The Buffalo Bills have rolled to a 5-2 record this season behind the running and receiving of all-purpose threat Fred Jackson, and he is near record pace for yards from scrimmage this season. This weekend, as the Bills routed the Washington Redskins 23-0, Jackson led the Bills in both rushing and receiving yardage, amassing 194 yards from scrimmage.
Jackson ran the ball 26 times for 120 yards, and also had 3 receptions for another 74 yards. So far this season, Jackson has five 100-yard rushing games out of seven games played. He has totaled 721 yards rushing, averaging 5.5 yards per carry, and has another 353 yards receiving, averaging over 13 yards per catch.
He is currently on pace for 2,455 yards from scrimmage, just shy of the NFL record of 2,509 (Chris Johnson, 2009). In a season in which much has been made of the passing and receiving yardage of players like Brady, Rodgers and Brees, Welker, Steve Smith and Calvin Johnson, Fred Jackson has been quietly racking up huge numbers and helping to lead the Bills to victory after victory.
But Jackson is used to playing low key and taking on the underdog’s role. And the road he’s taken has made him that much stronger.
Jackson came out of Division III Coe College, and had to prove himself in the Arena Leagues in Iowa and in with the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe before getting his shot in the NFL. And now he is proving to be perhaps the best all-around running back in the NFL.
“I had never coached an NFL player and haven’t since, so I can’t say that I knew he would have this kind of career in the NFL,” said Erik Raeburn, his coach at Coe, now head coach at Wabash College. “For Division III, I knew he was off-the-charts good.”
Jackson was the conference MVP twice, and was also an all-American sprinter. He was determined to round out his game and make it to the NFL. Raeburn still fondly remembers Jackson “blocking a guy clear into our bench” to spring a teammate for a touchdown. That’s the kind of determination that still shows up in his game every Sunday.
In spite of his determination, he might not have made it to the NFL if not for the fact that there is another famous alumnus of Coe College – former Bills’ coach Marv Levy.
“That is the No. 1 reason I’m in Buffalo, just because I knew coach [Marv] Levy. He gave me a workout when I was at Coe,” Jackson said.
“Him being an alumni of Coe College, I had the opportunity to meet him when I was a sophomore. When I was doing my workouts and playing in that indoor league for two years, he said, ‘If I ever get a chance, I’ll get you a workout, whether it’s with me or another team in the league.’ A week after he came became the [general manager] in Buffalo, I got a phone call from the Bills saying we would like to give you a workout.”
Jackson was invited to Bills training camp in 2006, after Levy helped him get a job with the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe. Jackson stuck with the Bills, and made his first NFL start in 2007.
Jackson is a great all around back – combining hard-nosed running, break away speed and great hands as a receiver out of the backfield. Jackson can do it all, and has put it all on display this season.
“Staying on the field: That’s what I try to do in any part of my game,” Jackson said. “I don’t want to be one of the guys that [the coaches] have to take off the field to do something else.”
Jackson has that complete game, and in an era of increasing specialization with third-down backs and shared rushing responsibilities, Jackson is exceling as that every down player that can do everything.
“He’s the most well-rounded player I’ve ever coached,” Raeburn said. “When I see him play, he runs the ball great, and then all of the sudden they’re throwing him a pass. He’s got unbelievable hands and he’s an unbelievable receiver for a running back. Or they’ll be running a pass and someone will blitz and he’ll jump up there and stone one of those linebackers coming after the quarterback.
“That’s the same way he was when he played for us. He was excellent at everything.”
He has also displayed excellent vision on the field for finding the holes and breaking loose long runs. “This was the first time I gave a call to my agent about Fred,” said Jose Jefferson, Jackson’s coach in 2005 with the Sioux City Bandits. “We’re playing a game, and we ran a base dive, and he’s running, and the hole looks wide open. Then, just out of nowhere, he jumps backwards, like a jump cut, but backwards and to the side. This [defender] just dives in front of him at his feet, and he scores a 40-yard touchdown.
“He gets to the sidelines and I go, ‘Great run.’ We’re talking. ‘Fred, how did you see that guy coming?’ He said, ‘Hey coach, how did you not?’ ”
Jefferson went on to add a very complementary comparison. “Fred is a lot like Adrian Peterson [who is currently leading the league in rushing]: one gear, 100 miles an hour, a little bit upright,” Jefferson said. “So he worked on lowering his hips, lowering his pad level.”
Now that he has become the featured back, he is demonstrating what he can do. The Bills have finally stopped looking for another running back, even moving 2010 first round draft pick C.J. Spiller to wide receiver to keep Jackson on the field more.
Jackson has finally arrived. He is producing Pro Bowl numbers and getting the attention he deserves for it. But in spite of all of that, he has never forgotten what it took to get here, or where he came from.
“I want all Division III athletes to know that if you want to get somewhere, you can get there,” Jackson said. “I’ll definitely represent for them.”
The Bills signed a contract extension this week for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Jackson should be the next one on the list. With the core of Fitzpatrick and Jackson, the Bills look to have the key offensive pieces for some serious playoff runs over the next few years.
