Jenkins Brothers to Meet Again

Because they play the same position, they won’t exactly be knocking heads on the field Sunday, but the game will be special to the Jenkins brothers nonetheless.

Green Bay’s Cullen and Carolina’s Kris, both defensive tackles, will take the same field Sunday for the first time since the 2004 season opener, when the Packers beat Carolina on a Monday night. (The Packers played in Carolina again in 2005, but Kris was injured and did not play.)

In that 2004 opener, Kris had four tackles and a sack, while Cullen, playing in his first game as a Packer, had two tackles. But that’s almost ancient history in terms of the sibling rivalry. Back then, Cullen was still trying to find his place on the team, while the older Kris already had been to two Pro Bowls.

Fast forward to now, and Cullen has entrenched himself as Green Bay’s starting defensive end whose strong 2006 season earned him his first multi-year contract this past winter, and he’s not necessarily referred to any longer as Kris Jenkins’ little brother.

“I feel like it’s on that path,” Cullen Jenkins said. “The biggest thing we do compete with is our stats or something like that. If I go out there and do more than he does, I’ll be the best brother that day. Then he can be my brother.”

Their paths to the NFL were starkly different. Cullen was a non-drafted free agent out of Central Michgan cut by the Packers in 2003 and sent to NFL Europe in 2004 before landing a spot as a reserve defensive lineman that summer. Meanwhile Kris was a second-round draft pick of the Panthers in 2001 out of Maryland and was a starter in his first NFL game as a rookie. He earned his third Pro Bowl selection last season.

“He’s one of the people who has always supported me and helped me out, coming through college and my journey, trying to make the team, getting to where I’m at now,” Jenkins said. “We have a real good relationship.”

Cullen said the two haven’t talked much about the game lately because Kris just added another child to the family and discussions have centered around that. But the trash talk between the two will probably crank up as the week goes on, and Cullen plans to take his wife and two kids to have dinner with Kris on Saturday night.

“My oldest daughter, I think she’s finally realizing what’s going on,” Jenkins said. “She seems like she’s more excited about it than I am. She keeps asking me, ‘When is Uncle Kris coming to town?’”

And the all-important question as to whom their parents will cheer for Sunday?

“The defense,” Jenkins said. “Whenever the defense is on the field.”

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