NY POST- Jets count on Jenkins

JETS COUNT ON JENKINS
By MARK CANNIZZARO
NOSE TACKLE: The JetsNew York Jets are hoping Kris Jenkins makes the transition from being a 4-3 defensive tackle to a 3-4 nose tackle.
May 23, 2008 -- That wasn't the beginning of a solar eclipse that Chad PenningtonChad Pennington was witnessing as he peered over center across the line of scrimmage in yesterday's offseason practice at Hofstra.

It was Kris Jenkins.

"You just see a massive wall in front of you," Pennington said. "There's not a lot of wiggle room there."

The 6-foot-4, 360-pound Jenkins is what the Jets hope is the answer to the nose tackle dilemma that has plagued their defense since coach Eric Mangini took the reins and installed his 3-4 defensive scheme.

"He's a hard guy to block," Jets LG Alan Faneca said. "He's a whole lot of man who has great skills and is good with his hands. He definitely draws the attention of more than one guy a lot of times."

This is exactly what the Jets are hoping for with the addition of Jenkins, whom they traded for with the Panthers earlier in the offseason.

The Jets are hoping for two things from Jenkins: that he can make the transition from being a 4-3 defensive tackle to the nose and that he can keep his weight in check.

He ballooned to 394 pounds late last season and has trimmed to 360 at the request of Mangini.

"He makes 360 look good," Mangini quipped the other day. "I wish I could say the same. He's a fluid athlete, especially for someone his size."

Jenkins keeping his weight down will be critical to his and the Jets' success. His contract reflects that, with a significant weight clause written into it.

"I'm getting to the point in my career now where every little bit helps - especially when you get into double teams," Jenkins said. "It helps to alleviate pressure on my joints. I feel great doing what I've done now and I wouldn't go back the other way again.

"I had an excuse to get on top of it - my kids. Eating isn't just about football; it's way of life. I want to be around for my kids. That's what I used to motivate me."

Jenkins, 28, said the two most significant things he's given up in his diet include white rice and Fruity Pebbles cereal in the morning.

"The hardest part is the routine," he said. "You have to get a routine and you have to stay dedicated. One of the things I realized is I can't eat less to lose weight; I have to eat right."

Jenkins, entering his eighth NFL season, has started 31 of 32 games during the past two seasons. He had 52 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one pass defended in 2007 for a Panthers defense that allowed 3.8 yards per rushing attempt, the fourth-best average in the NFL. He called making the move to nose tackle "different," but vowed he'd master it.

"My whole career, except for my rookie year, I've always played single gap defense - just go up field and disrupt," he said. "I love this challenge, because now I have to be basically a stud. You've got two gaps, you can't move, you can't let anybody block you on double teams, you've got to take it head-on. It lets me express myself, show a little bit more of what I can do."


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Rookie No. 1 draft pick, LB Vernon Gholston is not in camp at the moment because, by NFL rule, players cannot join their NFL team until they either graduate or finish finals. Gholston is still finishing up classes at Ohio State . . . S Abram ElamAbram Elam , who's been in Florida with his family since the shooting death of his older brother, is back in camp.


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Rookie QB Erik Ainge isn't participating because of recent surgery on his throwing pinky. Mangini, though, said he was "impressive" in the morning meeting, where he was asked to name everyone in the room. "He nailed it," Mangini said. "There are about 100 people in there and he named all of them."

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com