Cornerback Izel Jenkins understood the challenge he faced every Sunday. He noticed when the opposing quarterback was looking over at him during pre-game warm-ups. He heard the tough critics yelling at him from their seats in the stands at Veterans Stadium. For Jenkins, he knew that no matter how great he played; individually, he would never win.

"I knew what I was up against every game. Being able to have cornerback Eric Allen on one side of the field was a blessing for our defense as a team," said Jenkins. "But individually, I knew things would become more difficult for me because you knew teams were coming your way on every play.

"If a team completed a 10-yard pass play on Eric the fans would say 'Oh, they got lucky or Eric must have slipped!' But when the quarterback completed a 10-yard pass play on me, the fans would yell 'Oh, Izel got beat up again or he got burnt.'"

CB Izel Jenkins

In fact, this resulted in many Eagles fans giving Jenkins a nickname "Toast." The fans believed Jenkins gave up too many big pass plays to opposing wide receivers. Jenkins used to get angry over the nickname.

"If you listen to the fans you'll be sitting with the fans," said Jenkins. "As a professional athlete you have to block that stuff out. However, your family might hear those comments and that becomes difficult.

"Overall, if you look at the defenses I played on with the Eagles, they were legendary defenses. Nobody wanted any part of our defense. Our defense was simply nasty! It was filled with deserving Pro Bowlers in Eric (Allen), Jerome Brown, Reggie White, Seth Joyner, Clyde Simmons and everyone around the league was aware of Andre (Waters) and Wes (Hopkins) at safety.

"So, if we ever gave up a big play, nobody is going to blame those great players. And many times I felt the media would use me as the scapegoat. And the media does influence the opinion of the fan. As long as my teammates and head coach Buddy Ryan believed in me, that's all I cared about."

However, the fans' criticism of Jenkins over the years may be viewed as unjustified if the following is considered - Jenkins was an 11th-round draft selection of a 1988 Eagles draft class that included Allen, Keith Jackson, Matt Patchan, Eric Everett, Don McPherson, Rob Sterling, Todd White, Dave Smith, and Joe Schuster. It could be argued that the former North Carolina State product was a great "value pick" by the Eagles brass that year, having played five years in Philadelphia.

"Buddy Ryan had a knack for finding some good ball players late in a draft in those later rounds," Jenkins said. "For example, everybody thought that Brian Bosworth was going to be the next Mike Singletary, and we all saw how that turned out! Buddy often took chances on players overlooked like Seth Joyner (eighth round) and Clyde Simmons (ninth round) of the 1986 Draft. So we were hungry to play for him."

Two players Jenkins loved having as teammates were Keith Jackson and the late Jerome Brown.

"Being a physical corner, Keith said I always made him work in practice. Keith made me a better player. Jerome Brown would give you the shirt off his back, and he just had this Teddy Bear effect on everybody in the locker room. I definitely viewed him as a big brother both on and off the field," Jenkins said.

The one thing, at times, Jenkins found a bit humorous was how the Philadelphia Eagles were treated off the field during the season.

"When you meet people in public after a win, you may get treated to a free dinner, or everybody wants your autograph or they're telling you how great you are or how you played during that specific game," said Jenkins. "The game plan was perfect, it's nobody's fault after a win. However, after a loss the fans will notice every little thing. Many times after a lost I would sign an autograph for a fan, and then they state if you would have run this play, you would have won."

Although Jenkins loved his time in Philadelphia as a player from 1988-1992, he does have one moment he wishes he could have had back.

CB Izel Jenkins

"The time I pulled my hamstring, which is really just the worst fear as a cornerback because that takes away your backpedaling speed, and jumping ability; all things necessary to be an effective defensive back," said Jenkins.

"But I made a big mistake by trying to come back from my injuries too early. The team doctors would tell me to rest and let that injury heal properly. But I just wanted to get back out there on the field, and I never overcame that injury. I just wasn't the same player after that injury occurred."

However, do not be surprised if Izel Jenkins is putting on a Philadelphia Eagles uniform once again someday in the future. Jenkins' son, Izel Jenkins III, will be headed to Wofford College in the fall to play football, a premier Division I-AA football program located in Spartanburg, S.C. on a partial academic and athletic scholarship. He will likely either play cornerback or wide receiver.

"I'm most proud of what he has accomplished as a student in the classroom and getting rewarded for that too on the next level," said Jenkins.

With his football playing days behind him, the elder Jenkins is still focused on applying his determination in his professional life. He makes his professional living in real estate working alongside his brother, Maurice. He is married with three children and resides with his family in Wilson, N.C.

Izel Jenkins is no longer Toast, but he continues to live a life that is butter.