When the Jets travel to AFC East rival Buffalo tomorrow, they will face the daunting task of trying to slow breakout running back Fred Jackson.
Some said they could not understand how Jackson had not been starting for the Bills before, but now that he is, they know he is the engine that makes their offense go.
“He’s one of their best players, so highlight your best player,’’ said Jets linebacker Bart Scott. “He’s the key to their offense. He’s the motor that makes everything run. If you slow him down, you slow the offense down.’’
Few have managed that this year. The versatile Jackson has 132 carries for 721 yards and 27 catches for 353 more. Rex Ryan said Jackson does everything well.
“He does all three things a back needs to do. He does all three extremely well, whether it’s running with the ball, pass protection and catching the football,’’ Ryan said . “He’s making big plays. He’s always been an excellent back, but this year he’s made some absolutely huge plays for them.’’
Jackson’s 1,074 yards from scrimmage are the second-most in the NFL, and many have indeed come on big plays. He’s had nine rushes of 20 or more yards — tops in the league — and he comes in riding a streak of three consecutive 100-yard games.
Cornerback Darrelle Revis said he could see this coming from Jackson, even if the Bills did not.
“He’s always been productive when we played them,’’ Revis said. “In the past, he wasn’t a starter, but we knew what type of back he was. Actually, in the past we’ve thought he was better than some of the starters there, but now he has a starting role and he’s doing what he needs to do.
“They feel confident in him and want to get him the ball. That’s what an offensive coordinator should do. … The most dangerous thing is to watch out for him in the backfield on screens and flare-outs.’’
It seems almost incomprehensible that Jackson, now in his fifth season, never went into camp as an unquestioned starter until this year. He went undrafted out of Division III Coe College, and had to toil in both the Arena League and NFL Europe before landing in Buffalo and sitting behind Marshawn Lynch on the depth chart.
He did not assume the starting role full-time until the Bills finally dealt Lynch last October. And after averaging 4.2, 4.5 and 4.4 yards per carry the previous three years, Jackson has erupted for a career-high 5.5 this season. And with 13.1 yards per catch, he is able to wreak havoc in open space with the Jets’ safeties and linebackers.
“It’s disrespectful to say he’s different than he was before — he’s been that workhorse since I was a member of that team,’’ said linebacker Aaron Maybin, an ex-Bill. “He breaks a lot of tackles, he runs through a lot of tackles and makes a lot of guys miss.
“He’s strong a determined guy. His story and where he came from and how much he’s been able to accomplish, he’s a fighter. He’s somebody you have to make sure you get hats to the ball, and from start to finish you know where he is on the field.’’