Jackson at front of D's resurgence

Asked to be more of a run stuffer, free safety has emerged from shadow of his Pro Bowl teammates.

By RICK STROUD, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 14, 2002

TAMPA -- They call him Dirty, though he doesn't take the headhunting cheap shots the NFL is cracking down on.

It's a term of endearment hung on Bucs free safety Dexter Jackson because he grew up on an unpaved road in the Panhandle town of Quincy.

"I'm from dirt road. It stuck with me," Jackson said. "A good ol' country boy."

The nickname also seems appropriate because like dirt, Jackson covers a lot of ground.

"He's an athlete, he's a grass guy, he can cover grass," defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin said.

But this season, Jackson is tormenting ballcarriers as much as he does receivers. Having gained about 7 pounds of muscle in the offseason, Jackson has become a more physical presence in stopping the run.

He is third among Bucs defensive backs with 43 tackles, two more than Pro Bowl strong safety John Lynch."It was tough. Every time Lynch came down, nobody paid attention to anything else we did," Jackson said. "They said, 'Lynch is coming.' They didn't pay any attention to our disguises. They knew I wasn't coming. Now, I'm coming, I'm making the tackles, good solid tackles in the hole, one-on-one with great backs. When I started doing that, it made our defense a lot more dangerous instead of relying on one person.

"The one thing they say is I'm able to disguise, I wait until the last second and I come free a lot. It's just a matter of studying a lot of film, talking to Lynch, asking different questions."

As a first-year starter last season, Jackson didn't always have the answers. Although he had four interceptions, the plays fans remembered were the ones he didn't make. He also couldn't compete for attention with Pro Bowl players such as Lynch and Ronde Barber in the same secondary.

"I think you have to have a mentality to deal with those issues as a free safety," Tomlin said. "Jack does; he's a thick-skinned guy. He loves competing. But it comes with the territory."

Jackson understands the unforgiving nature of the position.

"If you get a pick or miss a tackle, that's when everybody sees you," he said. "You're sorry. Linebackers or d-linemen can miss a tackle and I make a tackle to save them. But if I miss, I'm sorry."

The Bucs have no regrets about selecting Jackson in the fourth round of the '99 draft. Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin calls Jackson "the best free safety we've had in six years."

But it wasn't until Damien Robinson signed with the Jets two years ago that Jackson, who played at FSU, emerged as the starter.

"Since the day Dexter has been here, you see the playmaking ability," Lynch said. "I think if there was ever a doubt, it was the consistency of doing it time in and time out. I don't think it's a knock to him personally, I just think it's the progress a player has to make in this league to become a big-time player.

"It's 16 games of 60 minutes not letting your mind wander. With Dexter, a large part of it is he's such a competitor and it's how to channel that."

Jackson admits he struggled with the physical and mental demands of starting for 16 weeks.

"The thing is, to be a complete safety, you just can't be a cover safety, per se," Jackson said. "Last year, my job was stay deep and don't let them throw the ball deep. They wanted me to get my feet wet for 16 games and it was different.

"I didn't know how to maintain my body for 16 straight weeks. I was good for eight weeks, then I had the injury and missed two games. I had to learn how to deal with the injury and playing hurt. Man, there were a lot of things I had to deal with. But I came back mentally and physically stronger."

Not that Jackson has been perfect. He allowed a 42-yard touchdown to Eagles receiver Todd Pinkston in a 20-10 loss. Jackson got a late break on Donovan McNabb's throw and thought the pass was deeper in the end zone.

"As I watched the film, I realized I could've made a little better break on the ball," Jackson said. "But it was Donovan McNabb and he also made a great throw. But I've got to find a way to make that play. You got to read the quarterback, and he did a great job of looking me off."

Still, the improvement of players such as Jackson is why many believe the Bucs have the league's No. 1 defense. Tampa Bay ranks first in pass defense and leads the NFL with 18 interceptions.

"I think guys are starting to understand everybody with a helmet on in the huddle has a chance to be a playmaker for this defense," Tomlin said. "It doesn't have to always fall on the big three or big five guys."

Sometimes you just have to be down and Dirty.