Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/10/17/3695497/miami-dolphins-backup-lbs-jelani.html#storylink=cpy Jenkins is a very talented player but his forte is pass coverage and range .Together with Trusnik they will make up a two headed monster in an effort to replace Ellerbe depending on down and distance. They will be tested you can be sure of that but IMO they will be able to handle the job.
Jenkins to be effective needs Starks and Soliai to keep him clean, his excelleration is impressive put a 320 pd hat on him he is not going to do well
I don't have much confidence in Trusnik, but I'm very excited to see what Jenkins can do. Was a big fan of his when we drafted him.
You played some Lb Sick, some guys just can cover the field, Jenkins is one of them. Suspect he needs more sand in his bucket b/c DT's who erase OL's don't always win, in coverage on Te's or Wr's coming across the middle, Jenkins can handle it. He rarely takes false steps from what I've seen from his UF highlights
I did play LB in college, Jenkins reminds me of myself. Instincts. Instincts. Instincts. You can be undersized, slow, weak and white.....but if you have instincts, you can be a player. This kid has them. The fact that hes a mid/late pick rookie and is easily entering the starting lineup when our big money LB is hurt, it says something. We trust his mind. His intelligence. Philbin mentioned his smarts. His intellect. He is someone who can call a play from the sideline before it happens. That's someone you want on your team. He has already been coached by the Urban Meyers and Muschamps of the world. Hes ready to go. I am def rooting for him.
Yep, thing is, he also has jets on his feet, dude can motor. Sideline to Sideline guy, durability and coverage ability when it counts is still a question
[video=youtube;bmXumtgwtak]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmXumtgwtak[/video] (in before Pennington references)
Ain't no white guy named Jelani...lord I apologize... Trusnik looks the part of our overachieving white LB/DE with instincts...good tan, looks good while he's getting beat.
Both Trusnik and Jelani I think played well given the circumstances in the Ravens game. Neither of them are MLBs, and are likely to get a lot of practice time there. The coaching staff managed it pretty well by basically having Trusnik as 2-down and Jelani as Nickel, but there was still overlap.
Not as optimistic about Jason Trusnik or Jelani Jenkins as most people in this thread. Jenkins was the worst linebacker on tape during the preseason and that says quite a bit given the players they had out there. Jelani Jenkins is young, though. He could turn the corner at any time. That's the benefit of being a newborn. They grow in fits and starts. He could go out there this weekend and look completely different than he has in games thus far.
I actually thought he looked better during the Ravens game than at any point during the preseason. Philbin mentioned that he was progressing really well so maybe he's starting to blossom a little bit.
He did. But that doesn't mean he was good or even decent. I thought he was still a liability against the Ravens. Was it progress? Or volatility owing to sample size?
And what I mean by sample size is obviously, he played 18 snaps in that game. And he let up 13 yards of run after catch to Ray Rice on one of those plays. He was also flagged for Illegal Contact but people generally tend to forget that sort of thing because Flacco completed a 22 yard pass to Torrey Smith on the play which was 3rd & 10, and so the Ravens declined the penalty. Let's say Flacco hadn't completed that pass though. Jelani Jenkins' illegal contact penalty gives the Ravens five yards and a 1st & 10 off of a 3rd & 10. Do we still end up thinking Jenkins had his best performance and might be in your words blossoming?
yeah at least Jenkins is young and the potential to blossom is there. We've seen Trusnik's ceiling and a two foot midget would have problems standing up in his room. I do wonder why Misi isn't given any middle linebacker reps and we put Jordan (or Vernon) in his spot on the strong side... but I digress.
Most pundits thought he should have stayed in college another year but with his injury history he didnt want to take a chance.He is only 21 and he will have growing pains so I dont think we should be too critical of him. He is only playing because we dont have a true backup to Ellerbe....yet another oversight on this team. Jenkins time will be in a couple of years.Until that time he will be judged on his ST work.
I did forget about the IC, probably because it was declined. I guess as is the case with all rookies, we'll see what happens. Based on his speed and athleticism I think he could make a name for himself.
Best I'm hoping for is kind of a Wesley Woodyard, who has become a decent player. He started out as a passing downs specialist in coverage. So did Kevin Burnett, come to think of it.
So this is actually going to happen, huh... I thought Ellerbe was playing no matter what. Geesh! Not looking forward to Trusnik, Jenkins manning the middle. If we get away with it, great. If not though, the coaches are gonna become psychicly disturbed from all the fan chatter pointing to the obvious move of Misi to MLB and Jordan to OLB. Christ, this place will become insufferable...Pretty big gamble
