Chicago Bears safety Eddie Jackson was an All-Pro in 2018, when he had an incredible sophomore season that saw him score three defensive touchdowns while earning a 93.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
Jackson had a career-high six interceptions in 2018, and he also had 15 passes defensed and eight pass breakups, making him one of the top safeties in the NFL that year.
Eddie Jackson was a ballhawk in 2018 – his 14 combined PBUs and INTs led all safeties
Things have been downhill ever since for the 27-year-old safety, who has just two interceptions and 10 passes defensed in the 2019 and 2020 seasons combined. His overall PFF grade fell to 67.0 in 2019 and fell to an unsightly 59.8 last season.
After Chicago’s 34-14 Week 1 loss to the L.A. Rams, Jackson in particular came under fire for a series of poor plays punctuated by key missed tackles, which has become a primary — and legitimate — criticism of his game. He has missed 26 tackles over the last two seasons according to PFF, and even during his All-Pro campaign, he missed 13 tackles.
Now, one Bears legend is calling Jackson out in a very big way.
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Dan Hampton: ‘Eddie Jackson Is a Rumor’
On his podcast, WGN radio’s “Hamp & OB,” Bears legend Dan Hampton, a Hall of Famer who played for the Bears from 1979-90, had loads to say about the performance of the Bears defense against the Rams, calling the team’s tackling “putrid,” which isn’t a bad descriptor.
I don’t want to hear Eddie Jackson talk about tackling anymore
“Eddie Jackson may have been a good player two years ago,” Hampton said, “but the last few years, he’s a rumor, and he’s not a factor. And when you pay players to become a so-called star and they make no impact in the game, your franchise is doomed.”
Hampton then shared why he thought Jackson’s tackling has been so bad of late:
“Everybody goes: ‘What happened to Eddie Jackson?’ Folks, here’s the deal. He’s making $10 million, $12 million a year — what’s gonna stop that? Him getting hurt. How do you get hurt? By tackling people. You don’t get hurt covering, you get hurt by tackling. That’s why he’s not tackling anybody. It’s not a mystery.”
Jackson signed a four-year, $58.4 million contract extension in January of 2020, but his tackling has been an issue since college, so Hampton is definitely reaching there. Still, there’s no denying Jackson’s lack of physicality recently.
Eddie Jackson does not want to get physical at all
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Jackson Mentioned Tackling as an Area of Focus Heading Into 2021 Season
When speaking to the media on September 6, Jackson said he was focused on tackling specifically heading into Week 1:
There’s goals I set for myself of just tackling better, finishing better. They called two touchdowns back from me last year, so that’s been in the back of my mind. That’s fuel to the flame. And just the type of team we have, we don’t want this to go to waste with this type of group of guys we have in the locker room, so we’ve gotta go out there and take advantage, and it starts with every single player by their self. I’ve gotta work hard, I’ve gotta do my job to the best of my ability for the team to do theirs. That’s just the mindset. Just know the chip is on my shoulder, man. The chip is on my shoulder, for sure.
If Jackson had a chip on his shoulder entering the game against the Rams, he sure didn’t show it on the field, which is unfortunate, because the defense could sure use him. He’ll have to clean things up in a hurry if he doesn’t want to become one of the team’s more regrettable extensions in recent years.
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Bears Legend Blasts Eddie Jackson: ‘That’s Why He’s Not Tackling Anybody’