A fter the Chicago Bears lost yet another game to their longtime rival, the Green Bay Packers, 24-14, former Bears All-Pro linebacker Lance Briggs had some things to say about current Bears safety Eddie Jackson.
As he does every week on the Football Aftershow with his fellow NBC Sports Chicago analysts, Briggs broke down the game, providing Bears-centered postgame critique and commentary. After Chicago’s Week 6 loss to Green Bay, Briggs took umbrage with the performance of Jackson in particular.
Citing the following play as an example of Jackson’s shortcomings, the ex-LB criticized the Bears safety for failing to wrap Davante Adams up, and instead delivering a half-hearted hit here:
Former Bears defensive lineman Alex Brown, who is also an analyst for NBC Sports, has called out Jackson’s play in the past on the Aftershow, but this time, it was Briggs who went all in.
ALL the latest Bears news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Bears newsletter here!
Briggs on Jackson: ‘You Are the Last Line of Defense’
Briggs, who spent all 12 of his NFL seasons with the Bears, played in 173 total games, and he also played on one of the team’s best all-time defenses alongside the likes of Charles Tillman and Brian Urlacher, so his thoughts and opinions hold some weight.
“Eddie Jackson. We’ve talked about this before, and his name keeps coming up for the wrong reasons,” Briggs said on October 17. “You are the safety. You are the last line of defense. When you come up and you make that hit on Davante Adams and he gets past you, it’s gonna be a touchdown, kid. You have to make that play. Get him down by any means necessary. Don’t care how you do it. Shoot, at the worst, a flag still keeps them out of the end zone. But you gotta find a way to get him down.”
“You have to make that play” – @LanceBriggs to Eddie Jackson
Jackson has been blasted for his lack of effort in the tackling department by fans and analysts alike — although, to be fair, the former Alabama product has never been a solid or consistent tackler.
After the game, Jackson took to Twitter to respond to Briggs in a since-deleted tweet.
Follow the Heavy on Bears Facebook page, where you can weigh in on all the latest Bears-related breaking news, rumors, content and more!
Jackson Responds By Digging Up Old Briggs Criticism
Jackson must have heard the criticism, because he re-tweeted a decade-old tweet from Pro Football Focus that called out Briggs for missing his fair share of tackles when he played. Jackson deleted the tweet shortly after he sent it, but several people got screenshots of it, including Brendan Sugrue of The Bears Wire:
Briggs was a seven-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro selection in 2006. He’s also a Hall of Fame candidate who remains beloved by many fans and former players. Over his 12 seasons, Briggs had 1,181 total tackles (97 for loss), 16 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and 15 sacks, so he was certainly no slouch. Instead of listening to Briggs’ criticism or taking it with a grain of salt, Jackson got salty himself — and it’s clear Bears Twitter was on Team Briggs.
@BrendanSugrue Briggs, on the other hand, made seven straight Pro Bowls (2005- 2011), and was an All-Pro in 2005, 2006, and 2009. He is one of the best Bears LBs of all time. Eddie? Your turn 🤔
Eddie Jackson needs to spend time working on his tackling instead of throwing shade at Lance Briggs, a universally loved player from the #Bears past. Not a good look, Eddie. Not good at all.
READ NEXT: Chicago Bears, Defender Sued Over 2020 Incident: Report
Comments
Eddie Jackson Takes a Shot at Bears Great After Criticism