Janoris Jenkins didn't hold back his frustrations last week following the Giants' 31-13 loss to the Packers, wondering aloud whether keeping him on one side of the field was the best use of his abilities.
Pat Shurmur defended both Jenkins and defensive coordinator James Bettcher earlier this week, pushing back on the notion that the cornerback was being overly critical of the way he's being used in coverage.
"I'm not sure that's what he was doing. That may be the impression," Shurmur said. "Coaches and players talk about a lot of things behind the scenes. But obviously anything that we do, we should do behind the scenes."
On Friday, Bettcher echoed the sentiments of his head coach, saying that there's no issue between himself and the 2016 Pro Bowler.
"Since I've been here and had an opportunity to work with him, he has competed on a daily basis for me and for his teammates," Bettcher told The Post. "You'll see him grabbing our young corners and leading them around and making points to them of what he's looking at, of what he recognizes. He and I have a really good relationship."
The 31-year-old Jenkins is the elder statesman of a cornerback group that features rookies DeAndre Baker and Corey Ballentine. Sam Beal, another rookie, made his debut in Week 10 and played nearly half of Big Blue's defensive snaps against the Packers last week.
Because of his defense's lack of experience, Bettcher says that they have to gameplan a little differently. Rather than moving Jenkins around and shifting everyone else accordingly, he's more inclined to keep things simpler.
"I think the decision is on the collective, not on the one guy," Bettcher said of keeping Jenkins to one side of the field.. "It was the same way if I go back to my time in Arizona when I had Patrick [Peterson]. If it would not have been the best thing to do for everyone, we wouldn't have done it."
Jenkins is in the fourth year of a five-year deal he signed with the Giants in 2016. He declined to expand or clarify his previous comments, but with four games left in a disappointing 2019, it appears the coaching staff wants to turn the page.
"I look forward to him having a strong finish to the rest of the season," Bettcher said.