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Benglas sign safety Dexter Jackson...


Bengal Mania
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story at www.Bengals.com

 

Esp on the def side, I have a hard time keeping up w/ players around the league.

 

From what I read, he was among a group of 3 or 4 decent safeties on the market (none of whom are called "studs"). It sure seemed from local press like this was the guy Marvin wanted (and perhaps he could even let the first few FA's swallow the huge bonuses, so he could get this guy at a little less?)

 

I don't really know him. Tampa homers, what's the story on this guy? No matter what, he's better than what they had. The bigger safety issue for the Bengals is getting Madieu Williams back healthy.

 

Just glad they got somebody on def. QB is next.

 

Then it's time to extend a couple of the offensive lineman. Bengals have a top 5 line, and can keep it that way.

Edited by Bengal Mania
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Scouts has him as the 10th best safety and says this

 

Jackson played in 10 games with nine starts at the FS position during the 2005 season. He has adequate size with above average athletic skills for the FS position. In the passing game, he showed above average recognition and downfield range. He has an upright backpedal with above average hip rotation and struggles in his transition when covering half the field in deep zones. He is more natural at this stage of his career when moving downhill in short zones rather than deep zones. He has above average ball skills and play-making ability. He does a better job reacting to throws in front of him than down the field. He is a limited match-up player on the perimeter in man-to-man situations. He likes to bite on play action and has limited recovery ability when getting out of position. In the running game, he has above average production. He is an aggressive player when attacking downhill with enough speed to run the alleys and maintain leverage on the ball carrier. He can get over aggressive at times and likes to lead his shoulder on contact, which results in missed tackles at times. Overall, Dexter still has some physical skills to contribute as a short-term answer at FS, but you would always be looking to replace him as a full-time starter. He didn't show a lot of urgency in his overall performance in 05.

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Superbowl MVP when Tampa won.

I've always liked watching Dex play and think he is way under-rated.

He usually finds a way to step up and make a huge impact in the passing D.

Run stopping, he isn't the best tackler but because of his decent size is good at getting in the way.

Edited by kpholmes
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Dex should be alright for your team. I hate to say it but he is really a product of the Tampa system, but he does have some talent if he can stay healthy. He played well last season until he got hurt. His replacement stepped it up and thats why Dex was not resigned. Like you said, he is better than what you had.

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Superbowl MVP when Tampa won.

I've always liked watching Dex play and think he is way under-rated.

He usually finds a way to step up and make a huge impact in the passing D.

Run stopping, he isn't the best tackler but because of his decent size is good at getting in the way.

 

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Good info here.

 

Dex should be alright for your team.  I hate to say it but he is really a product of the Tampa system, but he does have some talent if he can stay healthy.  He played well last season until he got hurt.  His replacement stepped it up and thats why Dex was not resigned.  Like you said, he is better than what you had.

 

1367668[/snapback]

 

 

 

And generally good info here, although I would add that Lewis' "system" is not that bad either, and I think Jackson should prove to be a solid player for the Bengals.

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And generally good info here, although I would add that Lewis' "system" is not that bad either, and I think Jackson should prove to be a solid player for the Bengals.

 

1367710[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

I agree but Lewis's "system" has not been in the Top 10 for the last 10 years in a row.......until Dex proves he can play outside of it im still suspect.

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Time for some Bengals.com hype... err.... I mean information.

 

I just want a safety that can provide some run support and stop the big plays I saw all last year. It seemed like every game there was a 40+ yard play that turned the tide. Reverse and trick plays have been a killer for a while now on this defense. I hope a smart vet will help prevent that sort of thing.

 

 

 

Jackson brings the seasoning

By GEOFF HOBSON

March 13, 2006

 

This is why the Bengals love Dexter Jackson, Part I:

 

In his first hours as a Bengal Monday after he became the club’s first free-agent signing, Jackson could still feel the chills from appearing at last month’s Super Bowl with the other Super Bowl MVPs in honor of the game’s 40th anniversary.

 

“One of my friends told me I was a part of football immortality. Until the end of the earth I’ll be remembered as an MVP, and then I saw the first one. Bart Starr. It hit me. That’s history,” Jackson said. “Everyone was humble. We talked about how the guys are paid now, and they told me how they respected my game because I play with the same passion they played with when they were starting this game.”

 

This is why the Bengals love Dexter Jackson, Part II:

 

On Monday, he’s talking about the bad-old days, Tampa Bay’s 16-13 win at Paul Brown Stadium in 2001 in which his relentless Buccaneers defense forced Corey Dillon’s fumble in the shadow of the Bengals’ goal line to get the victory in overtime.

 

Check that. Not talking. Dissecting.

 

“I stopped Corey Dillon late in regulation,” Jackson recalled. “I took on (fullback) Lorenzo Neal on one of their (power) plays and got in there and got him for no gain.”

 

Jackson’s F-Stop memory when it comes to tapes and games had him recovering fellow safety John Lynch’s winning fumble, although the books show Lynch got the credit for the recovery. Those days are gone now as Jackson moves from his supporting role in Tampa Bay’s established top five defense into a highly visible spot as the leader of a young Bengals’ unit needing his seasoned fire.

 

“I think we do need it and I think he can be a leader and I think that’s where he is at this point in his career,’ said secondary coach Kevin Coyle. “When he got to Tampa, the guys like Lynch, (Derrick) Brooks, (Warren) Sapp were already established. Now it’s different for him. We expect him to be a strong leader.”

 

More importantly, Jackson expects it from himself. He turns 29 the week his eighth training camp opens and he’s coming from a place used to stopping people with their brains as well as their brawn.

 

“I’ll do my part. I’m going to help the young guys and show them what it takes to get over the hump,” Jackson said. “How to watch film and what the tendencies are on down and distance.”

 

This is why the Bengals love Dexter Jackson, Part III:

 

In his last game as a Buc in this season’s NFC Wild Card Game, Jackson recovered in time to knock down a half-back pass. It will be recalled the Bengals gave up a 46-yard touchdown pass to the Steelers in their Wild Card Game off a double pass, ending an eight-game stretch in which the Bengals allowed 10 touchdowns of at least 20 yards.

 

“Do I expect us to give up the same type of plays we gave up? No,” said defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan. “I think this is a huge improvement for us in that area. It’s a real solid acquisition that’s going to help us limit those plays.”

 

Bresnahan and Jackson have been admiring each other from afar. As the Raiders defensive coordinator in the Super Bowl three years ago, Bresnahan saw Jackson’s ability to play big in big games with two interceptions that made him MVP after the Buccaneers’ 48-21 win.

 

Since much of the Raiders’ staff migrated to Tampa with head coach Jon Gruden, Bresnahan knows Jackson has been asking about him. Jackson now believes he’ll have more freedom at the line of scrimmage than he did in the Bucs’ world-famous “Tampa 2,” defense that works out of a deep zone.

 

“It’s an interesting scheme. The safeties are more involved in the blitz. That’s one of its best assets,” Jackson said of Bresnahan’s defense. “Now I get to show my abilities. Show people what I can really do when I’m down there in the box as one of the guys blitzing or one of the guys around the ball. That’s when the opportunities present themselves being that close to the line of scrimmage.”

 

Bresnahan said the Bengals made no bones about the safeties they liked in the free-agent market. Adam Archuleta and Chris Hope must not have the versatility they seek because they invited four other guys for visits. While Marlon McCree may have been the best fit for them before he signed in San Diego, Jackson was right there with Lawyer Milloy and Will Demps. Given what the Bengals need off the field as much as on it, Jackson’s savvy and spice might have been the best fit.

 

Jackson admitted Monday that while he doesn’t go after his teammates, he will “challenge them.”

 

“After spending (the last) 24 hours with him,” Bresnahan said, “and his background (one can tell) he’s not going to settle for average. He wants to be better than average. That’s critical. He’s an outspoken guy. He’s not a quiet guy. He’s the total package.”

 

Jackson looks to be that quintessential Bengals/Marvin Lewis signing. Jackson may not have been one of the highest rated safeties in terms of money (Archuleta, McCree, and Corey Chavous all got at least $4 million per year), but Lewis likes his attitude and style of play and the Bengals liked where he fit economically at about $2 million per year after signing what has been reported as a four-year, $7.6 million deal.

 

“He’s been part of a defense that’s consistently been in the top five in the league because he’s a guy that knows what he’s doing,” Bresnahan said. “He’s got the versatility as far as playing free and strong, and he brings a level of toughness and physical play at the position.”

 

Coyle, who watches more tape than an Oscar voter, is a big fan of Tampa’s defensive scheme. As is pretty much everyone in the NFL trying to make their defense better. On Monday, the operative word was “carryover,” in that what the Bengals do isn’t that much different than what Tampa Bay does.

 

“He’s a physical player. He’s very strong, yet he’s more than an in-the-box safety,” Coyle said. “When he hits you, you stay down. He puts people on their back. And he can play the deep ball and the deep pass. He’s got, what? Three post-season interceptions and 14 in the regular season? That’s 17 big plays.”

 

Lewis is always looking for vocal people on the field to communicate. With the chatty Jackson, there won’t be as many lapses.

 

“As he was coaching us up, we saw he’s been in similar (defenses),” Lewis said of his interview with a guy known as a coach on the field. “It’s going to be an easy transition for him. He’ll be able to uplift us with his play on the field and in the class room. It’s kind of what we were looking for that way.”

 

No doubt Jackson is going to be penciled in to start opposite free safety Madieu Williams when the first minicamp convenes in two months. Jackson has been at the center of the NFL’s top-ranked defense half of the last four seasons, brings five post-season starts, and he likes what he sees here.

 

“Take away a play here and a play there and we’re in the hunt for a championship,” Jackson said. “Hopefully I come in and take away the big runs and big passes, and get us lined up again. That’s the main thing. Get lined up again and play another down of defense.”

 

Lewis also said the Jackson move means the Bengals aren’t forced to take a safety early in the draft, “and we can take the best player available.”

 

As one of the interchangeable safeties Lewis covets, Jackson probably best fit the specs at the top of the market next to McCree. But when the Bengals offered to go to $3 million per year and McCree still wanted $3.2 million, the Bengals thought they could get pretty much the same thing from Jackson or Milloy at a better value. Milloy’s age probably hurt him (32), but his leadership and toughness were also valued by the Bengals.

 

Lewis likes Jackson’s experience in the “Tampa 2.” Not only has the deep zone been successful, but Jackson had to both cover and tackle in it.

 

“He’s a very good tackler. A great tackler,” said Lewis of one of the items that irked him the most about last year’s defense. “He’s got great fits inserting in the running game. He’s used to playing lot of deep field, half field coverage, the things that safeties do in the NFL. He’s played at a high level on very good defense.”

 

The move means that Kim Herring, a free-agent safety signed in 2004, and his $1.2 million salary could be on the bubble after being able to play just 12 games in two injury-plagued seasons in Cincinnati.

 

Jackson becomes the first Super Bowl MVP to play for the Bengals. After that season, he had a one-year hitch in free agency in Arizona when he left the NFL’s top ranked defense and went to a unit that finished 26th in 2003. The he went back to a Bucs defense that fell to fifth that same season and helped get it back to No. 1 in 2004.

 

He has no qualms now leaving the No. 5 defense for the 28th.

 

“ I felt if I just go to a sorry defense like Arizona, I can make it better by myself,” Jackson said. “I found out you can’t do that. It takes a core of guys to be good. I learned from that. What I see here is a core of young guys and a lot of vets who have the same goal. To try and be the best defense. That’s what I want to be a part of.”

 

Jackson is particularly impressed with Bengals cornerbacks, Tory James and Deltha O’Neal.

 

“Our corners (in Tampa Bay) had the label of being (zone) corners, but these guys can play man-to-man. I know both of them have (eight) interception seasons, so I’ve got great guys on the outside. If they force it outside, I feel like I can take care of the inside.”

 

Or, he can go full circle. For now, Jackson has been assigned Dillon’s No. 28 jersey. Fellow safety Kevin Kaesviharn wears the No. 34 Jackson wore in Tampa and Kaesviharn isn’t going anywhere. Jackson’s arrival means Kaesviharn can go back to doing what he does best, play 20-to-30 snaps a game off the bench in a variety of roles instead of taking an 80-snap pounding.

 

But on Monday, Jackson was wearing a Bengals hat and jersey. He smiled when asked if he ever thinks about winning another Super Bowl MVP.

 

“All the time,” he said. “I don’t want to be known as just a guy that makes plays. I want to be remembered as a great safety.”

 

Which is why the Bengals love Dexter Jackson, Part IV.

 

 

 

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