Is Dexter Jackson done?

Rookie return man Dexter Jackson is in danger of losing his grip on that job based on comments from coach Jon Gruden this morning.

Gruden, after replacing Jackson with Michael Clayton on kickoffs Sunday night, emphasized the Bucs need more from their return game. When asked whether he was considering a change of returners, Gruden said, "We'll talk about that today."

This is one of those things that requires reading between the lines, but if I had to guess, it doesn't look good for Jackson.

If this proves to be the case, the nail in the coffin might have been Jackson's pair of gaffes on the second-half kickoff. He initially fumbled after allowing the ball to hit him in the face mask, recovered it, then fumbled again while attempting to elude tacklers. Fortunately for Jackson, Jimmy Wilkerson recovered the loose ball.

"The fumble to start the third quarter, that can't happen," Gruden said.

Comments

[aaron]

I am sure Jackson is a nice enough guy but he isnt doing a good job at all. I think i have seen ONE good return all year. It isnt like he is new to this either. he did this in college. With galloway out and no speedster on the team Gruden should try him at wr. I know he probably isnt ready for that, but they could use him as a decoy by sending him deep and throwing underneath. We have to find a use for this 2nd round pick.

[Drew]

DJ looks BAD every week. It's not likely he'll do any better as a wide receiver. By all appearances, he's in over his head. It's a shame, we wasted a draft pick on him.

[TJ]

I think the Bucs need to try Aqib Talib I though he had some exp. in college. Plus he would have no fear back there.

Dexter Jackson is a complete and utter bust. I feel any one of our wide receivers or Bennett could return punts & kicks better. Did you see Michael Clayton run fearlessly into the wedge in the Chicago game? When he reaches full speed he makes very large strides. Unfortunately the run was called back but it showcased his potential as a returner. Dexter Jackson, return your signing bonus and start issuing towels at One Buc!

The Bucs need to go ahead and cut their losses here and admit the guy was a bust in the 2nd round. The guy not only sucks but he's becoming a liability trying to field those balls.

Busts in the draft happen, just man up and admit it. But don't make them a habit.

Oh yeah, and they can go ahead and let Talib or P-Buc field the punts and let Bennett field the kick offs.

[CALBuccaneer]

Clifton Smith did a MUCH better job than DexJack anyways and he is on our practice squad. The answer is there already on our team.

[Leo In Canada]

This young man creates a very perplexing & frustrating dichotomy. Excluding the preseason, we witnessed a credible effort in 1 game so far. That after a bevy of criticism. Seemingly at that point after some mentoring from TE Gilmore of all people, Jackson was progressing. Unfortunately, as we all can view, he has regressed. He ostensibly could end up being a great returner & receiver or a bust. My hopes lie with the former. How much time do the Bucs spend (or waste) on him? I say let him work it out in practice (with live bullets) to get over his skittishness.

[Sean Stevens]

Thank God! To me this is the one area of the team that's been the biggest disappointment to me. They cut Spurlock for THIS guy?!?

Whoever mentioned Aqib Talib - that's a great idea IMO. I saw first-hand when he was at Kansas how effective and dangerous he can be with the ball in his hands. I know they want to protect his health, but I still think it's worth a shot. They can't afford to lose any WRs either with Hilliard, Galloway, and Stovall all down.

[Vince]

DOn't USE CLAYTON as a returner. His problem is that he is too fearless! He'll get injured on his first return, diving right at 3 defenders in a helmet to helmet collision! Patience with Dex. Find a place for him. Make sure that he's a bust before you let him go. You don't know he can't run deep and split defenders until you let him try. Gruden can find some way to get him into the offense. That being said, he has truly been a dissapointment as a Kick returner.

[Valrico Rick]

Jackson is suffering from expectations and assumptions! First, everybody expects him to contribute a couple of hundred yards each week in returns, and second, he assumes that he can run circles around NFL special teams players like he did College special teams players. It is way too early to cut him, but he needs to have a seat for awhile. The one thing that he must have that he might not have, and can never be taught, is the courage to explode through a small crease at the initial point of attack. He keeps looking for a away around the side, and that might be fear, and that will never work! 'Nuff Said

[Hardhat0038]

I personally think he needs time to develop, he has rare speed but is smallish and young. Take your time, and develop him. It is what it is. he's here , you can't go back now.

[Jesse]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Slickshoes Jackson]

The Grass up in Boone isn't this slippery. Must be the humidity...

[Gene]

"Run Michael, Run Michael, Run Michael, Run... TOUCHDOWN TAMPA BAY... THERE YOU HAVE IT"

[Daniel Andrews]

I can see D-Jax getting mysteriously 'hurt' and put on IR soon. Maybe he needs time to develop, but he's turning into a *huge* bust as a 2nd rounder.

[Jay]

Get thee to the practice squad! Thou art banished from the backfield!

[Stephen_Holder]

PLEASE READ: I did NOT mean to suggest DJ is in danger of being cut. That's not going to happen. I hope no one read it that way. All I'm saying is that he seems in danger of losing his return job. Just so we understand each other. I don't want to be blamed for starting rumors. I already have enough enemies at One Buc Place! Carry on.

[BEENABUC]

Clifton Smith!

[Larry]

Agree with the hard hat man. Jackson has something you can't coach, speed! Doesn't look like he's quite ready for the NFL right now, but keep him around, give him some coaching and a year to get acclimated to the NFL game and see whether or not it pays dividends. A year of maturity, 10 pounds more upper body muscle, and a chance to see how real pros like Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber conduct business and he could still be a special player.

[Noel Bahamas]

Stephen,
Thanks for the update. I thought cutting a 2nd rounder seemed a bit extreme. I have to agree with most here, someone else should be fielding kicks and that someone should be Bennett. He has great speed and is not being fully utilised in the ground game. Let him use his speed and experience in the return and punt game. We cannot risk ANY wide receivers at this point, there are just too many injuries and with Hilliard, who is a crucial asset for us possibly out against the Cowboys, receivers are a scarce commodity right now.

[Noel Bahamas]

and when I said experience in relation to Bennett, I meant his NFL experience.

[OcalaBuc]

Yeah but he is a baller in Madden 2009!!!

[bucs fan 4 life]

First off he didn't really return kickoff's in college, that was something the Bucs projected him to be able to do in the pros and so far it's not working out so well. People think that returning kicks is easy to do but it's not. I am also not going to call him a bust yet. He played in a Div II school in case most of you forgot, and the game speed is an adjustment for all players. So imagine how fast things are going for him. Give the guy some time and let him mature, but putting him on the practice squad is out of the question because with his speed he won't clear waivers and then we would have just wasted a 2nd round pick. Most of us are just to impaitient for our own good. Last time we screamed to cut him he had a good game. Besides the blocking on special teams was bad yesterday.

[Tom]

Aaron, the Bucs have already used Jackson as a decoy this year. It doesn't really work because, although he is fast, he doesn't run good routes. Therefore, no defense respects him.

If speed is the only you need to be a WR, then Usain Bolt would be the best WR in the league. Jackson is sprinter and doesn't understand the nuances of the game.

[SnarkyBark]

Dexter,
there will be a phone call coming from Tim Marcum very soon. I suggest you answer the phone.

[Justin]

FWIW, Appalachian State is NOT Div II... it's I-AA. In case you forgot, DJ scored two quick TDs against Michigan and made everyone on the field look slow.

[David]

If he's not going to return kicks, and he isn't going to play offense, and if he serves no other purpose on ST and it is not being insinuated he's being cut - does this guy just eat up a roster spot and carry that 2nd round albatross around his neck while doing nothing? Wow.

he sucks!!!!!!!!!

[Nunya Biz]

Cut him already! If you count the preseason, he's had 10 games to get accustomed to the speed. The dude has no desire, only fear. The sooner we admit the mistake, the sooner we can move on. Go Bucs!

[Jason]

I'm saving this post so is a year when DJ is scoring TDs left and right in both the return game AND on offense, you can all look back and count your stars that he wasn't cut. Patience people...

[Tuck]

Anyone who plays Fantasy Football knows that young receivers don't usually excel until Year #3. Cutting DJ is out of the question because he was picked in the 2nd round. However, he can be benched, probably rightfully so.

DJ comes from a winning team with winning tradition and alot of speed! Not many WR's come into the NFL and shine right away, he needs a year to settle in! There will be regrets in a couple of years otherwise!

[Stab]

He's a bust.

He obviously is more focused on being a receiver but unwilling to pay the dues.

Bring Spurlock back. At least he runs at full bore.

[The Bull Gator]

The problem is he really wasn't even that great of a receiver in college. He does have amazing speed, but go back and look at the numbers he put up. Receivers from small schools that excel in the NFL were typically athletic freaks of nature (T.O.) or put up mind-blowing stats in college (Jerry Rice). Jackson did neither. He is very fast, but every year there are 10 guys in the draft that are very fast. I'm not saying he can't develop into a decent pro player, but 2nd round was a big reach for a guy who really only has speed. He doesn't have the best return skills, was never known for his hands, and doesn't have good size. He has one attribute that makes him stand out and made the Bucs take him that high. Unfortunately you need more than just speed in the NFL. I wish him the best of luck, but after 7 games, I'm starting to wonder what we have in the kid.

Many coaches think of punt returns in terms of first downs. Average 10 yards a return and that's one less first down the offense has to record. Jackson averages 4.9. Considering Graham and Dunn both average 4.8 yards per carry, Jackson isn't creating any sort of advantage being back there.

[brad]

Well Gruden should have jackson lining up as a WR occassionally while Galloway is out. Make the defense respect the speed on the outside and help to open things up int he middle. It's not like we've been gaining a lot of rushing yards lately.

[Robert]

Dexter isn't ready for the NFL, plain and simple it appears he's afraid to get hit and is unsure of his PK and KR duties. We may have wasted a valuable 2nd round pick on this kid.

[Robert]

Dexter isn't ready for the NFL, plain and simple it appears he's afraid to get hit and is unsure of his PR and KR duties. We may have wasted a valuable 2nd round pick on this kid.

[Ray "the homo" Artz]

that guy sucks more then me!

[NE Fan]

Oh my god, please cut him tommorrow, so someone, maybe New England, or Indy as bad as they maybe can get him, develop him, and it may come back to haunt whoever that didnt do it. If he is afraid only time will tell, but i hope that is not the issue.

[James]

"Dexter Jackson is a complete and utter bust. I feel any one of our wide receivers or Bennett could return punts & kicks better. Did you see Michael Clayton run fearlessly into the wedge in the Chicago game? When he reaches full speed he makes very large strides. Unfortunately the run was called back but it showcased his potential as a returner. Dexter Jackson, return your signing bonus and start issuing towels at One Buc!"

Yes, because after 7 games it's so easy to tell.

Get real, he's still a freaking KID. You people don't know anything about anything. Just stop breathing already.

[JRB]

He'll come through. I think they hyped him way too much which really put the pressure on to be a Super Hero straight out of the gate. He is worth the investment in time and training.

[mountain air]

It's a shame he's been only able to develop thus far as a kick returner and his future will likely weigh purely on his lack of production as a return specialist.

He didn't do the greatest job in the world in college returning kicks - Appalachian State has had better kickoff and punt returners than Dexter Jackson (see Davon Fowlkes). He wasn't bad at it but he was known at App State for his receiving and running after the catch abilities.

That being said, Jackson is a much better wide receiver than return man. He runs great routes and does have NFL speed and showed great hands in college.

The coaches screwed up. The first thing they did was take him out of his comfort zone as a rookie and didn't let him get any confidence first as a receiver and then let him try kick returning next year.

There a lots or NFL wide receivers that would never make good return specialists so why force him to be one and let his fate lie purely based on that aspect of his overall game?

[mike]

why put your franchise corner in there and risk an injury.. I also would love to see aquib be the return man, but i think its a risk.. but bigger the risk bigger the reward. I just cannot wait to see josh johnson when he gets a crack at some playing time in the years to come ( i doubt he will be the qb we are looking for but it would be awesome if he worked out)

[dylan]

I think that the bucs were hoping for desean jackson to drop to them when he started to drop, but he got picked up a few picks b4 by the eagles so the bucs were kind of stranded. So they reached for a 3rd or 4th round pick talent. dexter jackson still has potential though

[STIXX]

I was a DJAX fan for about 3 weeks. Now I realize he is a bust. We should bring back SPURLOCK from the practist squad for the next game. He would have a big chip on his shoulder and should bust a few big runs!

[Taylor]

i reeeaaally hope you actually see this all the way down here, stephen, but i found something interesting...

actually pete prisco of cbs sportsline found it - http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6315047/11219167

why doesn't anybody ever try this 'free-kick' thing? is it real?

[Chris]

Bring back Spurlock for kickoffs!! All this guy did was a good job and he got cut. Does anyone know if he is still out there? Have Hilliard do punts. I will take a fair catch any day over Dexter catching the ball (hold your breath) and then immediately running backwards.

[Murph]

As a Panthers fan and an ASU season ticket holder,I was happy to see the Bucs choose Jackson. One,its good for our program. Two,everyone around here with any sense knew better than to think he was a 2nd round pick...

[Rick]

Justin, Justin, listen up!
This is not college, let alone some small school. Put Dexter on the practice squad. Bennett needs to be on the field, PERIOD!!!!!!!! Dexter only looks foe SOFT turf to fall on!!!! Can you say PUSS?