- Joined:
- Sep 28, 2014
- Posts:
- 8,616
- Liked Posts:
- 10,212
- Location:
- Chicago, IL
I know we all like to read stuff about how great our players are or will be, but it's also beneficial to have a critical eye. This is because a lot of us tend to go through wild swings of emotion. A player could have a rough first few games or is rarely seeing the field, and he's immediately labeled a bust. A lot of these guys have real issues in their game. While some of these flaws may be critical, they are also likely correctable. I know it's scary, but it's gonna take patience.
Eddie Jackson - Safety - Alabama
I'm starting things out with Eddie Jackson the free safety out of Alabama. He looks to be a true ball hawking safety with good range as well as an elite punt returner. These punt returning skills make it so that anytime he had the football (offense/defense) he's a threat to score. Even the great Brett Kollmann has stated he would draft him in the 1st round.
So I watched the 2015 national championship game, in which I believe Jackson was named the defensive MVP. I'd like to quickly address his range. While he does have good range out there, it's doesn't look to be incredibly game changing.
***This play is kinda similar to the one Malik Hooker made famous in 2016. It looks as though Jackson is about a step behind Hooker as far as range. Now I know that only a handful of players actually possess the range of Hooker, so I'm obviously being overly critical here.
Now on to the main problem, and that would be tackling. I knew that Jackson was a bad tackler, but he's a VERY bad tackler. And it's not just tackling that's the problem. It's the physicality of his game, by which I mean he has none.
***In this gif above, Eddie Jackson becomes a human speed bump. He just sorta gets in front of the ball carrier and hopes that his presence alone will be enough to stop him.
***In the above gif, Jackson takes an absolutely atrocious angle and completely misses the RB.
***This play above goes back to the lack of physicality. Jackson is dragged 8 yards after the point of contact with the RB, just holding on for dear life.
***Here Jackson becomes extremely hesitant as he closes on on Watson, allowing him to get around him on the edge.
***Here again Jackson hesitates as he approaches the ball carrier, allowing him time to set his feet and survey the field. One move and Jackson becomes off balance, making his attempted arm tackle ineffective. The ball carrier actually twisted his ankle badly in the course of that tackle attempt, and Jackson still couldn't bring him down. Sometimes it seems as though Jackson is afraid of contact.
***In this play, Jackson comes out of deep safety and proceeds to become a human traffic cone.
***Here Jackson does recover to get back to the ball carrier, but is then dragged another 10 yards until the RB steps out of bounds.
Tackling is something that can be fixed with time. Earl Thomas was an awful tackler in his first 2 seasons of the league. The thing we must understand is that Jackson could quickly see the bench if this doesn't improve. No matter how well he plays in the passing game.
What I'm most worried about though is the lack of physicality and aggressiveness. To improve as a tackler, first and foremost, you have to want to tackle someone. It's about effort and having that mindset more than anything else. It's something he has to choose to do himself. Because of the lack of physicality, Jackson is run around and run through. Because of his lack of agressiveness, Jackson is easily blocked out of the play. If dude can change his mindset out there, he has the ability to be a very good safety.
Eddie Jackson - Safety - Alabama
I'm starting things out with Eddie Jackson the free safety out of Alabama. He looks to be a true ball hawking safety with good range as well as an elite punt returner. These punt returning skills make it so that anytime he had the football (offense/defense) he's a threat to score. Even the great Brett Kollmann has stated he would draft him in the 1st round.
So I watched the 2015 national championship game, in which I believe Jackson was named the defensive MVP. I'd like to quickly address his range. While he does have good range out there, it's doesn't look to be incredibly game changing.
***This play is kinda similar to the one Malik Hooker made famous in 2016. It looks as though Jackson is about a step behind Hooker as far as range. Now I know that only a handful of players actually possess the range of Hooker, so I'm obviously being overly critical here.
Now on to the main problem, and that would be tackling. I knew that Jackson was a bad tackler, but he's a VERY bad tackler. And it's not just tackling that's the problem. It's the physicality of his game, by which I mean he has none.
***In this gif above, Eddie Jackson becomes a human speed bump. He just sorta gets in front of the ball carrier and hopes that his presence alone will be enough to stop him.
***In the above gif, Jackson takes an absolutely atrocious angle and completely misses the RB.
***This play above goes back to the lack of physicality. Jackson is dragged 8 yards after the point of contact with the RB, just holding on for dear life.
***Here Jackson becomes extremely hesitant as he closes on on Watson, allowing him to get around him on the edge.
***Here again Jackson hesitates as he approaches the ball carrier, allowing him time to set his feet and survey the field. One move and Jackson becomes off balance, making his attempted arm tackle ineffective. The ball carrier actually twisted his ankle badly in the course of that tackle attempt, and Jackson still couldn't bring him down. Sometimes it seems as though Jackson is afraid of contact.
***In this play, Jackson comes out of deep safety and proceeds to become a human traffic cone.
***Here Jackson does recover to get back to the ball carrier, but is then dragged another 10 yards until the RB steps out of bounds.
Tackling is something that can be fixed with time. Earl Thomas was an awful tackler in his first 2 seasons of the league. The thing we must understand is that Jackson could quickly see the bench if this doesn't improve. No matter how well he plays in the passing game.
What I'm most worried about though is the lack of physicality and aggressiveness. To improve as a tackler, first and foremost, you have to want to tackle someone. It's about effort and having that mindset more than anything else. It's something he has to choose to do himself. Because of the lack of physicality, Jackson is run around and run through. Because of his lack of agressiveness, Jackson is easily blocked out of the play. If dude can change his mindset out there, he has the ability to be a very good safety.
