New Saints CB Janoris Jenkins Once Again Tries to Defend Recent Inappropriate Comments

Janoris Jenkins is loving his new digs in New Orleans, ready to rid himself of the 3-11 air that tainted the Giants' locker room in New York. And he wasn't shy about his excitement to leave either, calling his release from the Giants the "best news ever" on his way out. While he's primed for a fresh start with the Saints, comments from his time in New York are continuing to haunt him.

New Orleans claimed the former Giants CB off waivers after he was released by the team in mid-December. He had been their best cover man throughout the season, solidifying that status after questions surrounded his tenure there in years prior with four interceptions and 14 pass deflections through their 13 games. However, after Jenkins called a fan an obscenity on Twitter and refused to offer up an apology for his tweet, New York parted ways with him.

Jenkins' name then passed through the NFL's waiver wire, and he eventually apologized for "offending anybody'' once his time on the wire neared expiration. Then New Orleans came knocking, their shortages in secondary coverage an obvious achilles heel all season.

The team is ranked fourth in stopping the run, but are 17th in pass defense, allowing an average of 238 yards against them per game.

Such an explanation doesn't exactly inspire confidence, as Jenkins doesn't take responsibility for a word which offends many, and is frankly not appropriate to use in general, especially not on social media.

Simply stating he was raised differently than the rest of us is merely a cop-out for using a term which is meant to degrade the mentally disabled. There is no other definition, as much as Jenkins and other may try to deflect.

For head coach Sean Payton, the move to sign Jenkins was a no brainer, despite his latest off-field controversy.

"We value the player, especially the position," Payton told media. "It's always a difficult position to find. He gives us versatility and that's important down the stretch."

This "stretch" is one of the more important New Orleans has had in years. They're celebrating Drew Brees' passing of native son Peyton Manning on the NFL's all-time passing touchdowns list, but their focus will be right back on the field this week with unfinished work to do.

They'll need to win out to reclaim the home field advantage they lost at the hands of San Francisco, and are optimistic Jenkins will help with that -- while of course keeping his name out of controversy.