Vic Fangio Explains Why Broncos S Kareem Jackson is One of his 'All-Time Favorite Players'
Following the Denver Broncos' resounding 38-10 victory over the Detroit Lions, head coach Vic Fangio addressed the team in the locker room. As is tradition, the Broncos filmed at least part of Fangio's victory speech — in this instance, the handing out of five game balls.
The last one went to veteran safety Kareem Jackson. But that's not what was notable about the moment.
It was Fangio calling Jackson "one of my all-time favorite players" that was curious, demanding more of a drill-down from media. Why did Fangio say that about Jackson?
“He’s tough," Fangio said on Monday. "He had that hit near our sideline [and] it was right in front of me. His neck [and] shoulder area has been bothering him for a good six or seven weeks now and I thought that was going to be it for him. Five plays later, he’s back in there."
It goes beyond Jackson's toughness and his sheer willpower to make sure he's there for his team. Fangio explained why.
"Guys—when they get to his age, a lot of times [they] lose their stinger for the game before they lose their ability to play the game," Fangio continued. "He obviously hasn’t. I have a lot of respect for that, and he’s a great teammate. All he wants to do is win games. Those are some of the reasons.”
We aren't going to get the full explanation as to why Jackson is one of Fangio's "all-time favorites" but considering that he's coached some excellent players, from Pro Bowlers, to All-Pros, and Hall-of-Famers, it's high praise.
Fangio was a big reason the Broncos signed Jackson to a three-year, $33 million deal back in 2019. In Fangio's first year as head coach, Jackson produced arguably the best season of his career since entering the league as a Houston Texans first-round pick back in 2010.
Jackson was voted as a Pro Bowl alternate that year. His second season, unfortunately, wasn't nearly as dominant and it resulted in the Broncos releasing him this past spring.
However, there seemed to be a wink-wink, nod-nod type of understanding between the team and Jackson before he was released as the veteran was re-signed a short time later on a one-year deal worth $5M.
On the season, Jackson has started 12 games, totaling 73 tackles (51 solo), one interception, and one sack, while breaking up two passes. It's been solid-if-unspectacular production which is reflected in his Pro Football Focus grade.
PFF has graded Jackson at 54.4 which ranks him No. 79 among NFL safeties. While I'll be the first to say that PFF's grades are highly subjective and lack transparency, I don't think the analytics site is too far off the mark.
However, what a nebulous, arbitrary grade like that cannot reflect are all the intangible ways Jackson impacts the field. From his football IQ to his leadership skills, those are the reasons he is so beloved by his coaches.
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