Cullen Jenkins life and biography

Cullen Jenkins is an American football defensive end for the Green Bay Packers of the NFL.

Highlights:

• Started all 16 games for the first time in his career in 2009, and posted career highs in both tackles (50) and forced fumbles (three).
• One of only eight NFL defensive linemen to post at least 50 tackles, four sacks and three forced fumbles in 2009.
• Batted down nine passes in 2007, at the time the most by a Packers defensive lineman since the team began recording the statistic in 1980. Teammate Johnny Jolly eclipsed the record in ’09 with 11.
• Took over as starting defensive end in final month of 2006 season, and parlayed impressive work into his first long-term contract. Recorded a career-high 6½ sacks that year, including his first three-sack game, vs. Detroit (Dec. 17).
• Led the NFL in 2005 with three blocked kicks, joining Chicago’s Alfonso Boone (2) as one of just two players with multiple blocks that year.
• In his 2004 NFL debut, played against older brother, Kris, a former DT for the Panthers (now N.Y. Jets).
• Now a 300-pound lineman, ran the 100-meter dash and 300-meter hurdles as an all-conference high school athlete.

PRO CAREER:
Quiet but steady defensive lineman started every game in ’09 for the first time in his career after having his 2008 season cut short by an injury in Week 4... Made the transition to new defensive coordinator Dom Capers’ 3-4 scheme and was part of top-ranked rushing defense in the NFL (a franchise-best 83.3 yards per game), the first time in team history that the Packers were No. 1 in the league against the run... Has the bulk to occupy blockers and stop the run, along with pass-rushing ability... Registered career highs in both tackles (50) and forced fumbles (three), and was one of only eight NFL defensive linemen to post at least 50 tackles, four sacks, and three forced fumbles in 2009... Has played in all 16 games in four of his six seasons in the league, playing in 82 games with 58 starts... Missed 12 games in 2008 due to a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery and placement on injured reserve, this after getting off to a strong start following several nagging injuries in 2007 that didn’t keep him from playing but limited the productivity he’s displayed when healthy... Had 18 tackles and 2½ sacks in four games in ‘08 before getting hurt, and now has career totals of 242 tackles (151 solo), 22 sacks, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and 22 passes defensed... Had nine of those batted passes in 2007 (including four in one game), at the time the most by a Packers defensive lineman in one season since the team began keeping the stat in 1980; teammate Johnny Jolly broke the record with 11 in ‘09... Helped make the Packers a different defense down the stretch in 2006, taking over as a starting defensive end in his first true every-down role... Switch was made primarily to provide stouter run defense on early downs, but Jenkins’ pass-rush skills began to flourish as well...

2009 :
Started all 16 games for the first time in his career and posted career-high 50 tackles (33 solo) and 23 QB hits... Also started team’s playoff game... Recorded career-high three forced fumbles, good for second on the team, plus an INT... Finished second on the team with 4½ sacks... Part of top-ranked rushing defense in the NFL (a franchise-best 83.3 yards per game), the first time in team history that the Packers were No. 1 in the league against the run... Lined up at RDE in base defense, RDT when team went to nickel defense and as the lone lineman when defense utilized its five-LB ‘Psycho’ package...

2008:
Was off to the best start of his career statistically, posting 18 tackles and 2½ sacks in the first four games, before sustaining a pectoral injury at Tampa Bay in Week 4...Placed on injured reserve Oct. 1 and had surgery the next day... Vs. Minnesota (Sept. 8): Led defensive linemen with five tackles, adding four QB pressures and three QB hits, and helped limit Pro Bowl RB Adrian Peterson to just 28 yards on 10 carries in the second half...At Detroit (Sept. 14): Sacked QB Jon Kitna in the third quarter among three tackles, two QB hits and two pressures...Vs. Dallas (Sept. 21): Led defensive line and tied career high with seven tackles and tied for team lead with 1.5 sacks. Among three QB hits, forced a fumble by QB Tony Romo on sack toward end of first half that was recovered by Dallas, and burst into backfield to stop RB Felix Jones for a 5-yard loss in third quarter... At Tampa Bay (Sept. 28): Recorded three tackles, batted down a pass, and posted three QB hits and one pressure, but left game early in the fourth quarter after injuring his pectoral attempting to bring down QB Brian Griese for a sack.

2007:
Started 15 of 16 games despite several nagging injuries and tied his (then) career high with 49 tackles (31 solo) plus one sack and nine passes defensed... His nine batted passes marked the most by a Green Bay defensive lineman since the team began recording the statistic in 1980... Also started both playoff games, posting 10 total tackles (seven solo) with 1½ sacks and one pass defensed... At Minnesota (Sept. 30): Came off the bench and was credited with four batted passes... Vs. Washington (Oct. 14): Made his lone sack of the season, among four solo tackles. After earlier forcing QB Jason Campbell into an intentional grounding penalty, sacked Campbell for a 2-yard loss, but left the game following the next play and had X-rays on his knee and ankle; returned to play at start of second half... Vs. Seattle (NFC Divisional, Jan. 12): Made five tackles (three solo), including 1½ sacks. In the first quarter, sacked Matt Hasselbeck for a 10-yard loss on third-and-5, forcing a punt. In the fourth quarter, split a sack with Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, taking down Hasselbeck for a loss of 12... Vs. N.Y. Giants (NFC Championship, Jan. 20): Made five tackles (four solo), and batted an Eli Manning pass on third-and-10, leading to a FG.

2006:
Played in 14 games with five starts, including the season’s final three weeks at RDE where he excelled... Beginning in Week 14 at San Francisco, received increased reps at DE on early downs, in an effort to improve the run defense and also to rest Gbaja-Biamila for passing downs... His 6½ sacks were a career high and ranked third on the team... Had 48 tackles (28 solo), two passes defensed and a pair of fumble recoveries... Missed two contests with an injured left ankle, sustained in Week 5... At Philadelphia (Oct. 2): Sacked Donovan McNabb for a 9-yard loss on third-and-12 and, on the next play, ended the first half by alertly making the tackle on a fake FG pass... At Buffalo (Nov. 5): Returned to practice three days prior from ankle injury and sacked J.P. Losman. Also tipped a pass at the line to force a punt... At Minnesota (Nov. 12): Split sacks of Brad Johnson with Kampman and A.J. Hawk...At San Francisco (Dec. 10): Saw about two-thirds of his snaps at RDE after practicing there during the week; on third-and-9 in third quarter, sacked Alex Smith with Kampman, forcing a three-and-out... Vs. Detroit (Dec. 17): Taking the place of Gbaja-Biamila, made his first ’06 start at RDE and answered with career bests of seven tackles and three sacks, all the sacks coming in the first half (the first from the end position and the other two as a tackle, both on third downs forcing punts). Became the third Green Bay player to record three sacks in a 2006 game (also Kampman and Corey Williams); never before had as many as three Packers posted three-sack games in the same season. Also recovered a second Kitna fumble on a Detroit fourth-and-1.

2005:
Played in all 16 games with 12 starts — all at DT — and in doing so doubled his ’04 starts total... Finished with a (then) career-high 49 tackles (28 solo), including three sacks, plus one fumble recovery and seven passes defensed... Led the NFL with three blocked kicks, joining Chicago’s Alfonso Boone (2) as one of two players in 2005 with multiple blocks... Got his hands on two PATs and one FG becoming the first Packer to block a PAT since Cletidus Hunt, Dec. 8, 2002... Vs. Cleveland (Sept. 18): Made a (then) career-high six tackles (four solo) and blocked a Phil Dawson PAT try in the third quarter... At Carolina (Oct. 3): Blocked a John Kasay PAT attempt and recovered a Jake Delhomme fumble caused by Gbaja-Biamila, setting up a 16-yard Donald Lee TD reception one play later... Vs. Pittsburgh (Nov. 6): Blocked a 51-yard FG attempt by Jeff Reed in the fourth quarter.

2004:
Contributed 28 tackles (18 solo) over the course of the season, including 4½ sacks (tied with Kampman for second on the team), plus one fumble recovery, one forced fumble and two passes defensed... Played in all 16 regular-season games, plus one postseason contest, making six starts... At Carolina (Sept. 13): Making NFL debut in Monday night opener, playing against older brother Kris, a Panthers DT, took a significant number of snaps after Grady Jackson (kneecap) was sidelined early in contest... At Detroit (Oct. 17): In last of four-game starting streak at ‘Eagle’ tackle position when the usual starter, Hunt, shifted over to NT to replace Jackson, helped limit the Lions to 33 yards rushing on 16 attempts (2.1 avg.). Also pressured QB Joey Harrington into an INT that Darren Sharper returned 36 yards for a TD... At Philadelphia (Dec. 5): On the Eagles’ first drive, recorded a sack, forced fumble and recovered it when he came around McNabb’s backside and swatted the ball out of the QB’s hand, then pounced on it.

2003:
Spent the season out of football after Green Bay waived him in the first mandatory roster reduction, Aug. 26... 2003 Draft: Originally signed with the Packers as a non-drafted free agent on May 2.

COLLEGE:
Was a four-year letterwinner (1999-2002) at Central Michigan, starting his last three years... Majored in elementary education... Senior season (2002): Recorded 40 tackles (20 solo), seven tackles for a loss, 4½ sacks and two passes defensed in 12 games... Junior season (2001): Started every game and finished with 48 tackles (28 solo), 10 stops for a loss and five sacks... Sophomore season (2000): Recorded 49 tackles and two sacks following limited action as true freshman in 1999.

PERSONAL:
Born Cullen Darome Jenkins born in Detroit... Married to his high school sweetheart, the former Pashun Hussin, the couple has two children, Jasmin, 10, and Ashanti, 7... Brother, Kris, played seven years for the Carolina Panthers and now plays for the N.Y. Jets... High school: Earned four letters in track, three in football and two in basketball at Belleville (Mich.) High School... Recognized with all-conference honors in football and in track, running the 100-meter dash and 300-meter hurdles... Community involvement: Participated in panel discussion in honor of Black History Month at Packers Hall of Fame in 2009... Served as a celebrity tasting judge for the Exceptional Equestrians Celebrity Booyah Bash in March 2009 in Green Bay, raising money to provide educational and therapeutic horseback riding instruction for people with special needs... Has assisted in the ‘Campbell’s Chunky Soup Click For Cans’ competition, helping unload soup from a truck to give to participating pantries... Also served breakfast at a local Hardee’s to raise money for multiple sclerosis... Is an active supporter for ‘Reaching for the Stars’ which raises money for cystic fibrosis... Has participated in the Brett Favre Celebrity Softball game, the Edgar Bennett Celebrity Bowl-A-Thon, as well as other events to benefit Family Services of NE Wisconsin and the Donald Driver Foundation... In 2007, received the ‘Nice Guy Award’ at the annual Doug Jirschele Sports Awards Banquet in Clintonville, Wis., and taped a public service announcement for the Red Cross, encouraging blood donation...In 2006, was a guest at a Swan House auction, a house built with donated time and materials designated for single-parent college students... Other volunteer work includes reading books to school children and speaking to local Pop Warner football teams about sportsmanship and what it takes to become a professional athlete... Hobbies/interests: Has aspirations of being an elementary school teacher, businessman or getting into coaching... Enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, fishing and traveling, especially to Florida; his best catch was a 62-inch golden amberjack in Florida... Took an offseason fishing trip to Key West, Fla., and estimates he caught 60 pounds of tuna, wahoo, snapper and mackerel... Names House as his favorite TV program.

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