Jackson gets his due as Packer

Chris Jackson is back in the NFL. He’s a receiver wearing No. 7

for the Green Bay Packers, and in the league that usually means

you’re just a player invited to training camp, and then it’s, “Thank

you for your services and good luck in your future.”

But this is Chris Jackson, the star receiver for the Los Angeles

Avengers, who appears to be taking the same route of Miami Dolphins’

wideout Orande Gadsden, who was the leading pass catcher for the

Portland Forest Dragons in the AFL.

Jackson, the former Orange Coast College star, appears ready to

make the NFL and ready to catch passes from Brett Favre. Stranger

things have happened in the NFL. A Super Bowl MVP quarterback (the

Rams’ Kurt Warner) used to work as a grocery store clerk, and a Pro

Bowl quarterback (Jeff Garcia) went undrafted and played in the

Canadian Football League before being the man for the 49ers.

Need more proof? Denver’s Pro Bowl wide receiver Rod Smith was a

rookie free agent in 1994. He spent that season on the practice squad

before making the roster for the first time in ‘95, every year after

he improved and became one of the best receivers in the league.

I’m not making any predictions about Jackson, I’m just pointing

out the possibilities. Jackson now has the opportunity he’s been

waiting for and he’s out to prove the Packers have indeed found a

diamond in the rough to fill a need.

It’s been two years since he was last seen on an NFL roster. It’s

been five years since he last played college football. And, Jackson

never quits. In 1997, he caught passes at Washington State from Ryan

Leaf, the quarterback who retired from the NFL at age 27 last month.

But, there’s Jackson, still plugging away at it.

“I’ve always had a drive and motivation to succeed in football,”

Jackson said before the AFL regular season ended.

He signed with the Tennessee Titans Oct. 4, 2000, and played in

one game -- against Pittsburgh Oct. 5 -- before suffering a back

injury and being placed on injured reserve Dec. 1. He was released

March 1, 2001, and had not been on an NFL roster since.

In the meantime, he was catching passes for the Los Angeles

Avengers, and helping lead them to their first playoff berth in their

history. Jackson was one of the most prolific wide receivers in the

AFL. He probably would have been the MVP of the AFL had he not

injured his wrist early in the season.

He still amassed 85 receptions for 1,205 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Jackson has the prototype numbers, too: 6-foot-2, 204 pounds. He’s

blessed with an enormous amount of talent, as he was planning to be a

basketball star after starting at Mater Dei High. But, that all

changed when he tried to play football, first as a joke. That’s when

he out for the OCC football team. In his first year of playing

football, he recorded 37 receptions for 743 yards (20.08 yards per

catch) in 1994. Perhaps, the 27-year-old is now ready after eight

years in the sport.

Jackson definitely has the opportunity. The Packers’ best receiver

is Terry Glenn, who is trying to redeem himself from a troubled past

and injuries. Other Packer receivers are Charles Lee, Robert

Ferguson, Donald Driver and Javon Walker. Ever heard of them?

Ferguson enters his second year in the league, while Walker is a

rookie who starred at Florida State. But, everyone in football knows

it takes at least one year to become comfortable as a pro receiver,

sometimes two years, especially in the West Coast offense.

Jackson has an advantage over all of them. He’s playing with

strong motivation. He wants to rid himself of the frustration that

set in when he got out of college and could not find an NFL team to

play for.

Jackson has one month to show his stuff and then the NFL season

will begin with or without him.