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DB Malcolm Jenkins (All B1G, All-American, Thorpe Award, All-Pro, 2x Super Bowl Champion)

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Follow the link for the full article. Good read.

ESPN - Jenkins tries to corner perfection - Big Ten

[...]

"The hardest thing in sports, period, and kind of in life, is to handle praise," Jenkins said. "It's kind of easy to handle people doubting you and saying you can't do things because if you have a strong-enough attitude, you'll just use that as fuel.

"But whenever you have people telling you that you're at the top and you're the best, it's hard not to believe it. It's hard to motivate yourself. Your attitude is, 'Well, if I'm at the top, how much better can I get?'"

Mike Doss had an answer, and the former Ohio State star safety and NFL free agent approached Jenkins during camp.

Jenkins wasn't performing poorly or even below average. But he left a few plays on the field during practices and lacked his trademark zest.

"I wouldn't say I settled, but I did get a little comfortable where I was," Jenkins said. "I heard all this talk about how I'm the No. 1 corner, this, this and that."

Doss showed Jenkins a highlight film of Antoine Winfield, the former Thorpe Award winner at Ohio State who plays for the Minnesota Vikings. Jenkins saw the way Winfield blitzed, how he closed on the ball to make tackles, how he flew around the field.

He saw a shorter and smaller player -- Winfield is 5-9 and 180 pounds -- repeatedly make big plays.

"That just kind of brought me back to earth," Jenkins said. "You can turn on the game film -- it doesn't necessarily have to be his highlights -- and see how he impacts the game, how he makes plays when sometimes they're not there and just the passion that he plays with. He played real, real physical, and he hits guys when they catch it.

"It let me know there's still work to be done and there's still things I can accomplish. I can play a lot better than I have."

In recent weeks Jenkins has taken his game to a higher level. Jenkins sealed Ohio State's 20-17 win at Wisconsin by intercepting an Allan Evridge pass in the final minute.

The next week against Purdue, he recorded his 11th career interception and blocked a punt that teammate Etienne Sabino returned to the end zone for the game's only touchdown.

Last week, he recorded nine tackles, including a sack and a forced fumble that Thaddeus Gibson returned for a touchdown against Michigan State.

As Jenkins' college career winds down, he's stepping up.

"He doesn't want to be remembered as one of the best," Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "He wants to be remembered as the best. That's the way he is."

[...]
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I love the comparisons to Winfield, he is my favorite Buckeye DB ever but Malcom is 1b and Doss 1c. Malcom is a play maker what else is there to say? Most importantly I think his attitude rubs off on other players on the defense. His swagger is an important part to the team.
 
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Derek2k3;1302901; said:
Great article, thanks for the post. It leads me to a question though:

Is Doss on staff now? I'm a big Colts fan, and I know he was injured early on, then went to Atlanta, then dissapeared. Anyone know what he's up to?
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Not to go OT on Doss but in May, 2008, his hometown paper wrote a brief summary about Doss's struggles to find employment in the league. It sounds like no teams were willing to take the cap hit necessary to sign a 6 year veteran. Doss went back to school, and got his degree.
A lot of similarities between MJ and MD in competitve spirit, savvy, leadership and love for the game. Doss was respected widely as a ferocious hitter, but Jenkins imho has better coverage and ball skills.
The Repository article does a great job articulating the class and character that Doss brings to the community.

CantonRep.com | The Canton Repository | Canton, Stark County & Northeast Ohio News, Community Events & Classifieds

The former McKinley High School star, a three-time All-American at Ohio State and five-year NFL veteran, is a free agent looking for a team.
Doss returned to Ohio State to take classes, "I will get it done this summer," said Doss, a communications major.
Doss signed a one-year deal with the Vikings last season and played in eight games for Minnesota, starting one. It was his first year back from a torn ACL, which he said is completely healed.
Playing again is something Doss can't say for certain will happen. He doesn't control his destiny in that regard.
"I would love to play for one of the Ohio teams just to play in front of the home fans before my career is over," Doss said. "But where I'm sitting, I have to look deep at any opportunity to play."
Doss is organizing his annual football camp 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 21 at Fawcett Stadium for Stark County kids ages 8 to 12. His foundation, the Make A Difference Foundation, sponsors the camp.
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Jenkins might be one of my favorite players to watch on the team. On pass plays that they throw to him and he breaks up the pass he's always in the face of the receiver after breaking up the pass. When he's on the sidelines you can find him dancing and getting his other teammates excited. He's been on a tare after dancing to Jump Around at the Wisky game. Just watching Jenkins and Animal play is inspiring. Here's to hoping Jenkins has a great game and not only shuts down State Penn's WR's, but putting up pick 6 #3! I don't know who I like to watch more, Doss or Jenkins. Doss was in on every play trying to make a tackle but whereas Jenkins is a ball hawking, shut down corner. There is no 1a and 1b here. Definetly a tie. I don't remember Winfield watching Winfield play, so I can't put him up there.

:oh:
 
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I'll pile on. Early in the season, there were 2 or 3 separate occasions where, on a swing pass, Malcolm Jenkins blew up the receiver that he was covering, such that Jenkins drove his man back off the line of scrimmage into the ball carrier who was consequently tackled by the force. Bad ass.
 
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JohnnyCockfight;1303033; said:
I'll pile on. Early in the season, there were 2 or 3 separate occasions where, on a swing pass, Malcolm Jenkins blew up the receiver that he was covering, such that Jenkins drove his man back off the line of scrimmage into the ball carrier who was consequently tackled by the force. Bad ass.
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Jenkins and Freeman have both been absolutely destroying screen passes this season, whether it's been fighting off blocks or driving would-be blockers backwards five yards to slow down the play while help arrives. Freeman in particular has blown up at least one screen/swing pass per game.
 
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JohnnyCockfight;1303033; said:
I'll pile on. Early in the season, there were 2 or 3 separate occasions where, on a swing pass, Malcolm Jenkins blew up the receiver that he was covering, such that Jenkins drove his man back off the line of scrimmage into the ball carrier who was consequently tackled by the force. Bad ass.
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So true. What a great point; Malcolm has seriously ROCKED several recievers trying to block him on running plays. He really is the whole package...

:oh:
 
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Dryden;1303045; said:
Jenkins and Freeman have both been absolutely destroying screen passes this season, whether it's been fighting off blocks or driving would-be blockers backwards five yards to slow down the play while help arrives. Freeman in particular has blown up at least one screen/swing pass per game.
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and state penn loves the screen...we better be ready for it a couple times sat night.
 
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Link

OSU CB Jenkins steps up play in Big Ten play
By Will Toman
Source: The Lantern - Ohio State U.
Posted: Thursday, October 23, 2008 1:00:00 AM EST
Published: Thursday, October 23, 2008 10:56:07 AM EST






Defensive back Malcolm Jenkins has been one reason why the defense has improved in the last two weeks.
In the first six games, Jenkins had 23 total tackles, but in the last two weeks, Jenkins' has had 13 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble.
"Malcolm's a guy who's very consistent and he's being physical and competitive," linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "He's not afraid of any challenge, no matter who it is."
Jenkins blocked a punt against Purdue to give the team the only touchdown. He also forced a fumble against Michigan State that was returned for a touchdown.
"Whenever you get into conference play, the stakes rise," Jenkins said. "You have to up your game more and luckily things have been coming my way."
Jenkins' play is starting to rub off on the younger players.

Continued.................
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Dispatch

Jenkins won't leave quietly
Senior cornerback wants his OSU career to end memorably
Friday, October 24, 2008 3:15 AM
By Tim May


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


The calendar flipped from September to October, and Ohio State senior cornerback Malcolm Jenkins could see his college career ticking away. Instead of allowing it to simply wind down, though, he wanted to wind it up in spectacular fashion. "I'm running out of games, we're getting closer and closer to accomplishing winning the Big Ten, the games are starting to count for more -- everything is starting to hit home," Jenkins said. "And I think my team, we need everybody to play up and above their talent, to play their best.
"That's all. I'm just trying to do my best for my team."
Going into a game Saturday night against Penn State, Jenkins is on a tear:
? He made the game-clinching interception Oct. 4 against Wisconsin after the OSU offense had saved the day with a memorable drive.
? Two weeks later he blocked a punt that Etienne Sabino returned for the only touchdown in a 16-3 win over Purdue, and also had an interception.
? Last Saturday at Michigan State, Jenkins' blitzing hit on the quarterback caused a fumble that Thaddeus Gibson returned for the sock-it-away touchdown, with Jenkins even racing to make the last clearing block for Gibson.
Making a difference, going out with a bang -- those are things his position coach, Taver Johnson, has stressed to Jenkins for several weeks.
Cont...
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