The guys from the Pewter Report relay a good handful of Quotes from Head Coach Jon Gruden and recently drafted WR Dexter Jackson:
Gruden on DJax:
"What we did acquire was some heat – a guy that can really provide speed in the passing game, and a guy that has experience as a returner in both kicks and punts," Gruden said. "It seems as if the big arena doesn’t bother him. This is a confident guy. I think we all saw what he did at Michigan in one of the great[est] upsets in football this past season. He’s a guy we like," Gruden said of Jackson. "He’s a good kid and he’s very fast. We think he’s going to help us in the return game with punts and kickoffs. That’s an area that at the end of the day accumulates a lot of yardage. We feel like we got fast. We got a guy that has versatility and we feel we have a good guy to learn from in Joey Galloway. We’re excited to have Dexter -
Pewter ReportGruden on DJax's Returning Ability:
"He’s a quick-strike guy," Gruden said. "You see him catch balls down the field and you see him catch quick screens. If he can make one guy miss and find the crease he is capable of hitting it. His special teams [skills] really make him a valuable guy to us because he has the ability to do some things where we have been injured and I don’t know how many different punt and kickoff returners we’ve had in the last few years. He’ll give us some depth at the receiver position while he’s progressing, and he’ll also give us a real kick I think as a return man." -
Pewter ReportDJax on his Draft Stock Rising:
"I think [being a speedy slot receiver] has done numerous things to help my stock and I just feel like it makes other teams draft nickels and fast corners to guard us in the slot, and I feel like with my size I might not be the tallest thing, but I feel like my work ethic and my speed can make problems for the defense. "Yeah I started to worry a lot [when no receivers were taken in the first round], because you know my agent told me [out of] eight or nine I was like the 10th receiver on most teams' boards, so if eight or nine go then maybe, but then [that] first round I’m like 'there’s no way they can take nine or ten receivers in one round.' That was just my observation of the whole thing but its just crazy how it worked out for me." -
Pewter ReportDJax on his Return ability:
"Yes Coach Gruden was just joking with me, 'Don’t get scared to return the balls in the NFL.' I said, ‘Oh no, Coach. I got you. I won’t have you regret this one.’ I know that when I came down for my visit to Tampa, Jon Gruden told me that they were looking for a speed receiver to really get them a deep, deep threat guy in the slot receiver because Joey Galloway was aging. So basically Gruden called me on the phone and he was like, ‘Dex, would you like to be a Buccaneer?’ I was like, ‘Coach I would love to man.’ I was very overwhelmed. It’s a blessing", said Jackson. -
Pewter ReportI know its incredibly early, but Gruden hinted to using DJax strictly as a returner early on and then slowly increasing his role within the offense via Wide Receiving. I think thats great. We need Jacksons game breaking speed in the return game more so than within the offense. Don't get me wrong, he should have a fairly prominent role at least by the bye week, but early on it wont hurt for him to focus on returning the ball and learning the offense. Great, Great Draft Pick. It probably wasnt their 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd option, but never-the-less, DJax is a playmaker and will be an asset on this team...
by JScott on Apr 28, 2008 6:45 AM EDT
in News
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