Fred Jackson: The Amazing Rise of the Undrafted Running Back
Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills running back, is expected to return in the 2011 season as the starting running back for the team. He will share carries with C. J. Spiller, who is hoping to improve upon his forgettable rookie season.
Some people are aware of Fred Jackson, but I doubt that many people are truly aware of all the things that Fred Jackson does, and the path that he has traveled to be part of a NFL roster.
As we inch closer to the NFL draft, we wonder if there is another running back that will go in the seventh round that winds up being able to work their way up to becoming a NFL starter.
Since NFL teams will not be able to sign any undrafted players until a new CBA agreement is in place, nobody for now can follow exactly in Fred Jackson's shoes. But then again, when you see what he had to go through, why would anyone want to?
Jackson Continues to Prove He Is One of Most Elusive RB's in NFL
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In an interesting study conducted by ProFootballFocus.com, Fred Jackson has demonstrated that he is one of the most elusive backs in the league, and he has been able to perform at a high level for the past several years.
In the 2010 season, Fred Jackson finished tied for second in the NFL in number of forced missed tackles caused during the season. In addition, for every time Jackson touches the ball, he forces a missed tackle 20 percent of the time, which is second best in the entire NFL.
Jackson is elusive both a rusher and as a receiver. He is durable and takes on a punishing running style where he absorbs a number of hits per rush, but finds a way somehow to grind out as many yards as possible.
For the 2009 season, ProFootballFocus.com ran an elusiveness story, and Jackson finished the season at number four overall. He was the only rusher that appeared in the top 10 for both 2009 and 2010, proving that he is a consistent threat.
Jackson Is a Multi-Talented Back
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People in the NFL started to pay more attention to Jackson following his performance in 2009.
From his Wikipedia entry, Jackson was able to accomplish the following in 2009:
"Jackson eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career with 1062 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also set a new high in catches with 46 for 371 yards and 2 more scores and also completed a 27-yard touchdown pass. Jackson also had 1014 kickoff return yards making him the first player in NFL history to compile 1000 rushing and kickoff return yards in the same season."
The 2,516 combined yards are the fourth highest total in NFL history. After the season, Jackson was named to the USA Today All-Joe Team for his quality play.
For his career, Jackson has turned in six 100-yard rushing games, but also topped 100 yards receiving against Pittsburgh in 2010. His career high was in 2009, when Jackson rushed the ball 33 times against Indianapolis for 212 yards.
Fred Jackson Is a Story About Patience and Perseverence
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Fred Jackson played his college football at Coe College, a Division III school.
After graduating, Jackson played in 2004 and 2005 for the Sioux City Bandits.
In 2006, he moved abroad to play in the NFL Europe for the Rhein Fire.
His big break came later in 2006 when one other famous Coe College alumni, Marv Levy, invited Jackson to try out for the Bills.
It wasn't until 2007 that Jackson earned his first start as the Bills running back. He continued to battle Marshawn Lynch for playing time, and now is taking on the challenge of C.J. Spiller. But challenges are nothing new for Jackson.
If you were to ask the trivia question of who graduated from a Division III school, played a season for The National Indoor Football League, the United Indoor Football League, NFL Europe and wound up becoming a 1,000-yard NFL rusher, you would probably be racking up some serious cash in bars.
Fred Jackson Is an Ideal Teammate
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Jackson is one of those players that cares about the team first and his own stats second. He is soft-spoken and doesn't seek personal attention. He is the type of player that excels at picking up blitzers to protect his quarterback.
Since the 2008 season, Jackson has never missed a single game, which is a testament to his durability and toughness
Jackson can throw the ball out of the Wildcat offense. He can run the ball, pass block, and return punts and kicks. In short, there is nothing that Fred Jackson is unwilling to do to help his team win.
In his career, Jackson has returned 13 punts for 185 yards and 35 kickoffs for 1,241 yards.
Highly Productive Running Back
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During his career as a running back, Jackson has rushed for an average ranging from a low of 4.2 yards per rush (2010) to a high of 5.2 yards per rush (2007).
He gained a career high of 1,062 yards in 2009, and followed that up with 927 in 2010. Jackson would have easily gained another 1,000 yards last year, but the Bills were showcasing Marshawn Lynch for a trade at the beginning of the season, and they split Jackson's carries with Spiller during the second half of the season.
Jackson rushed for 34 first downs in 2008, and then stepped it up to generate 43 first downs in 2009 and 42 in 2010. In 647 carries with the Bills, Jackson has only fumbled the ball four times, showing that he knows how to take care of the ball. Jackson has scored 10 rushing touchdowns for the Bills so far.
As a receiver, Jackson turned in catches that went for 65 yards in both 2008 and in 2010. He has averaged 6.9 to 8.6 yards per catch over the past four seasons. He has scored four touchdowns as a receiver so far for the Bills.
Who Is the Next Fred Jackson?
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Buffalo Bills.com lead journalist, Chris Brown ran a story on the Bills' blog about North Carolina running back Johnny White. As per the story, Brown has been shifted by North Carolina from running back, to cornerback, to wide receiver and back to running back again.
He is a strong contributor on special teams. Being versatile, helping out the team wherever he is asked, it sounds like White is a Fred Jackson clone.
To gain another perspective, Brown quoted some remarks from ESPN analyst Todd McShay on White:
“One of the most underrated players regardless of position in this year’s draft is Johnny White,” McShay said. ”They tinkered with him there position-wise at North Carolina. He’s a little over 5’10” and a little over 200 pounds. Your average NFL size for a back. He has quickness and that lateral agility and the ability to make the sharp cuts and explode.
“He has tremendous ball skills and if you’re not going to be a starter right away as a running back you’ve got to contribute on third down and you’ve got to contribute on special teams. Johnny White can catch the ball as well as any back in this class and is very productive as a return specialist. I think he has a lot of upside in that regard.”
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