson better than Pouha? At what nose?Even if it’s his natural 3-technique that’s just flat out nuts to think so; he’s a bust, highly overrated. We threw two found round picks in the trash for him. Was covered up by Jason Ferguson, making him look good at one point. Again, look at the talent pool in the first and second round of the 2003 draft, then tell me you don’t regret this pick (Kevin Williams, Polumalu, etc.).
Another thing Albert Haynesworth is an athletic freak show; beats D’brick on the edge. He’s better suited to play a 3-4 end, and would free up a rush linebacker in a one-gap; at 6-6, he’s too damn high, similar to Richard Seymour, Henderson, Stroud. One player had another as a DT teamate in college. I can’t remember the pair though.
I think he’s probably better than Pouha even at nose, but the logic behind picking him up would be that he could also play in 4-3 looks as a second tackle.
Of course I regret the pick (although all the guys they were targeting with 13 and 22 were busts too). With the change to a 3-4, the bone-on-bone knee condition and the fact they threw away a year by pairing him with the Legree/Reed pupu platter, it didn’t work out, but Robertson did a decent job, even when out of position anchoring the 3-4… just nowhere near as well as you’d expect from your high pick (and miles behind Jenkins).
Pouha has never and will never have a game approaching the ones Robertson had against Pittsburgh in 2007, NE in 2006 and Miami in 2005. Maybe he wasn’t as consistently productive as we’d like (although I believe he was 5th in the NFL for tackles by defensive linemen in 2006, despite the fact that his primary job was to take on blockers) but at least he showed flashes of ability which is more than Pouha has ever done.
JetOrange,
Ellis usually plays LDE and Coleman played RDE. I think Big Jenks at RDE in obvious passing downs could make sense, especially if there’s an inside blitz. Big Jenks bearing down from the blind side is a QB/OC’s nightmare.
Bent,
I always thought D-Rob wasn’t given the opportunity to succeed with the Jets. He was slated to be the RDT in a 4-3, a position that he’s ideally suited for. He’s a classic 1-gap DT who plays with quickness more than bulk. When he was a rookie, he was the LDT with Jason Ferguson next to him. To me, they should’ve been swapped. LDT is a run-stopping position, but with D-Rob’s quickness, you want him disrupting from the weak side. Then, Ferguson wasn’t kept and James Reed played LDT to D-Rob’s RDT. Reed stunk. But, in only 12 games, D-Rob had 3.5 sacks…not bad for an interior lineman. Then, he was switched to NT under Mangini and his numbers suffered. But, he never got credit for a good 2007 season…he had 4 sacks at NT.
In Rex’s defense often times the NT is not a 2-gap. Kelly Gregg (much like Klecko) shoots the strong-side gap; he’s a 1-gap NT. D-Rob could do that well. I’d bring him back; for spot duty, especially on passing downs, D-Rob can be a force.
I’ve no idea if he could fill the role, but I’d love the irony of D’Rob helping us field a winner!
Yes I love how all of you guys bring up these questions. It all shows how many mistakes this front office has made. The defense will go DOWN THIS YEAR!!! Whether its the first game, the eight game, or the last game. It all starts in the trenches. BUDDY BOY you are in for one hell of a season if you think you can pull off something better than Mangini did in 2006.