Teven Jenkins is in uncertain waters like everybody else this year. He’s learning a brand new offense under Luke Getsy and his staff. While the system is supposedly an offshoot of the respected Shanahan wide-zone scheme, it also features plenty of wrinkles unique to the young coach. Getsy promised he’d work to the strengths of his players. That means plays that may not be considered traditional wide-zone types.
Jenkins doesn’t seem to mind. Quite the opposite. He appeared on the No Name Football Podcast with Olin Kreutz and Jason McKie to discuss his current status. He discussed his surgically-repaired back, his ascent from high school through college, and the work he’s putting in to prepare for his second season. Kreutz asked him about his impressions of the new offense. Without giving too much away, a few things were apparent. Jenkins loves it because it’s much more up-tempo and player-friendly.
More than anything, he’s just happy it’s not Matt Nagy’s offense.
“I think it’s player-friendly. That’s what I think it is, and it’s very fast-tempo. That’s the two things I love. I’m not trying to give out too much about it. I love it because it’s different from what we were doing last year. It’s a lot more player-friendly, which I like. Which everybody likes, really. Especially the O-line.”
Jenkins is far from the first person this offseason to express how much he didn’t care for the previous offense. Justin Fields did so on multiple occasions, citing the lack of identity or cohesive plan that led to so much inconsistency. The offensive bore the brunt of this. Nagy’s scheme often called on them to either protect the quarterback in straight drops or run the football straight ahead.
He never did enough to keep defenses off balance. Blockers weren’t allowed to be the aggressors. They weren’t allowed to set the tone. There was rarely ever an effort to punch opponents in the mouth. For somebody like Jenkins with his violent nature, that had to have been frustrating. Now in a system known for being run-first, it is easy to understand why he’s ready to embrace it.
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Teven Jenkins has few excuses left.
Coming out of college, experts believed he fit best in an offense that emphasized the run. Something that would accent his considerable power and nastiness. Now the Bears have put him in that position. The wide-zone will enable him to get after it and take advantage of his athletic skill. It was always easy to overlook his mobility. What remains to be seen is whether he’ll do that at tackle or somewhere else.
The end of mandatory minicamps saw an unexpected development. Teven Jenkins working with the second-team offense. That suggests the coaching staff wasn’t seeing what they wanted to see from him at tackle. Either this demotion was a way to wake him up, or it was the first sign he might be facing a position switch. Some draft experts felt last year he’d ultimately end up at guard.
It might explain why he fell out of the 1st round.
Clarity should be forthcoming when training camp begins. Once the Bears see Jenkins in pads, they’ll know what they must do. Either way, it’d be a shock if he’s not on the field in some capacity this season. He’s too talented to leave out of the mix. This offense is perfect for him, and he knows it.
Nagy couldn’t run no huddle because then his own defense would never get a chance to rest. When you are 3 and out all the time, no huddle just punishes your defense. Oh, by the way, the failed Mitch Trubisky is going to start in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile Nagy’s offense didn’t work with veteran Dalton or Superbowl MVP Foles or rookie Fields. Looking back at the issues I think many judged the young Trubisky too harshly. I am going to keep an eye on the Steelers this season.
I hope the faster pace equals to running the no huddle a lot. It keeps defenses honest, gets them tired, and they can't sub a lot. It used to infuriate me watching a Nagy offense huddle every play, often confused with his player packages that would change almost every play, and then finally start moving the ball when they had to go no huddle when the clock wasn't on their side. You would think a smart coach would try it in the middle of the game to change the pace if they weren't succeeding. I never want to speak Nagy's… Read more »
I agree with Kool Aid Guy….better scheme, better coaching = better performance. Nagy was horrible. Period. Teven is going to be a beast at RG!!
Oh right, so hilarious.