WHEN Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins was lying in the middle of Giants Stadium with an injured left knee that ultimately would cost him the season, he didn’t wallow in his own pain or misfortune. Instead, he began encouraging his teammates to keep playing hard, to keep their focus and to win the game.
“He wanted us to go out there and finish the job,” said Jets defensive lineman Marques Douglas. “He didn’t want [the injury] to be in vain.”
The Jets would lose the game to the Bills 16-13 in overtime, and now they’ve lost Jenkins for the season with a torn left ACL. He was placed on injured reserve yesterday. Surgery will be scheduled in a couple of weeks once the knee stabilizes.
While his 6-foot-4, 360-pound presence will be missed on the field, Jenkins said yesterday he plans to remain an influencing figure in the locker room, encouraging his teammates just as he did during those moments late in the second quarter when his knee popped while making a tackle.
“Sometimes when things like that happen, especially when you have a player that’s pretty good go down, sometimes guys get into their feelings a little bit,” Jenkins said yesterday.
“That can’t happen. That’s why I had some things to say, because I wanted them to understand that regardless if I’m on the field or not, this is still the Jets. My last name isn’t on the team. It doesn’t matter what happens to me. We still need to do the best that we can to win.”
It’s a message he’ll continue to preach, especially at a time when the Jets could feel sorry for themselves. They’ve lost three straight games after a 3-0 start, and rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez is coming off a dreadful performance against the Bills in which he threw five interceptions.
The Jets also committed 14 penalties, including six during the overtime. Losing Jenkins only compounds the misery.
“Him being a four-time Pro Bowl player, it’s a big loss,” said cornerback Darrelle Revis.
“He’s a big guy in the middle. He handles the run very well, and he’s a vocal leader on the team. It’s tough to have a loss like that early in the season.”
Sione Pouha, Mike DeVito and Howard Green could be part of a rotation to fill Jenkins’ role, but even coach Rex Ryan admitted it will be difficult to replace all that Jenkins brings.
“To think they’re going to come in and play like Kris, that’s not realistic,” Ryan said. “We’re all going to have to step up our game to make up for his loss.”
After undergoing ACL surgery and rehab on his right knee in 2005 while with the Panthers, Jenkins said he knows what to expect, and plans on being ready when offseason workouts begin in 2010.
He promised to monitor his weight to make sure it doesn’t hinder his rehab.
“I know how my body is going to handle it,” he said, “and I know a lot of it is based on me keeping my weight down and doing all the rehab I need to do.”
None of that can help the Jets on Sunday when they visit Oakland to play the Raiders. It was a game that seemed to be a gimmie a few weeks ago. But the Raiders beat the Eagles on Sunday, and now the Jets are in a free fall.
Sensing his team still needs his presence, Jenkins plans on doing all he can to keep the Jets confident and focused, even if he’s on crutches.
“As long as guys are playing their best football, we always have a shot,” he said. “That’s what I want them to understand.”