PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles got their safety quickly. Khalen Saunders Youth Jersey . The Eagles and former New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins agreed on a three-year contract Tuesday, shortly after NFL free agency began. Its worth $16.25 million, including $8.5 million guaranteed, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team didnt announce terms. "Malcolm is someone weve had our eye on for quite a while," general manager Howie Roseman said. "He has been a productive player his entire football career, both in New Orleans and at Ohio State. Everything you hear about Malcolm as a person is true. He was a two-time defensive captain with the Saints and is a high-character player. We are excited to add a guy like that to the culture we have established here." The move came shortly after veteran safety Patrick Chung was released. The Eagles also agreed to a three-year deal with punter Donnie Jones. Jenkins, the 14th overall pick in the 2009 draft, started 63 games in five seasons with the Saints. He fills a major need for the NFC East champions, and should bolster a pass defence that was the worst in the NFL last year. The Eagles have had a revolving door at safety for a few years since former All-Pro Brian Dawkins left Philadelphia. Jenkins had 48 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in 14 games last year, helping the Saints finish second against the pass. "We really liked Malcolms versatility," coach Chip Kelly said. "He can line up at either safety spot, can come in and make a tackle and can play man-to-man as well. I had a chance to study him on tape leading up to the playoff game and really liked what I saw. Hes a sharp kid and is ultra-competitive. We are really happy to have him in Philadelphia." The Eagles lost to the Saints in a first-round playoff game in Philadelphia. Jenkins has 358 career tackles, six interceptions, six forced fumbles and 4 1/2 sacks. "Very excited about being a part of the (at)Eagles organization! I loved every minute I spent in New Orleans but all good things come to an end," Jenkins wrote on Twitter. Jenkins becomes the third safety on Philadelphias roster, joining Earl Wolff and Keelan Johnson. The Eagles havent re-signed Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman or Colt Anderson. Jarius Byrd and T.J. Ward were considered the top safeties available, but the team felt Jenkins is a better fit for its 3-4 defence. Keeping Jones was a priority for special teams. Jones set team records with 33 punts inside the 20 and a net average of 40.5 in his first season in Philadelphia last year. "Donnie proved he was a great weapon for us last year," Kelly said. "He had a really good season for us. I like the fact that we continued our trend of re-signing our core players. Hes a good teammate and a player we prioritized during this free agency process." Christian Okoye Jersey.C. -- Cam Newton wasnt flawless on Sunday. Tony Gonzalez Youth Jersey .C. -- The shot that would have beaten No.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hey Kerry, As always, I really enjoy your take on some of the questionable plays/calls/non-calls. I thought I would try and lighten it up a little with a request for you to share a truly funny or odd moment that you may have had while the players were lining up at the dot. There have been a couple of brief interchanges recently that made me think of this, the latest being at about 12:23 of the first in the Hawks/Kings game on Monday. With all the games you have done, there must be a few. Care to share any? Thanks again, Bajuhn Hey Bujuhn, The camera often catches intense debates between players or coaches and the officials but misses the lighter, humorous side that helps to bring the temperature down and build healthy professional working relationships. I learned early in my career that the use of humor, when appropriate (especially self-deprecating), had its place on the ice. Early in my very first season as a referee, I had a game where the home team was getting soundly trounced and their frustration was continuously being directed at me. I responded with multiple misconduct penalties and, toward the end of the game, players were sitting three deep in the penalty box. Following another goal that took the score in double digits, the coach sent his captain over to have a word with me. Very politely the captain asked, "Mr. Referee, my coach wants to know if he can get a penalty for thinking?" I said, "Probably not if he doesnt think out loud." The captain then said, "In that case, my coach thinks you are a F-ing A-hole!" I not only found the coaches comment to be creative but very funny and I began to laugh. The stern look on the face of the coach changed to a grin and then he began to laugh as well. The humor we shared in that moment, albeit at my expense, broke the ice and taught me a valuable lesson that would serve me throughout my career. In the early 1980s, I was the first referee to wear a wireless microphone during a game at MSG between the Minnesota North Stars and the Rangers. The microphone was left open throughout the entire game so it brought the television audience directly to the action on the ice with uncensored comments. We had several dust-ups throughout the game where my mic caught all the pleasantries that were being exchanged between players. Willi Plett tried to club Don Maloney of the Rangers in once such scrum and caught me on the bridge of my nose with his glove. After Plett served his penalty, he approached me at a stoppage of play and asked, "Is this your worst game of the season?" I shot back with a smile, "No, theyre all about this caliber. Darwin Thompson Jersey. " Plett looked dumbfounded and shook his head while skating away. At times, I tried to council rookie officials not to take themselves so seriously in an effort to solicit player cooperation and earn respect. In 1988, my friend and colleague, linesman Pierre Champoux signed an NHL contract. Pierre quickly developed into an excellent linesman but in the beginning of his career, he did not have a very good command of the English language to put it mildly. We left training camp together that September and headed out West to work exhibition games and to work on Pierres English language skills. One of our early assignments was in Los Angeles and the rookie linesman wanted to establish his full control in the faceoff circle. Bernie Nicholls entered Pierres domain late in the first period to take the draw. In what Nicholls correctly perceived as an aggressive tone and animated gesture, the linesman commanded Nichols with, "You, put your stick down!" Bernie straightened up, cussed at Champoux by questioning who the "F" the rookie thought he was talking to? Nicholls was immediately ejected from the faceoff with a quick jerk of the linesmans thumb followed by, "You, out!" I skated over and told Nicholls to relax as a replacement entered the faceoff circle. Between periods, I conveyed the importance of quickly developing a good working relationship with all the players to gain respect and solicit their cooperation. I acted out a role-play to demonstrate the linesmans command to Nicholls that wasnt well received; followed by a polite approach I always used by requesting the centres to "please put your sticks down." It was obvious to Pierre which method would be better received by a player in the future. I finished by commenting if Pierre still received a hostile comment from a player following his polite request to follow with a lighter approach by saying, "Why are you so grumpy, did someone piss on your cornflakes this morning?" Pierre said I like dat and he couldnt wait to get on the ice to try his new techniques in the faceoff circle; especially the cornflakes line as it turned out. As the centres arrived for the faceoff, Pierre still had a bit of an edge to his tone when he commanded, "You, put your stick down please." Getting some resistance from the player, my rookie student responded immediately with, "Put your stick down or I will piss on your corn-flake!" Something got lost in the translation. Champoux quickly developed a command of the English language and continues to be recognized by the players as a highly respected linesman in the NHL. Pierre also enjoys his bowl of cornflakes in the morning with low-fat milk. ' ' '
