http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d8110f92f/Top-5-Defensive-tackles So I'm drinking my coffee this morning watching last night's Total Access and Rod Woodson counts down his top 5 NFL Defensive tackles: 5. Tommy Harris 4. Darnell Dockett 3. Shaun Rogers 2. Albert Haynesworth 1. Kevin Williams I can see someone leaving Jenkins off this list for a few reasons, like injuries causing him to fade last season or his couple of injury-plagued seasons in Carolina - but this is why Rod Woodson says he's not top 5: 'Kris, when he was in Carolina, he never lived up to his expectations - this year, he went to the Jets last year, he played outstanding football. But you gotta give me more than one, you gotta give me more than one full, blown out year.' Kris Jenkins - 4 Pro Bowl selections, 3-time All-Pro. Discuss.
How did Shaun Rogers make the list over Jenkins? He's a physical freak that plays when he wants to play....at least Jenkins has been to a Super Bowl...and his addition to the Jets D-line alone has had a significant impact. Detroit and Cleveland's defense have been embarrassing over the last decade.
Rod Woodson got blown up by 1st round bust Mike Haight on a red zone TD run by Freeman McNeil. That is the reason why Rod Woodson hates the Jets. He was bitched by a man who sucked.
Jenkins is talked about a bit at the end of the video, thought i disagree with Rods take that he has not done tings year in and out, if he had used the injurys to hold him back they yes, he's making a case for his rankings. He used injurys to move Haynesworth down from 1 to 2 on the list. It should have been the reason he gave for Jenkins as well, but he didn't seem ready when the other analyst brought up Kris. I think Jets and Pats fans could easily make a case for thier guy to be on the list. Both Jenkins and Wilfork are at the top of the league as 34 NT's.
I also think a case could be made for both Jenkins and Wilfork over Shaun Rogers, although Rogers did stay healthy and put up better stats.
Here's the rub right here. The difference between NT and 3T makes the top of the list tough to judge. In matters of importance, I'd have Casey Hampton at number 3 on the list. It's tough for me to rate a high-level NT like Hampton, Jenkins or Wilfork lower than a 3T like Dockett or Harris.
It kinda like trying to figure out pre draft rankings for prospects any more. a 34 team is goign to have certin players ranked way higher or lower then 43 teams due to how well they fit in thier defense. It used to be that with onyl a few 34 teams they had easy pickings, grabbing a lot of the "tweeners" in later than thier talent would indicate because they knew they would fall. Now days with close to half the league playing the defense it takes a bit more ability to be a good analyst or draft guru. Not something I see a guy like woodson becoming.
"'Kris, when he was in Carolina, he never lived up to his expectations" I stopped reading after I read that. 3 Pro Bowls and 2 All Pro selections is living up to expectations regardless of who you are. Now if he said Jenkins had battled weight and injury issues after having a stellar first 3 years of his career then I would put more credence into what Woodson says. Yet you can't say a guy hasn't lived up to expectations when he was named All Pro twice in 7 years in the league. He may not have stayed at an All pro level throughout his entire career yet he never dropped far below that level.
What's the difference between missing games due to injury or missing 4 because you're suspended for a banned substance like Kevin Williams is about to be?
Injurys tend to build up. Muscles and ligaments tend to be weaker then before. Drugs, on the other hand, do not leave a similar type of effect on the body. There is no doubt that Williams will still be playing at a high level after his 4 games, but a back back may never heal correctly. Thats why one matters more then the other in silly rankings.
Jenkins outplaying Haynesworth and his team outplaying the Titans overall was the most bad ass moment of the 2008 season. A Jet not getting respect on a Top 5 list is no surprise though.
I just have to say that I have never seen such a difference made by one guy. The Jenkins acquisition really made the defense dominating and we were able to stop the run and pressure a qb so much better than before. Its sad he was injured later in the year, but hopefully he is doing more to prevent injury. Rex Ryan should also figure out how much playing time is healthy for Jenkins. I think Rex knows how valueable he was to the team last year and should try to keep him fresh during the season.
Rod Woodson has one of the worst TV personalities I've ever seen. Whether or not Jenkins deserves to be on that list, I've never understood why Woodson is always so bitter towards the Jets. Don't get me wrong, there's not much to praise about them, but Woodson would find a way to bash Curtis Martin if that were the topic.
