The Return of Malcolm Jenkins, and 3 More Takeaways from Jim Schwartz
There’s going to be a lot written and said this week about safety Malcolm Jenkins’ return to Philadelphia as a member of the New Orleans Saints.
Jenkins, who will turn 33 on Dec. 20, left a big footprint in the Eagles’ organization, helping it win the franchise’s first Super Bowl, playing virtually every snap in the six years he spent in town and starting all 96 games in that time.
It was an amazing run cut short when the Eagles decided not to restructure Jenkins’ contract, casting him into free agency, where the Saints nabbed him.
Jim Schwartz had first crack at his recollections of Jenkins on Tuesday morning, and the Eagles defensive coordinator gave a three-minute answer.
Schwartz called Jenkins “probably the smartest player I ever coach and leadership-wise you take all those players, if he was on that he would probably be elected team captain.”
Heavy praise indeed, considering Schwartz has been coaching in the NFL since 1999.
“He played seven different positions in defense here and he knew all 11,” said Schwartz.” He knew all 11 like a coach. He was a great set of eyes on the field for me. Incredibly honest player. Always did his job.
“I mean, he was so efficient at doing his job, if he made a mistake it was like once a year. I mean, other players will make a couple of mistakes a game. Very, very rarely - like if he did it was like news flash that he had a missed assignment or wasn't in the right spot.”
Jenkins is doing exactly what he did with the Eagles, and that is playing every snap. He has played 744 of them for the Saints, which is 99 percent, and he still plays special teams, adding another 55 snaps (16 percent).
The move to New Orleans has served Jenkins well. Not only are the Saints sitting at 10-2, but they also have the NFL’s top-ranked defense.
“He was just that player that always did the right thing,” said Schwartz. “He was really good at weathering any storm. Always remained calm. He knew when to turn it up and when to give his fellow teammates confidence.”
Confidence is something that is in short supply with this year’s Eagles team.
3 SCHWARTZ TAKEAWAYS:
The DC seems just as perplexed about his defense’s inability to get any interceptions. They have just three this season and none from a cornerback. The last one came nearly two months ago on Oct. 22 against Daniel Jones and the Giants.
“They're layered a lot of different ways,” said Schwartz. “They're layered when quarterbacks are taking chances maybe late in the game to catch up or they have to convert a third down and 13 and put it in pressure.
“So, there is a lot of different ways. Hitting the quarterback means an awful lot to turnovers. Either the guy throws a little bit too quick or he is getting hit when he throws. Some of it just turns into great plays by corners and stuff like that.”
Two plays by the Packers gnawed at Schwartz. One was the 77-yard TD run by Aaron Jones that iced the win late in the fourth quarter. The other was the 42-yard completion to Davante Adams on the first play after the Packers took the field at their own 1-yard line. It was the spark that ignited a 99-yard TD drive.
Of the run, he said: “Our defense in that situation is one of our best run-stopping blitzes that we have. It's been tried and true over the last five years, and it broke down at a number of levels, basically just missing tackles.
“We had them in a situation where we felt like they were going to run the ball. Had that dialed up, and even if we miss tackles in there, we still got to get that thing down for ten yards. It can't turn into a touchdown.”
Schwartz is coming around on the rookies. Earlier in the season, without any preseason games, he was hesitant to use them in high leverage situations. Not anymore.
“There is no curve anymore,” said the DC. “If you're on the field, you're expected to perform and expected to do your job. At this point in the season, I don't think there are rookies anymore. I always said after about the first quarter of the season there weren't rookies anymore.
“This year probably extend it to about half the season. I mean, it just was what it was with virtual learning and no pre-season games and no off-season. But at this point of the game, this point of the season, there are no excuses. If you're on the field, you're expected to perform, expected to do your job. No curve just because you're a rookie.”
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