Part of my duties as a multi-network writer is to offer competing opinions or insider analysis on the Patriots for people who do not know the team that well, or are looking for a Patriots expert’s opinion.  When they ask about Chad Jackson, I have to pause before I speak…

Let me put it this way, I’m a Chad fan. I always have been, and I probably will be for some time, unless he goes all Michael Vick on us.  But with that being said, I have to honest as an analyst and that honesty requires me to divulge the following in a typical scouting report on Jackson.

Mind you, I’m not an NFL personnel evaluator, but I do play one on TV.  wink wink

Jackson has world-class talent but suffers from “not getting it” syndrome.  Jackson knows how to prepare, what to do to get in shape, what he needs to work on and he prepares harder than anyone on the planet. At least if you take Bill Belichick’s word for it  LINK

But, with all that said, he still goes out on a Sunday afternoon in front of 70,000 people in the stands and hundreds of thousands of others watching at home on TV and runs the wrong route. OK, maybe it was a hot read, but isn’t he supposed to know that by now?

I had a dozen or so emails on Jackson’s departure, asking if he’ll be back.  I’m not at liberty to reveal that information under penalty of death – or at least having my sources cut me off, or maybe just getting a paper cut as a result of divine intervention – but I can say, the safe bet is no.

I like Chad.  Run him in a certain pattern that requires him to beat an opponent, and MY money is on Chad doing it.  No, you’re not going to stop him from going deep.  You may not even be able to stop him from catching a fade.  But what you can do is force him to pause, and too many of those pauses are what became his undoing – at least in my opinion.

Defensive coordinators in this league know far more about an opponent’s reaction to their defensive alignments than I.  But, I’m willing to bet a team that takes a look at an opponent’s tendencies during review of a limited amount of game film and makes assumptions.

Those assumptions include providing a fake front, which will get opposing quarterbacks to make inappropriate adjustments.

If it’s not true, then why do safeties move all the way down in the box, only to backpedal like crazy when they think the ball is about to be snapped?  Why do defensive linemen drop into the soft zone in the middle when the ball is hiked?

It’s about deception.  Fool your opponent into the wrong play, and you have the advantage.

Jackson struggled with adjustments, and reportedly struggled with the playbook.  His unsteady performance as a returner coupled with the tendency to drop passes at inappropriate time may have been too much for the team to take.

Can Jackson make the tough catch?  Absolutely, I’ve seen him do it time and again.  Does he drop ones he should have caught?  Unfortunately, the answer is also yes.

Will Jackson play for another team this year?  My answer is, Have you seen some of the receivers out there?  Jackson is a lot better than a lot of other guys in the league, someone has to need a talented athlete who needs a little longer to develop.
 
According to sources at scout.com Jackson continues his free agent visiting tour, but hasn’t received any offers. Strange circumstances indeed.  After this weekend, it’s a pretty safe bet Jackson’s phone will see some action.