Unlike Warren Sapp, Kris Jenkins doesn't like attention. But as one of the league's best defensive tackles, he'd better get used to it.
By JOANNE KORTH
Published September 12, 2004
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The best defensive tackle in the NFL is somewhat of a riddle, a playful prankster with teammates, but not especially fond of entertaining the media.
No, not him.
This is the new kid in the middle of the league's best defensive line, a 25-year-old mountain range of a man who plows through double teams like they were whipped butter. If Warren Sapp set the standard for disruption, Kris Jenkins is just discovering what a menace he can be on the Panthers' talent-laden front four.
"If I'm the best, so be it; if I'm not, so be it," said Jenkins, an impossible-to-miss 6-foot-4, 335-pounder. "I always prepare to be the best. But I don't want it for the same reason most other people want it. That's just how I always approached everything, to be the best at what I do. Even though I feel like I could be the best defensive tackle in the league, I still could get better. I haven't reached my peak."
Bucs fans will remember Jenkins as the behemoth who blocked not one but two kicks -- a field goal and potential winning extra point -- in Carolina's overtime win on Sept.14. It was the first sign of trouble for the defending Super Bowl champions, and proof Jenkins could take over a game for the Panthers.
Oddly enough, thanks to Sapp.
Before last season, Carolina's veteran tackle Brentson Buckner sparked a war of words by proclaiming the Panthers were the league's best defensive line. Sapp, of course, disagreed. Jenkins was motivated to prove Sapp wrong.
"Kris always had the ability, but last year it came with that feeling of being "The Man,' " Buckner said. "When you're "The Man,' it comes with the responsibility to make plays when plays need to be made, (to) take over games. Sapp, when he was considered "The Man' he took it upon himself to make things happen for his team.
"But when Sapp said, "He can't be like me,' that's the challenge Kris needed to say, "I'm going to show you that I can do it.' And when he did, it clicked on. ... It took the thing with Tampa to get him to do that."
Jenkins, the only NFL player to force overtime with a blocked PAT, finished the season with 59 tackles, five sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He was selected first-team All Pro and went to the Pro Bowl for the second time, first as a starter.
He likes the Pro Bowl.
"Once you go, you don't want to not go," Jenkins said recently during Panthers training camp at Wofford College. "If I have a personal goal every year, it's to go to the Pro Bowl. I want to dominate and do whatever I can to help my group win. I don't care if I get three sacks or six -- well, I kind of want six more than three -- but I'm going to do whatever it takes for us to win. And I always want to get to the Pro Bowl."
Why not?
Jenkins, whose massive size and strength are evident, is entering his fourth NFL season, just now learning to add quickness to his power game. He is working on technique, studying nuances. His direct path to the quarterback, however, is a sharp contrast to the wide berth he frequently gives reporters. It's not that he doesn't like the media, he just could do without all the attention.
Unlike Sapp.
"Sapp's going to talk," Jenkins said. "But Sapp has to understand, and I'm the type of person, I'll say it to his face, you've got to back it up on the field. You can't just jaw in the media and double teams are blowing you 80 yards down the field. He's different. If he wasn't, then he'd still be in Tampa."
Sapp, who was not offered a contract by the Bucs after nine seasons in Tampa Bay, signed with Oakland where he seems a perfect fit with the cantankerous Raider Nation.
Jenkins is still just a kid, the type who waits for a teammate to get down to the last bite of a candy bar, then slaps it away.
"Kris is a fun-loving guy whereas Sapp was more vocal and telling you, "This is me,' " Buckner said. "Kris doesn't have to tell you, but when you turn around and you look, you're going to see it happening. He could care less what people think about him.
"Best tackle in the league? Oh, alright."
IN FOCUS
IN THE HUNT: The surprise team of 2003, the Cardiac Cats won seven games by three points or less to reach the playoffs, only to fall one comeback short in the Super Bowl. Carolina looks to build on that magic this season.
In his first season as a starter, quarterback Jake Delhomme won games seemingly on sheer charisma and good karma. With added confidence, his sometimes erratic play should improve. It doesn't hurt that he throws to one of the game's most explosive receivers, Steve Smith, and has punishing runner Stephen Davis at his disposal. The offensive line, however, could be a concern.
On defense, the Panthers are powered by what likely is the NFL's best front four: tackles Kris Jenkins and Brentson Bucker, ends Mike Rucker and Julius Peppers. Linebacker Dan Morgan, who had 25 tackles in the Super Bowl, patrols the middle. The secondary is a bit shaky, but with this defense, the Panthers will be in every game.
Key additions include linebacker Jessie Armstead, who will provide depth, and two draft picks: cornerback Chris Gamble of Ohio State, who probably won't start right away, and Keary Colbert of Southern Cal, a possession receiver who runs great routes.
Key LOSSES: FS Deon Grant (105 tackles, 68 solo, 3 INT), CB Reggie Howard (78 tackles, 56 solo, 2 INT).
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Passing -- Jake Delhomme, 226-449, 3,219 yards, 19 TD, 16 INT. Rushing -- Stephen Davis, 318 att., 1,444 yards, 8 TD. Receiving -- Steve Smith, 88 rec., 1,110 yards, 7 TD. Tackles -- Mike Minter, 124, 83 solo. Sacks -- Mike Rucker, 12. Interceptions -- Mike Minter, 3.
GAMES TO WATCH: No longer no-names, the Panthers kick things off in the spotlight: at home against Green Bay on Monday Night Football. And the big games just keep coming: at Kansas City, at Philadelphia, at Seattle. The final three games should decide the NFC South: at Atlanta, at Tampa Bay and versus New Orleans.
DID YOU KNOW: Center Jeff Mitchell, a product of Countryside High in Clearwater, brought a motor home to training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., so he and his fellow linemates would have somewhere comfy to go between two-a-day practices. Air-conditioning. Refrigerator. Video Games. Word has it, the big fellas had to distribute themselves evenly to keep from tipping the RV.
QUOTABLE: "It's a new race and all that's behind us. You can't be polishing medals." -- coach John Fox, on the Panthers' appearance in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
