For a run-stopper, Jernigan is pure gold
PHILADELPHIA » Tim Jernigan isn’t the guy to warm up to.
The super-sized defensive tackle with the gold teeth is one of the quieter Eagles, an unassuming young man until the whistle blows.
That Jernigan and Fletcher Cox have formed an almost instant chemistry that terrorizes offensive linemen can be traced to a phone call the day Jernigan was acquired from the Ravens for a third-round draft pick. Jernigan remembers it like it was yesterday. “That’s my boy,” Jernigan said of Cox. “Fletch was probably the first person to call me outside of Howie Roseman and Mr. Lurie. He just congratulated me and let me know that, man, we’re going to have some good years together, that great things are coming for me. And it happened just like he said it would. He’s a great teammate. He’s going to do everything he can to help you and everybody around him. It’s just a blessing to be around him, man.”
Jernigan was blessed to the tune of a fouryear, $48 million contract extension over the bye week. The deal includes $26 million in guaranteed money.
The Eagles made the investment largely because Jernigan and Cox have made them into the top run defense in the league. For all the talk about the NFL being a passing league, good defense still starts with stopping easiest the run. Jernigan is a with eight tackles for loss.
“These two guys work well together handin-hand,” coach Doug Pederson said. “We felt like Tim’s productivity and what he’s brought to the football team and the defensive line, and locking him up for the next couple years really gives us a great defensive line moving forward. It’s the right thing to do, and he’s well deserving of it.”
Cox’s timely introduction was only the beginning. Communication and competitiveness have been the keys.
“I think really the biggest thing is we push each other,” Cox said. “With me and him, we’re so competitive. We really compete against each other in every drill that’s got two guys.”
It’s not just the drills. Jernigan, 25, said he and Cox, 26, battle each other in “everything.
“We’ve got a little basketball goal,” Jernigan said. “You know, like you hang up in your room. We’ve got one in our D-line room and we’ll compete on that. It doesn’t matter. And the great thing about it is it’s all of us. It ain’t just me and Fletch, you’ve got (Brandon Graham), he’s the same way. Vinny (Curry is) the same way. Beau Allen’s the same way. It’s everywhere. Yeah, that’s what makes us great.”
Jernigan has 1½ sacks, Cox 4½ this season. The Cowboys (5-4), playing without AllPro tackle Tyron Smith, gave up eight last week in a 27-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Chaz Green was victimized for most of the sacks. Byron Bell likely starts this week as big part of that Smith isn’t expected to play.
“I watched the film,” Jernigan said. “They had one guy that struggled a little bit. But that doesn’t go for the whole five. That was just one guy. I believe it was his first time playing that position. I don’t care what teams look like on film. For some reason whenever we play them, it’s a whole different story. We know they’re going to give us their best shot.”
Focused, friendly and driven – that’s Tim Jernigan. The light went on after the Ravens traded the second-round pick out of Florida State.
Eagles receiver Torrey Smith recalled Jernigan’s transition to the NFL while they were teammates on the Ravens.
“He was never a bad kid or a troublemaker or anything,” Smith said. “He was a young kid trying to figure things out. I think a lot of people like to judge a book by its cover because he probably doesn’t look like the friendliest guy. I think the gold teeth may scare people away who aren’t used to it. But he has a big bright smile, a great heart. If you sit down and get to know him he’s one of the best guys you’d want to be around.
“He’s a great football player and a great teammate. Everybody in this locker room knows that. He loves the game, he’s having fun and I’m his biggest fan. I’m super proud of how far he’s come in the last few years.”
You may have seen Jerigan pantomiming the photographer who snaps a picture of Cox doing his bug eye celebration. They’re inseparable.
Those shooting showdowns in the defensive line room? Right now they’re ruled by Cox.
“I think Fletch is cheating sometimes,” Jernigan said with a grin. “He’s a crafty dude. There ain’t nothing he can’t do.”