GOOD, WILL, HUNTING
Jenkins shows talent, cites tenacity, becoming D prowler
When the Jets’ defense spontaneously broke into dance during last Thursday night’s 34-21 win over the Bills, only one player wasn’t in on the act. “I didn’t think the break was going to be that long,” outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins said this week. “I just tried to focus.” But with the way he played, and the potential he flashed, Jenkins deserved to be front and center. The 23-year-old finished the game with two sacks — his first multi-sack outing of his career — two quarterback hits, and a forced fumble. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. So far this season, most of the focus has been on the development of rookie safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. The progression of second-year linebacker, and former first-round pick Darron Lee, has also been closely monitored. The Jets are banking on that trio to be cornerstones of the defense for seasons to come. Yet Jenkins, selected 83rd overall in the 2016 draft out of Georgia, could be another piece of the future puzzle. And for the moment, he has earned his right to dance in the spotlight. “Jordan — player of the week. I keep telling him congrats every day,” said Leonard Williams, who has known Jenkins since high school when the two appeared in the same All-American game. “It’s awesome to see him progressing in his second year and doing so well.”
“Just understanding the techniques that [ linebackers] coach [Kevin] Greene is trying to teach him,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “He got better that way. Looks like he’s been getting a grasp of it the past couple weeks. I think from a learning standpoint he’s gotten better.”
Asked what part of his game he believes has improved the most, Jenkins didn’t emphasize technique.
“Being relentless out there. Not giving up on plays,” he said, adding giving sustained effort was a problem in his rookie campaign.
“I’m hunting more this year than I was in the past. … In order to play outside backer, you got to be mean, you got to be nasty, you got to be dominant out there. That’s the mentality we all carry.”
Though the entire defense has been showered in praise lately, Jenkins hasn’t forgotten all the criticism the unit received before the season. It has been stored away, and it continues to drive him.
“Everyone who is talking us up now, talking about how good we’ve been playing, were the same people who were laughing at us in the offseason, saying, ‘I don’t know how the Jets are going to get one win this season. They probably can’t even win the bye week,’” Jenkins told The Post.
One particular comment caught his attention — something along the lines of “There’s not one great player on that team at any position.” Jenkins said he thinks about that statement before every game.
Combine the heightened motivation, the improved technique under Greene and an added level of comfort out on the field, and you’re left with eye-opening performances like against the Bills.
“I’m not as stressed when I’m out there. I’m not second-guessing myself,” Jenkins said. “I feel like I belong. I feel like I can hang with these guys.”
As an often-overlooked piece of a young unit that is exceeding expectations, Jenkins certainly looks like he belongs.
“It’s definitely something that is great to be a part of,” he said. “I knew we were going to be a young bunch. That’s what I love.”