Manish Mehta of the Daily News relates that Jets DT Kris Jenkins had some harsh words the other night for former teammates, who are no longer with the team. You can watch the interview on NFL.com.
Kris Jenkins took a veiled shot at an anonymous former teammate(s) when asked about replacing the void left by some veterans during an interview on the NFL Network Tuesday night.
"We have great guys who have come in to step up and fill in a void of some of the big losses that we have had this (offseason)," Jenkins said. "In some other cases, we’ve had some real men come in and step in for the women that we lost. So we’re going to be okay. Don’t worry about it."
Who could Jenkins have been referring to? I have a hunch.
Ex-Jets safety Kerry Rhodes, who was traded to the Cardinals in the offseason, responded on his Twitter account to speculation that Jenkins was referring to him by tweeting, in part: "…All this stuff being said why didn’t anyone say it 2 me. If its me?"
Rhodes later tweeted: "I’m one of the best in football. I will show them all again. I love challenges."
I always enjoy watching Kris Jenkins on NFLN. I think he’s a great interview and loves being on the network, but I think sometimes he might get a little too loose for his appearances. Knowing that, it makes clear that he might not be the only one who felt that Kerry Rhodes was a distraction, and wasn’t holding up his end of his responsibilities on defense. After watching the way he tackled last year, especially in that Patriots game in Foxborough, I don’t blame him.
What strikes me is that Jenkins – whether consciously or not – used the word “women” so to whom was he referring ?
I doubt it was guys like Thomas Jones, Leon, Faneca, or Howard Green, even Jay Feely. I think the other “woman” might have been Mr. Lito Sheppard.
Yes, I almost forgot he was on the team in 2009 too.
I am going to go with Miss Kerry and Lito. Based on the Dennis Thurman remarks on a “Miked up” comment he made a couple of week ago. Kris Jenkins is a funny dude, but he may give us insight on how the Jets Defense may even get better in 2010…
I agree that Rhodes and Sheppard were the “women,” and that Jenkins should have chosen his words more carefully to ensure that the other ex-Jets you listed would not be offended (even though they probably know who Jenks was referring to).
Jenkins just said it the way it was said in the locker room. When teammates let you down, there are rumblings and Jenks just gave voice to the thunder.
ha i love jenks. hes totally right two guys who seemed scared to play football, thats not a good thing to have if your a professional football player. im sure it was annoying for him to watch seeing on every play he gets hit real hard and rhodes couldnt make or take a hit once, he backed away from any contact it was embarrassing to watch.
I think he stepped over the line
Good golly, I completely forgot about Mr. Sheppard.
This picture proves it: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NUbiP_PzQPA/TEazDHUWU7I/AAAAAAAABX8/4HHJ6CeWQrM/s1600/kerrylitowomen.JPG – Rhodes and Lito
Na I think he was only talkin about kerry.I could tell last yr kerry and kris had a falling out when khris was on sny and he said some players need to stop talkin and at the time kerry was talkin a lot about the pro bowl etc but I feel kerry was just tryin to be a leaderof the team as far as the tackles he often didn’t make last yr I can’t defend him it was embarassing at times
Bundgaard,
Thanks for the laugh…rough start so far…great pic.
I love the guy. He’s straight ahead. No safe answers. He is fortunate to have a coach pretty much in the same mold, otherwise he might have a problem.
For some reason I can’t play Jenks part 2 from the team site. Anybody know about that?
They all know he was referring to Rhodes, who it sounds like became increasingly unpopular as the year went on among teammates. Im sure the word woman was used was because the guys on the team felt he tackled like a girl and was more interested in keeping his appearance nice than playing the game.
Bundgaard:
Great stuff, thanks for keeping it light !!
Jenks is the man. I love to hear the vet talk a little trash. I, like everyone else, believe the comment was directed at Kerry, but I don’t think he was going after Lito too. Without Lito, our lack of depth at CB would’ve been exposed all year and I’m sure he knows that. The plural use of women was probably used to keep it vague.
…or maybe he didn’t realize Gholston was still on the team.
Bundgaard, well played, sir
For as bad as Lito was in coverage it would be unfair to call him a woman, if thats who he was referring to.
Lito was a really good tackler for the Jets and always stuck his nose in there. I can think of two huge plays he made tackling but can’t remember the games. One play was on the sideline of a WR screen and he ducked under the screener and made a huge tackle for loss. Another play is when he a RB was 4 yards past the line of scrimmage still in the middle of the field and lito came up and laid a HUGE hit.
I think he just said women as to not single out one guy named Hollywood.
i love big Jinx, but i wish he would just keep his mouth shut when it comes to stuff like this
This remark of his definately makes the fans who were on the bubble feel more confident in the Jets organization for trading Kerry away.
Love Big Jenks. Who cares if he offends Ms. Hollywood? Let the man talk.
As for Lito, I have to agree with bilal—he was pretty awful in coverage (and I said so during the 2009 preseason on this blog), but LS didn’t avoid contact.
(In fact, part of Lito’s problem in coverage was that he couldn’t keep his hands OFF the receiver.)
So, as bilal says, this woman business was all about Rhodes.
It was a strange comment from Big Jenks. Those guys are gone. No need to bash them a year later. If he feels someone (ie, Rhodes) is playing like a woman — he needs to speak up when he sees it. I have a feeling, he won’t have to worry about that, this season. Our d-backfield should be awesome.
HMMMMMMMMMM……Lets see here…… Poole is known as a punishing hard hitting safety. Rhodes the exact opposite (especially the last couple of years)
I’m going with Rhodes as the anonymous player.
Plus…..when your 6-5, 380 lbs, and a pro-bowler when healthy who alters offensive game plans single handedly you can say whatever you want to!
“Poole is known as a punishing hard hitting safety.”
Which is a shame, because he’s not really like that at all, so Jets fans are likely to be disappointed if that’s what they’re expecting.
Not bashing you, C Low, everyone seems to be saying that’s what he is and he really isn’t, he’s just like another Kerry Rhodes, but hopefully one who will not wimp out of tackles and will buy into the team’s gameplan.
Harvlis,
To be fair, it has not been a year since Rhodes departure … just sayin. And when you have a team like Rex did last year nobody wanted to jeopardize the chemistry halfway through the playoffs which is probably why Jenkins kept his mouth shut.
It’s a shame to think of the wasted potential Rhodes turned out to be. Imagining a defensive back set with Revis, Cromartie, Leonhard, Wilson(very hopeful for his success), and Rhodes playing to his potential could have made our secondary definitively the best in the league. Such is life, though, so I hope Pool can step up this year.
We all know we have some good men that will try and give their all to replace the void of the women that left. Why is there a problem with that? what coach would dare say, don’t say that?
Kerry would have been great in the Kotite era.
Bent,
I know you mean that Poole is just like Rhodes on the field but saying the two are similar conjures images of Poole prancing around Hollywood Blvd and Lady Gaga music videos.
By several accounts, Poole busts his butt during training and always has a smile on his face. He seems to have made a good first impression on his team mates. A less talented guy who works hard isn’t going to be as distracting as a player who thinks he is “all that” and never plays up to his potential.
Rhodes in a landslide.
Eastside – yes, good clarification!
Poole has gotton atleast 1 concussion from sticking his head in there for a tackle, that’s something Rhodes never has or will do! Anybody who thinks Jenks didn’t speak up because he was scared or a punk has got to be smoking! Maybe he didn’t for harmony’s sake. Kerry dogged it last year! It was clear he didn’t like play calling duties being taken from him even though he didn’t know the system and Lenoard did. This was evident after he was benched, then all of a sudden he knows how to hustle and make plays. If he weren’t sulking and bit*hin he could have been doing that all year! We’ll see how she plays in Az.
If you saw and heard the “Miked Up” recently, Lito and Kerry was the call for two guys that didn’t get the job done. He called for a reload to get the defensive play right!
agreed on rhodes, cromartie is no screaming hell in this regard either. lets hope he keeps in jenkins good books.
cromartie better step up at tackling and stop acting like a pretty boy or jenkins is gonna call him a woman lol
Rhodes used to tackle well earlier inhis career. Don’t know what happened but he got very timid over the last two years. Kind of like Roberto Alomar was afraid of the baseball at the plate before he was traded from the tribe to the mets. It was so obvious.
Rhodes not only couldn’t tackle last year but he was slow as sh#t, both reactionary and top speed. I know safeties are not the speedsters but when you don’t look for the hit you become even slower.
I just love that hes on a cookie diet.
thats Big Jenks for ya
Let’s hope Poole is “man” enough to talk and work with Dennis Therman.