Janoris needs to lead 'D' youngsters
VETERAN mentors in the NFL come in all different shapes, sizes and sounds. For the Giants — to some degree by default because of age — the leader of their secondary, particularly their cornerbacks, is Janoris “Jackrabbit’’ Jenkins. Make no mistake: Jenkins is a supremely-talented cornerback who has shown the ability to wreck a game. He has eight interceptions, two touchdowns and three forced fumbles in his three seasons with the Giants. It’s just that “mentor’’ to the youngsters is an interesting role for a player who during the 2017 season was suspended for failing to report back to work following a bye week and then showed little remorse after he returned from his suspension. But that mess took place on the watch of Ben McAdoo and Jerry Reese, not that of current head coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Dave Gettleman, who before last season, made it clear that Jenkins had a “clean slate’’ with the new regime. Now that Jenkins, in his eighth season at age 30, is staring at a group of twentysomethings in the cornerbacks’ meeting room, he’s needed more than ever by Shurmur to be a leader. Though this is a new role for Jenkins, who’s not very vocal and always has been a player who prefers to lets his play do his talking, he sounds like he’s embracing it. “I’m not a guy that likes to talk; I like to play football,’’ Jenkins said before Friday’s practice. “If you can’t follow a leader that likes to play football, then you got a problem.’’ The Giants are two practices into training camp, but there already is evidence Jenkins has taken his role as defensive leader seriously. Newly signed veteran receiver Golden Tate, who used to play against Jenkins regularly when he
was in Seattle and Jenkins was in St. Louis, took immediate notice in the first practice on Thursday.
“One of the receivers made a play, and before the receiver and the DB could even get up, Janoris was jogging over to the DB to give him a tip,’’ Tate said Friday. “I didn’t hear the tip, but Janoris was kind of in his ear very calmly and letting him know, ‘Hey, this is what you can do next time.’ ’’
“Which DB was it?’’ Tate was asked. “[Grant] Haley,’’ he said. “Who was the receiver?’’ “Me. ... I think Janoris has hit the ground running with that leadership role,’’ Tate added. “Obviously, talent wise, he has everything he needs. And why not share everything you know with the younger guys? It’s going to make us better.’’
Neither Shurmur nor Gettleman would disagree.
“He’s going to be thrust into that leadership role by the nature of his age,’’ Shurmur said. “He’s one of the older players on defense, and talking to him in the offseason and being with him as we start camp here, he understands that and I think he’s ready to take that on. Sometimes, you look at a guy that doesn’t say much and you think he hasn’t been a leader. All along, he’s played well and played hard and he’s been there.’’
Gettleman noticed Jenkins taking rookie cornerback DeAndre Baker, the first-round draft pick out of Georgia who’s a projected starter, aside during Thursday’s practice to give him some tips.
“You could see ‘Rabbit’ was talking technique with him,’’ Gettleman said Friday. “It was something you hope to see. First day right off the bat, we saw it. Rabbit’s a good guy, he’s a good person, a good man. He wants to win, and he knows that these young corners — DeAndre, Sam Beal and Corey Ballentine and Julian Love — they’ve got to grow up quick. And he’s more than happy to help them grow up.’’
Baker is 21, Ballentine, a sixthround pick, is 23, Love, a fourthround pick, is 21 and Beal is 22 and missed all of last season with a shoulder injury.
“As far as me — and I’m probably speaking for all the young guys, too — we are trying soak as much as we possibly can from Jackrabbit, because he’s so smart,’’ Beal said. “He passes the knowledge down to you individually. He doesn’t talk to everybody the same. He’ll analyze you like a coach and give you some feedback to try to help you.’’
Jenkins, despite his play-more, say-less approach, conceded he has had to “assert’’ himself more with the youngsters.
“You never know what they’re thinking as young guys,’’ he said. “So the more you can talk to them about football, life on and off the field and just show them how to be a pro … ’’
The better. For Jenkins. And for the Giants.