Brandon Jackson is one of those former Nebraska football running backs who made good in the NFL, at least for a little while. The former Husker had a couple of good years with the Green Bay Packers before he had to hang up his pads due to injury problems. After a couple of years out of the limelight Jackson is back in the NFL. This time around he's coaching rather than playing.
Jackson was recently hired as a coaching intern by his former team. The timing apparently couldn't have been better considering the franchise is breaking in several rookie runners and a second year back who is still learning the position.
All reports out of the most recent minicamp say that Jackson has been a person the players have already learned quite a bit from his tutelage. It's possible the former running back is starting a whole new kind of coaching tree when it comes to people who went through Nebraska.
Packers have a coach in a player's body
One of the reasons Green Bay youngsters have taken to the former Nebraska football star is because he still looks like he could be competing for a spot on the roster. “Pat McKenzie wanted to give him a physical,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy told the LaCrosse Tribune on Thursday. “He thought he came back to play.” That impressive physique was in effect despite the fact that Jackson hasn't played since 2013.
Jackson has been working hard to show players what they need to do, by running through drills that he excelled at when he was still carrying the ball. The former Nebraska star was well known as a pass catcher and a pass blocker. Considering Ty Montgomery is the only veteran back on the roster, and there are five other rookies on the team, having someone who can focus on that can only help.
“He’s helped me a lot and he’s helped me develop into the guy that he ended up being,” Montgomery said after the most recent minicamp was over.
Packers job nearing an end for Jackson
The internship is winding down, but it appears the way he's helped the running backs over a short period of time could land him a coaching job for the long term.
The Packers have done this kind of thing before and when talking about a player like the former Nebraska star, teams are going to take notice of what he's done. Much like several other Huskers, Jackson is going to be looking for a job but if anyone calls McCarthy for a reference, it appears he'll be getting a glowing review. Hopefully that means a new job is on the horizon.
