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Can Mike Jenkins return to his Pro Bowl form?

There is no question that the weakness of the Dallas Cowboys defense last season was the secondary. Game after game there would be a breakdown somewhere in coverage and you would see opposing teams beating the defense “deep.

It is already being reported that the Cowboys will be looking to bolster their secondary when the free agency period finally picks up by going after a safety. , but there is another player who will be under fire — cornerback Mike Jenkins.

Scouts Inc.’s Matt Williamson offered up his analysis on which Cowboys player needs to improve the most, in his latest “Pressure Points” feature. He writes:

“He is still a very young man — 26 years old — and he is not declining physically. His movement skills were not as strong last season. Maybe there were injuries that not everyone was aware of. Jenkins was too aggressive, gave up too many big plays and ended up taking too many pass interference calls when he guessed wrong. Jenkins needs to pay much more attention to every nuance of the position. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan might be able to help.”

I don’t necessarily think the drop off in production this past season was all Jenkins’ fault. Former head coach Wade Phillips, who also ran the defense, was putting Jenkins and fellow cornerback Terrance Newman, in bad positions weekly. Jenkins was often out on an island, instead of playing in a zone which is where he excelled. You could see an improvement in Jenkins’ game once Paul Pasqualoni took over the defense.

Regardless of the scheme, Jenkins will need to improve and I believe he will. As long as he has been studying Rob Ryan’s new defensive scheme, we should see a new and improved Mike Jenkins when the season starts. The best part about Jenkins improving? Dallas has all of the makings of an incredible defense if he can return to his Pro Bowl form.

What this means is the Cowboys want Mike Jenkins to replace Anthony Henry and Scandrick to take the safety position from Roy Williams, who was released yesterday.

What do I have to say about it? I think it is a perfect opportunity to give two young kids the chance to shine at Valley Ranch, and I am ready for it.

Scandrick showed several flashes of brilliance in the secondary and Jenkins, who was a first-round pick, was inconsistent at times, we all have to remember he was a rookie. Whatever.

The Cowboys are cleaning house. Jerry Jones can say all he wants about team chemistry, but an idiot would believe that these changes are not being made because the brass in Valley Ranch think have the makings of a Super Bowl Champion. They know the talent is there. Terrell Owens? Pacman Jones? Anthony Henry? Roy Williams? Come on.

The Pittsburgh Steelers put a hurtin’ on us and there is no team in the NFL that is hungry as the Dallas Cowboys. Who would have ever thought that the blue-collar, no glitz Steelers would have six rings before the Cowboys?

I surely didn’t. Put those kids in a position to make plays and let’s see what happens. Neither were a Quincy Carter-type draft pick. A smart decision was made to invest in the secondary and now is the time to put the pressure on the investments.

Let’s just hope it pays off.