Giant corner burned long, shows no effort
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Giants should cut Janoris Jenkins or suspend him again, anything to get his unacceptable effort off the field. This season is going badly enough. The team doesn’t need someone who isn’t going to try. And it doesn’t need someone who is unaccountable and is going to skip out of the locker room on his teammates as Jenkins did Sunday, escaping and answering no questions while the entire rest of the Giants’ secondary stayed and stood tall.
Jenkins, the cornerback suspended last week for skipping a practice, didn’t show up in Sunday’s game, either.
He was torched by Marquise Goodwin for an 83-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and Jenkins’ coup de grace was his feeble non-tackle attempt on Niners tight end Garrett Celek at the end of a 47yard touchdown reception to give the Niners a 17-13 lead at the half. He had another non-tackle attempt later in the game.
Ben McAdoo declined to explain why he didn’t bench Jackrabbitt. And the entire team echoed the coach’s line of: “I’m gonna go back and take a long look at the tape.” But there were hints of frustration perhaps directed at Jenkins, whom the Giants can cut after this season with little consequence since his guaranteed money will be up after year two of his five-year contract.
McAdoo, asked how he can continue motivating this team, said: “They’re pro football players. They need to be self-motivated. Everybody gets a paycheck this week. And we need to go out and play that way.”
Landon Collins, asked if everyone on defense gave full effort, said: “I have to see… I felt like everybody was flying around. The big plays were downfield, so it’s up to the last person to make the play.”
Jenkins was the last person on that back-breaking play. McAdoo, pressed on his view of that non-tackle attempt, said: “I saw him miss a tackle, he was going up against some pretty good speed there on the long ball.”
But there was no excuse. USA TODAY
Linebacker Jonathan Casillas, who was beaten easily in coverage by Celek, had a surprising but honest explanation for his failure on the play. He also had been beaten easily earlier in the drive by Niners RB Carlos Hyde.
“I felt there, but even on the play that I gave up the touchdown, I was running but I was a little tired, I couldn’t catch him. I’m gonna be honest with you,” Casillas said. “I played my butt off every play, I just wasn’t good on that play.”
“I think effort gotta show better,” Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said of no one in particular. But one person, in particular, stood out.