Malcolm Jenkins Goes Back to Columbus.While the NFL continues its lockout, current players need to go somewhere to stay in shape and work out. Former Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins has decided to go back to his Alma Mater to try and keep his body ready for when they can finally go back to work.Things are a little different in Columbus nowadays though. Jim Tressel continues to deal with scrutiny for what he has done off the field and Ohio State is preparing for aseason without their head coach and five best players for the first five games of the season.Malcolm Jenkins joined WBNS in Columbus to talk about how different things are in Columbus after a tumultuous offseason so far, how tough it is to stay in shape during the lockout, if it is any tougher for a cornerback because teams don’t want the players to go through one on one drills, and how much he is hurting from a financial standpoint.
How things have changed in Columbus:
“I think everybody is still focused on getting better. I don’t see guys going through the motions. The guys who are actually in trouble are the guys who are working the hardest. They’re being leaders and taking that role. Everybody is just moving forward with this. They know they’re going to face adversity with the attention that is coming to them and what missing out on five starters actually means. They’re taking it in stride and building off of it.”
On how tough it is to stay in shape:
“From a workout standpoint it’s easy, but you don’t really know what you’re working out for. At the same time you can’t not workout because at any point in time they can say tomorrow you’re going back to work. Really the hard part about it is just the uncertainty as far as your timeline. You can’t plan a vacation and you can’t do any of this stuff because you don’t know exactly when this is going to be done.”
If it will be any tougher for him since teams don’t want cornerbacks to go through one-on-ones:
“I know from my own experience I’m going to go through some one-on-ones if I can just to stay sharp with all my techniques and things. I think it’s going to be harder for the offenses and the rookies coming in. They will have limited time with the playbook, limited time with their quarterbacks, and timing. From a defensive standpoint covering is just like riding a bike when you get back into it. The timing and the routine type stuff that offenses use I think is going to struggle next year.”
On how much the lockout is affecting him financially:
“From a financial standpoint, nobody is really hurting right now because most guys usually don’t get paid during the offseason. From a players standpoint we really won’t start feeling things until September comes around and we start going without game checks and of course there are going to be some guys that haven’t spent their money correctly over the last couple of years and those first couple checks are going to be big for them, but we’ve known about this lockout thing for a couple of years now and guys have made steps to prepare. Even I have missed out on a workout bonus already for like 350,000 thousand dollars. That’s part of the business. I’d rather put that aside now then to lose what we’re fighting for in the long run.”
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