Acme Packing Company
Kenny Clark ran away with the DT1 spot, so now it’s time to decide on his running mate.
Thursday was a big day for the All-Quarter Century Team project here at Acme Packing Company. You, our readers, picked out our top choices at interior defensive line and edge on Thursday to get the defense moving, and both selections were commanding, convincing votes.
Kenny Clark ran away with the voting for defensive tackles, getting more than 60 percent of the vote. That means we now have our top tackle, but we still need one more. Help us decide who belongs as Kenny’s running mate on the All-2000s squad, and we’ll work on the edge rushers later on as well.
Regular season stats: 74 games played, 59 starts; 157 total tackles (109 solo, 48 assisted), 32 TFLs, 16.5 sacks, 14 pass defenses, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries
Postseason stats: 6 games played/started; 23 total tackles (17 solo, 6 assisted), 5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, 3 pass defenses, 1 forced fumble
The earliest nominee on our list is a 1999 draft pick, drafted in the third round that year. Hunt was in and out of the starting lineup early in his career, but he settled into a starting role by 2002. A solid interior pass-rusher, Hunt had at least four sacks in three different seasons, serving as the more athletic tackle next to the likes of Grady Jackson and a late-career Gilbert Brown on the nose.
Regular season stats: 93 games played, 66 starts; 194 total tackles (130 solo, 64 assisted), 40 TFLs, 29.0 sacks, 16 pass defenses, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 1 interception
Postseason stats: 8 games played, 3 starts; 15 total tackles (11 solo, 4 assisted), 5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, 1 pass defensed
The lesser-known Jenkins brother (Kris was a 2nd-round pick in 2001 and a two-time All-Pro), Cullen signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He did not make the team out of training camp, but re-signed after that season and was on the roster to start the 2004 campaign. That season, he played every game, starting six contests and recording 4.5 sacks.
Jenkins bounced in and out of the starting lineup for a few seasons while moving back and forth from tackle to end, but he remained an important piece of the defensive line rotation. In 2007, he started 15 games at defensive end in base defenses with Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila relegated to a designated pass-rusher role, but often he would shift in to tackle in passing situations. An injury cost him all but four games of the Packers’ 2008 season, but he returned in 2009 to a new position in Dom Capers’ 3-4 defense.
As a 3-4 end, Jenkins was a rare force as a pass-rusher. He started every game in 2009, recording 4.5 sacks, then set a career-high with 7 sacks in 2010 despite playing only 11 games. He missed the...
