Cowboys rookie making zone less of a mystery
Tom Orsborn-Express-News
OXNARD, Calif. — With his long arms, speed and willingness to mix it up, Dallas Cowboys first-round draft pick Mike Jenkins has all the makings of an excellent man-to-man cover corner.
“I'm very confident in man coverage,” Jenkins said at training camp. “I've played it my whole life, from high school up. I like to be real physical, get up in the receiver's face, jam.”
Unfortunately for Jenkins, the Cowboys also have plenty of schemes involving zone coverage, something the former South Florida star isn't as comfortable playing.
That was apparent Wednesday when Jenkins got increased reps along with Adam Jones and fellow rookie Orlando Scandrick at left corner in place of the injured Terence Newman.
“I came from a college system that was completely different,” Jenkins said. “In college, we ran a lot of man and a lot of Cover 2 (which requires corners to jam receivers at the line before releasing them to the safeties). Here, we run a lot of Cover 4 (zone), a lot of playing off. I have to catch up on that. I'm a little uncomfortable because I'm thinking too much.”
But Cowboys secondary coach Dave Campo says that's a good thing because it means Jenkins is trying to learn the new system.
“He's just not used to it,” Campo said. “If he's worried about it, that's good for us because it means he's going to get better.”
In addition to Campo, Jenkins has Newman in his corner. A day after learning he'll be sidelined for the next three weeks with a strained groin, the 2007 Pro Bowl choice was on the field wearing shorts and a T-shirt tutoring Jenkins.
“He's coaching me,” Jenkins said. “He's watching pretty much every play, helping out.”
The Cowboys selected Jenkins 25th overall because they thought he was the most ready-to-play player in a deep class of corners.
“He needs to learn the game a little bit, but he's got that instinct,” Campo said. “He's an outstanding athlete. The guy can run and jump. He's got good feet, quickness and movement.
Everything you want. He just has to put it all together. Once he gets his footwork down, he'll be tough because he's got the long arms and he gets on people.
“Remember, he's a young player. We just need to keep grinding away.”
OXNARD, Calif. — With his long arms, speed and willingness to mix it up, Dallas Cowboys first-round draft pick Mike Jenkins has all the makings of an excellent man-to-man cover corner.
“I'm very confident in man coverage,” Jenkins said at training camp. “I've played it my whole life, from high school up. I like to be real physical, get up in the receiver's face, jam.”
Unfortunately for Jenkins, the Cowboys also have plenty of schemes involving zone coverage, something the former South Florida star isn't as comfortable playing.
That was apparent Wednesday when Jenkins got increased reps along with Adam Jones and fellow rookie Orlando Scandrick at left corner in place of the injured Terence Newman.
“I came from a college system that was completely different,” Jenkins said. “In college, we ran a lot of man and a lot of Cover 2 (which requires corners to jam receivers at the line before releasing them to the safeties). Here, we run a lot of Cover 4 (zone), a lot of playing off. I have to catch up on that. I'm a little uncomfortable because I'm thinking too much.”
But Cowboys secondary coach Dave Campo says that's a good thing because it means Jenkins is trying to learn the new system.
“He's just not used to it,” Campo said. “If he's worried about it, that's good for us because it means he's going to get better.”
In addition to Campo, Jenkins has Newman in his corner. A day after learning he'll be sidelined for the next three weeks with a strained groin, the 2007 Pro Bowl choice was on the field wearing shorts and a T-shirt tutoring Jenkins.
“He's coaching me,” Jenkins said. “He's watching pretty much every play, helping out.”
The Cowboys selected Jenkins 25th overall because they thought he was the most ready-to-play player in a deep class of corners.
“He needs to learn the game a little bit, but he's got that instinct,” Campo said. “He's an outstanding athlete. The guy can run and jump. He's got good feet, quickness and movement.
Everything you want. He just has to put it all together. Once he gets his footwork down, he'll be tough because he's got the long arms and he gets on people.
“Remember, he's a young player. We just need to keep grinding away.”
posted by The Gryphon at 6:00 PM
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