Malcolm Jenkins was one of the highest-graded New Orleans Saints players in Monday night’s big win over the Los Angeles Chargers; Pro Football Focus credited him with 3 quarterback pressures, 2 stops in run defense, and just 7 yards allowed in coverage. The first-year captain has been an important source of splash plays and veteran leadership on a defense that’s badly needed both.
But the big storyline this week has been the one-game suspension for star wide receiver Michael Thomas, which Jenkins discussed on the “Tiki and Tierney Show” on CBS Sports Radio. When asked if the incident has put a wall between Thomas and his Saints teammates, Jenkins shut down the notion.
“No, not from my seat,” Jenkins said, via Rod Walker of Nola.com. “Everybody knows we’re all highly competitive athletes and Michael is always on edge and plays with that chip on his shoulder. But, all of us need to know where those lines are that we can’t cross.”
That last comment referred to an exchange between Thomas and members of the coaching staff after he was separated from a fight with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Several reports suggested that parting shot played a bigger role in Thomas being benched for the prime-time Chargers game than the scrap itself; frustrations often boil over in practice and sometimes punches get thrown, which Jenkins noted isn’t unusual. So maybe this is a learning experience for his younger teammate.
Jenkins continued, “One mistake doesn’t change how we feel about our teammate. We know where his heart is.”
