Something about that Texans preseason game had eery familiarity with the playoff loss to the Seahawks. What could that have been, you wonder? How about the absence of Malcolm Jenkins. I know he played some, but not when the Texans were busy torching the Saints every which way. Too often in both games we saw plays that reminded us of the days when Tebucky Jones roamed center field defensively, or when he had to witness the likes of Jason David, Fred Weary, latter day Fred Thomas or Toi Cook isolated one on one with premiere receivers. I know you shutter at the thought. But that’s exactly what was replicated – the pass defense we saw in the playoffs that ultimately cost the Saints their season last year. The Saints simply could not stop the Texans. Granted it wasn’t just pass defense, as the Texans ran for over 200 yards and the tackling was atrocious. You’ll remember that infamous Marshawn Lynch run as evidence that the run defense wasn’t exactly on point in the Seattle game either. Still, the horrendous tackling at the second level was another example of why Jenkins’ presence was sorely needed. He’s not just a smart player, he’s physical and he can tackle. Everything he brings to the table as a player are all things the Saints need desperately to succeed. Now Jenkins did eventually come in for spot duty later in the Texans debacle, but make no mistake the damage had already been well done at that point.
To me it’s clear:
the Saints’ defense without Malcolm Jenkins is much weaker and the Saints haven’t figured out how to be successful without him. Not yet, at least. A shell of the former self of Darren Sharper and this new guy Paul Oliver are clearly not the answer, and of course neither are aging special teamers Chris Reis and Pierson Prioleau. At this point, can the Saints even find someone that would fill in for Jenkins and do an admirable job? I doubt it, but re-signing Usama Young could have been a step towards securing depth. Instead, Young is a member of the Browns.
At this point I’m not comfortable with anyone filling in partially for Jenkins that’s currently on the roster. I’m still hoping Jonathon Amaya, the safety the Saints landed in the Reggie Bush trade, can turn into a decent backup once he learns the system, but otherwise I’m resigned to the idea that the Saints’ defense is royally screwed and severely deficient if Malcolm Jenkins isn’t on the field. The last two games without Jenkins have proven that. I don’t even want to consider what Aaron Rodgers would do to the Saints without Jenkins back there. The Saints might want to consider watching the waiver wire like hawks for anyone that can help the team’s depth. If they can’t get anyone, then we’ll all need to pray that Jenkins makes it through a 16 game season because my confidence in the team’s ability to make the playoffs otherwise is severely decreased in my estimation.
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