Tribal Warfare
08-04-2010, 12:31 AM
Chiefs still waiting for Jackson to fulfill potential (http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/03/2127268/chiefs-still-waiting-for-jackson.html)
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star
ST. JOSEPH | Maybe he will come around in time. There could be a day that Tyson Jackson lives up to the potential the Chiefs saw in him before the 2009 NFL draft, when they selected the defensive end at No. 3 overall.
The team is willing to wait, but coach Todd Haley knows that each practice is critical for the development of a player the Chiefs invested in — and whose payoff remains in question.
“We’ll know more as we go forward,” Haley said Tuesday. “I think that he learned a lot last year. He survived it. It wasn’t always perfect, but he came back for more, hungry.”
If Jackson is hungry to improve, the Chiefs are hungry to reap the rewards. Choosing someone in the top five puts a lifetime brand on a player that he’s expected to be great. Multiple Pro Bowls, consideration for awards, and the anchor of a team headed deep into the playoffs.
Jackson hasn’t admitted that he’s felt pressure, or been affected by the expectations that have followed him since he was drafted. But he admits that his first season, when he started 14 games but had zero sacks, wasn’t good enough.
“Year one,” he said, “you just get smashed with a whole lot of stuff. Going to the combine, going straight to the minicamps and stuff, you never get that time off to relax. But year two is pretty much more slow. Guys get to start understanding football at the NFL level and get a better grasp of everything.”
Haley wouldn’t say Tuesday what he believes Jackson’s potential is after that first pro season. Perhaps Haley was being coy, as he often does when faced with a subject he’d prefer to not answer — or perhaps he simply doesn’t know. There weren’t many highlights from Jackson’s first season, not many moments to point to for a dose of encouragement from a player whose contract is worth $31 million in guaranteed money.
Jackson looks the part of an NFL defensive lineman. He’s 6 feet 4 and 296 pounds. But each time Jackson speaks to reporters, he laments the tall order he faces in improving his technique. He added this week that he’s been helped by the presence of Romeo Crennel, a former defensive-line coach who Haley hired in the offseason as the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator. Jackson said he’s never had a coordinator who is so hands-on with linemen, and it’s not uncommon for Crennel to interrupt practices for tips.
“I’ve just got to keep going out there every day and put my talent to work, continue to work hard,” Jackson said, “and let everything else play itself out.”
Haley said there’s reason for optimism regarding Jackson. The coach said Jackson possesses plenty of attributes that suggest that brighter days could be ahead for the big man.
“He is in the early stages of an NFL career, playing a very difficult position against grown men,” Haley said. “I’m encouraged with where Tyson is right now.
“He’s a big, getting-stronger player that has good athletic ability. And that’s a pretty good combination. And I believe a pretty high-character guy, who’s prideful and wants to be good. I don’t know that there’s a lot missing from that equation.”
Only there’s not much evidence yet that suggests Jackson can be the worry-free foundation block they drafted him to be. He hasn’t looked overpowering even against blockers who are expected to be backups, and reserve running back Jackie Battle and backup offensive lineman Colin Brown had no trouble containing Jackson during Tuesday’s afternoon workout.
At least publicly, Jackson’s teammates are expressing support for their one of their most high-profile — and much-scrutinized colleagues.
“He knows what he has to do, like all of us,” defensive end Wallace Gilberry said. “He’s out here trying to get every day.
“It doesn’t matter how you get in; it’s how you leave.”
For all the things Haley would say Tuesday about Jackson, there was at least as much he wouldn’t say. He wouldn’t reveal what his expectations are, and he wouldn’t say what must happen to prove that Jackson has found himself on track. He also wouldn’t say whether he thinks Jackson has yet to get comfortable as an NFL player.
Haley said he’ll just have to hope Jackson does the right things, and he said he thinks that if Jackson stays focused, good things could be ahead.
“I’m counting on him being a big contributor this year,” Haley said. “I know he is, and I know his teammates are. I have a pretty positive outlook on how things will end up for Tyson.”
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star
ST. JOSEPH | Maybe he will come around in time. There could be a day that Tyson Jackson lives up to the potential the Chiefs saw in him before the 2009 NFL draft, when they selected the defensive end at No. 3 overall.
The team is willing to wait, but coach Todd Haley knows that each practice is critical for the development of a player the Chiefs invested in — and whose payoff remains in question.
“We’ll know more as we go forward,” Haley said Tuesday. “I think that he learned a lot last year. He survived it. It wasn’t always perfect, but he came back for more, hungry.”
If Jackson is hungry to improve, the Chiefs are hungry to reap the rewards. Choosing someone in the top five puts a lifetime brand on a player that he’s expected to be great. Multiple Pro Bowls, consideration for awards, and the anchor of a team headed deep into the playoffs.
Jackson hasn’t admitted that he’s felt pressure, or been affected by the expectations that have followed him since he was drafted. But he admits that his first season, when he started 14 games but had zero sacks, wasn’t good enough.
“Year one,” he said, “you just get smashed with a whole lot of stuff. Going to the combine, going straight to the minicamps and stuff, you never get that time off to relax. But year two is pretty much more slow. Guys get to start understanding football at the NFL level and get a better grasp of everything.”
Haley wouldn’t say Tuesday what he believes Jackson’s potential is after that first pro season. Perhaps Haley was being coy, as he often does when faced with a subject he’d prefer to not answer — or perhaps he simply doesn’t know. There weren’t many highlights from Jackson’s first season, not many moments to point to for a dose of encouragement from a player whose contract is worth $31 million in guaranteed money.
Jackson looks the part of an NFL defensive lineman. He’s 6 feet 4 and 296 pounds. But each time Jackson speaks to reporters, he laments the tall order he faces in improving his technique. He added this week that he’s been helped by the presence of Romeo Crennel, a former defensive-line coach who Haley hired in the offseason as the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator. Jackson said he’s never had a coordinator who is so hands-on with linemen, and it’s not uncommon for Crennel to interrupt practices for tips.
“I’ve just got to keep going out there every day and put my talent to work, continue to work hard,” Jackson said, “and let everything else play itself out.”
Haley said there’s reason for optimism regarding Jackson. The coach said Jackson possesses plenty of attributes that suggest that brighter days could be ahead for the big man.
“He is in the early stages of an NFL career, playing a very difficult position against grown men,” Haley said. “I’m encouraged with where Tyson is right now.
“He’s a big, getting-stronger player that has good athletic ability. And that’s a pretty good combination. And I believe a pretty high-character guy, who’s prideful and wants to be good. I don’t know that there’s a lot missing from that equation.”
Only there’s not much evidence yet that suggests Jackson can be the worry-free foundation block they drafted him to be. He hasn’t looked overpowering even against blockers who are expected to be backups, and reserve running back Jackie Battle and backup offensive lineman Colin Brown had no trouble containing Jackson during Tuesday’s afternoon workout.
At least publicly, Jackson’s teammates are expressing support for their one of their most high-profile — and much-scrutinized colleagues.
“He knows what he has to do, like all of us,” defensive end Wallace Gilberry said. “He’s out here trying to get every day.
“It doesn’t matter how you get in; it’s how you leave.”
For all the things Haley would say Tuesday about Jackson, there was at least as much he wouldn’t say. He wouldn’t reveal what his expectations are, and he wouldn’t say what must happen to prove that Jackson has found himself on track. He also wouldn’t say whether he thinks Jackson has yet to get comfortable as an NFL player.
Haley said he’ll just have to hope Jackson does the right things, and he said he thinks that if Jackson stays focused, good things could be ahead.
“I’m counting on him being a big contributor this year,” Haley said. “I know he is, and I know his teammates are. I have a pretty positive outlook on how things will end up for Tyson.”