Born in the less regarded half of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Jackson went from Lamar High School to Coe College. “Where’s Coe College?” those of you who don’t devotedly follow the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) may ask. Well, it’s right in Cedar Rapids and I think it would be safe to say that Freddy was the best football player in town during his time there.
In his final year of college, Jackson tore it up for the Kohawks. He rushed for 1,702 yards and 29 touchdowns in just ten games (that’s 170.2 yards and nearly three TDs per). Needless to say, he turned some heads in not just in the IIAC but in all of D-III, earning himself his second conference MVP and a spot on five All-American teams.
Unfortunately, beating up on the University of Dubuque and Wartburg wasn’t enough to get any love from NFL scouts and Jackson went undrafted in 2003. It’s a good thing that he grew so fond of Iowa because he was then signed by the Sioux City Bandits of the United Indoor Football League (UIF). He was named co-MVP at the end of the 2005 season after a 1,770 yard and 41 touchdown campaign. Oh, and by the way, he was making about $100 per game.
Following his impressive career with the Bandits (who would go on to retire his number), Jackson rose in the ranks of legitimate football leagues and made his way to NFL Europe to play for the Rhein Fire. While in Düsseldorf, he continued his habit of leading his team in rushing and kept the Fire competitive as they finished third overall in the league.
Someone in the Bills’ front office must’ve been a big fan of either the Kohawks, Bandits, or Fire because Jackson was invited to their training camp in 2006. He stuck around on the practice squad that season, and made the active roster the following year. It didn’t take long for Jackson to get Buffalo fans to bear the arctic elements and come watch him. During that season, against none other than the Redskins, Jackson became the first Division III running back to start an NFL game in seven years – and he did pretty well rushing for 82 yards and adding 69 more through the air with four receptions in a victorious effort.
That was the opportunity Jackson needed to let the Bills' coaching staff know that he was worthy of consistent playing time. He continued to play well when he got the chance and in December of that season, Lynch and Jackson became the first duo of Buffalo running backs to each rush for 100-yards (Jackson had more, by the way) in a game.
Fastforwarding past an ordinary season as a backup in 2008, Jackson is now forcing Dick Jauron to consider reshuffling his depth chart at the halfback position. With Lynch sitting out the first three games due to suspension, Jackson has been the starter over Xavier Oman - a man who can't help but see his initials any time he plays tic-tac-toe - with an average of 142 total yards per game, and led Buffalo in a near-upset over the Patriots in Week One. As well as helping the Bills out with his versatility out of the backfield as both a runner and receiver, he’s been a pleasant addition to my fantasy team after initially being overlooked.
Then again, it’s only appropriate that he's been overlooked yet again. You’ll get your due someday, Fred, you’ll get your due someday.
No comments:
Post a Comment