Mike Jenkins Might Be Running Out of Chances in Dallas – a Fan’s Take

The Dallas Cowboys defensive secondary takes a lot of flack but one player that the heat has been turning up on this season is Mike Jenkins.

Jenkins played in the Pro Bowl two years ago but fell off considerably in 2010, getting burned week after week. But, a player can't just go from being a great cover corner to being a joke who can't cover anyone, can he? To tell you the truth, he has really not been great outside of 2009, his second year in the league.

Jenkins was drafted in 2008, a first round draft pick, and started three games for Dallas, finishing with 19 tackles and one interception with four pass defenses. He moved into the starting lineup in 2009 and finished with 49 tackles, five interceptions and 19 pass defenses in the year.

However, in 2010, he started to lose the support of the fans. He began to commit one too many pass interference penalties and was burned numerous times by receivers as the season dragged on. He finished with a career high in tackles, with 55, only intercepted one pass and his pass defenses dropped to nine.

In 2011, he has been plagued by the problems that hurt many Dallas' players over the season. After injuring himself against Philadelphia in Week 8, he missed the next four games with injury. He now has two tackles and one pass defense since returning in Week 13. He has suffered through a knee injury, a hamstring injury and two instances of hurting his shoulder.

None of that can be used as an excuse.

But there are some glimmers of light in his otherwise dim career. He has only been called for pass interference one this season, seemingly getting that problem under control. The Cowboys' secondary is still guilty of letting runners break free when they get past the linebackers, so that is still a problem that needs addressed.

Will Jenkins improve enough to be a quality starting cornerback? So far in his career, the answer is no. Now, the question is whether or not Dallas gives him another year to get his problems worked out or will they set out to find his replacement.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

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