Jamaal Jackson appears close to calling it a career. The former Eagles center went through one workout with the New York Giants and turned in his gear. He told head coach Tom Coughlin that his heart just wasnt in it anymore. Jackson is mulling retirement.
Im contemplating it, basically, Jackson told the Wilmington News Journal. I need to weight my options basically. I respect the Giants for giving me an opportunity, but at the end of the day, I want to go home and think about the decision I want to make moving forwardif a decision is there to make.
Jackson turned 32 earlier this month. He had quite a career for a guy who signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Delaware State. He worked his way up from the practice squad to start 71 consecutive games from 2005 through 2009.
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Jackson was released after last season and thought hed give it a go with the Super Bowl champs, but he found the fire was gone so he walked away.
When Jackson does retire, the Eagles wont be calling a press conference and retiring his number 67. He does not leave that kind of legacy. He wasnt Brian Dawkins. But he was a good player, a pros pro, a guy who was smart, tough and dependable. He came to work every day. He wore his blue collar with pride.
Jackson was underrated, but thats not uncommon for offensive linemen, especially centers. You rarely notice the center unless he misses a block or snaps the ball over the quarterbacks head. Jackson rarely made mistakes so you probably didnt appreciate all the things he did well in his five seasons as a starter.
I feel Jackson played the center position better than anyone the Eagles had since Guy Morriss (1973-83). He was better than Hank Fraley, David Alexander, Mark Dennard, Steve Everitt and all the other centers that passed through here in the last 30 years. He was bigger (6-4, 325) and more physical with a better feel for the game.
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I have to admit I didnt fully appreciate how good Jackson was until three years ago when I started watching film with Brian Baldinger for our Under Review segments on Comcast SportsNet.
Brian, who played every line position including center during his NFL career, saw things the average person would not see. A slight turn of the head, for example. He would say, Jamaal is telling the guard its a stunt. A quick tap on the butt. Brian would say, Slide protection to the left. Almost without fail, Jackson made the correct call. The gaps were covered, the blitzes were accounted for.
Tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas got more attention because they were blocking the top pass rushers. Guards Todd Herremans and Shawn Andrews got their chance to shine whenever the Eagles threw a screen pass to Brian Westbrook and they were bowling over defenders in the open field. The TV analyst would circle them on replay and say, Watch this
Jacksons role was more subtle but equally important. He called all the blocking assignments. If the defensive line shifted or the middle linebacker stepped into the gap, he made the adjustment. If the cornerback crept up to blitz, he had to see it and (tap, tap) let the running back know that was his man. If he made a mistake, the quarterback got crushed.
Most quarterbacks stay after practice to study film and Donovan McNabb was no exception. But Jackson stayed too and watched the film with McNabb. They compared notes so that on game day they were seeing and thinking the same thing.
John Madden once said, You cant have a great line without a great center. He was talking about Jim Otto, the Hall of Fame center who played for Madden in Oakland. As usual, Madden was right. It is very hard for a line to function if it is soft in the middle.
You saw what a difference it made when Jackson was injured at the end of the 2009 season. Playing with Nick Cole at center, the Eagles allowed eight sacks in back-to-back losses to Dallas. In 2010, Jackson was injured again and Mike McGlynn started at center and the Eagles allowed 49 sacks. The protection just wasnt the same.
Jackson lost his job last season when Howard Mudd took over as line coach and decided a younger, quicker Jason Kelce was a better fit for his blocking scheme. Jackson did not raise a fuss. He just stepped into the background and let the rookie take over. Kelce has a lot of promise, but he will have to go some to be better than Jackson was for five seasons.
The Eagles have brought back other former players as coaching assistants -- Duce Staley, Mike Caldwell, Mike Zordich, now Greg Lewis. They would be smart to offer a similar opportunity to Jackson, who prepared like a coach every week his entire career. I think he would be a natural.
E-mail Ray Didinger at viewfromthehall@comcast.net