September 26th, 2009 
Frank Minniti 
Posted in 
By now, you probably still don’t know Fred Jackson’s story but after two weeks into the 2009 NFL season, nobody is asking, “Fred Who?”. And chance are, even when Marshawn Lynch returns in a few weeks from suspension, Jackson won’t be fading into the background anytime soon.
With Lynch starting out the season suspended and free agent running back Dominic Rhodes released late in the summer, that left Jackson as the starting running back and second-year back Xavier Omon the backup. With Omon having just two carries under his belt, that meant the reigns were Jacksons’s. This was his chance to not only produce, but also prove that he could be a real weapon in Buffalo’s offense.
We’ve all heard of NFL success stories in recent years. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner went from stocking shelves in a grocery store to Super Bowl champion. Former New Orleans Saints kick returner Michael Lewis drove a beer truck before landing in the NFL, and Dallas Cowboys quarterback was a virtual unknown from Northern Iowa. But now it’s Jackson that’s serving a model for everyone out there that even though he took the unconventional route to the NFL, there’s more than one way to skin a cat.
His story begins in Arlington, Texas where Jackson played football in high school. Next, it was on to Coe College, a Division III school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His professional career started in Sioux City, Iowa where Jackson played for the Sioux City Bandits in the National Indoor Football League and the United Indoor Football League in 2004 and 2005, making $200 dollars a week. Jackson’ s travels continued overseas in Germany where he played for the Rhein Fire of NFL Europa. It wasn’t until 2007 that Jackson landed on the Bills practice squad.
If you remember, it was Jackson who was upset over his contract situation in April and made himself scarce from conditioning workouts. His 37 catches a year ago were fourth among all Bills receivers, and Jackson has filled in admirably over the past few years. In last season’s finale against New England, Jackson rushed for 137 yards on 27 carries and in 2007 he amassed 151 rushing and receiving yards in a victory over Washington.
But it would be hard to imagine where the Bills would be without Jackson now. He’s been asked to shoulder the brunt of the running load and he’s been a revelation going from a supporting role to a lead role.
Through two weeks of the NFL season, Jackson has rushed for 220 yards on 43 carries. Only the Tennessee’s Chris Johnson has rushed for more yards and Cincinnati’s Cedric Benson has carried the ball more time.
Jackson also leads all Buffalo receivers in both receptions (11) and yards (108. What’s even more impressive about Jackson’s remarkable first two weeks is the fact that he’s running behind a young, inexperienced offensive line that’s still very much a work in progress that features a new starting left tackle, a new center and two rookies. After two games, there’s no debating who Buffalo’s MVP is right now.
[...] that left Jackson as the starting running back and second-year back Xavier Omon the backup. From Anonymity to Indispensible, Jackson Shining in Buffalo – billsgab.com 09/27/2009 By now, you probably still don’t know Fred Jackson’s story but [...]
Pathetic! There is no other way to put it. Their performance is strongly similar to Jauron’s limp wristed,lame ass personality. Edwards has no awareness of the situation around him. EVER! This obviously is more than an individual problem. The fish rots from the head down. Our general manager is “learning on the job.” Why? Because he comes cheap! Ralph is a cheap, old, senile F*ck who needs to either relinquish control, sell, or die! They sell the fans the same shit every season. We buy the tickets like retards. Why? Because at the end of the day, it’s about the party , not football. The product on the field has been horrible for years. The predictions that are made each year are hilarious. Playoff team? Seriously? And no, this is not a fair weather fan ranting. This is common sense. They do, will, and have sucked for ages. Jim, Bruce, Thurman, etc. have been gone for a long long time. Stop living in the past Ralph. Ooops maybe you can’t remember those days or when to change your diaper.
Hey Mitch thanks for the comment man. I’d love to formulate any kind of argument against you, but in your small paragraph you haven’t said anything I’m not screaming outload and I’m sure there’s no Buffalo Bills fan who doesn’t feel the same way. What’s bad is that Raiders owner Al Davis takes the brunt of abuse when it comes to “the game passing him by” but I’ll be honest, why shouldn’t we include Ralph Wilson in that discussion as well? We a “game manager” at QB, a guy who’s barely a backup in this league. As you stated, really what does our GM know about football? Maybe you could argue he knows as much, if not less than our head coach. I have no idea why they signed Terrell Owens. If they wanted a WR to just catch 2 passes a game, they could have used a practice squad player. I couldn’t agree more. The coach should’ve went last year. The QB needs to go and I think maybe it’s time for the owner to go.