You don't have to know every last particular of the ongoing NFL Lockout to understand that players are having to find ways to workout and stay in shape somewhere other than at their respective team headquarters. current New Orleans Saints defensive back and former Ohio State great, Malcolm Jenkins, a former Ohio State Buckeyes great and current member of the New Orleans Saints, has chosen to return to the campus of his alma mater to prepare himself physically for the return, whenever that date may be.
↵Things aren't quite the same in Columbus these days however. With Jim Tressell under intense scrutiny for improper actions, the mood around the Ohio State campus is not quite as jovial as it typically is this time of year. Jenkins talked about being back in Columbus, and if he's yet to feel the financial strain of being locked out in a recent interview on WNBS in Columbus. Here's what he had to say.
↵↵↵↵How things have changed in Columbus:
↵"I think everybody is still focused on getting better. I don’t see guys going through the motions. The guys who are actually in trouble are the guys who are working the hardest. They’re being leaders and taking that role. Everybody is just moving forward with this. They know they’re going to face adversity with the attention that is coming to them and what missing out on five starters actually means. They’re taking it in stride and building off of it."
↵If it will be any tougher for him [to stay in shape] since teams don’t want cornerbacks to go through one-on-ones:
↵"I know from my own experience I’m going to go through some one-on-ones if I can just to stay sharp with all my techniques and things. I think it’s going to be harder for the offenses and the rookies coming in. They will have limited time with the playbook, limited time with their quarterbacks, and timing. From a defensive standpoint covering is just like riding a bike when you get back into it. The timing and the routine type stuff that offenses use I think is going to struggle next year."
↵On how much the lockout is affecting him financially:
↵"From a financial standpoint, nobody is really hurting right now because most guys usually don’t get paid during the offseason. From a players standpoint we really won’t start feeling things until September comes around and we start going without game checks and of course there are going to be some guys that haven’t spent their money correctly over the last couple of years and those first couple checks are going to be big for them, but we’ve known about this lockout thing for a couple of years now and guys have made steps to prepare. Even I have missed out on a workout bonus already for like 350,000 thousand dollars. That’s part of the business. I’d rather put that aside now then to lose what we’re fighting for in the long run."
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