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Jackson Gives Bucs Happy Returns

Tribune photo by CLIFF McBRIDE

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Dexter Jackson runs off the field after a 83 yard punt return TD vs. the Houston Texans.

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By ROY CUMMINGS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 1, 2008

Updated: 09/01/2008 12:33 am

TAMPA - Micheal Spurlock made history last year. Now the only Buccaneer to return a kick for a touchdown is history. Dexter Jackson is the reason.

Though it took until the end of the preseason, Jackson finally impacted a game Thursday the way the Bucs thought he would when they spent their second-round draft pick on him in April.

Not only did the rookie return a punt 83 yards for a touchdown, but he also returned the game's opening kick 23 yards to spark a Bucs drive that would have resulted in a score had Matt Bryant not missed his kick.

At the same time, Jackson proved he's more than just a return man. By gaining 13 yards on an end-around and catching two passes for 17 yards, including one for 9 yards on third-and-7, he proved he also can impact the offense.

It's no wonder, then, that the Bucs saw fit to let go of Spurlock, who was released Saturday along with 19 others, and name Jackson their new kick and punt returner.

"We have other guys who are capable of doing that job for us, but we do see Dexter as the guy that's going to be our returner," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said Sunday.

"I'm really excited," Jackson said Sunday. "And with that Houston game behind me, I feel really confident right now. That was big because it kind of silenced the critics and showed my teammates what I'm capable of."

The decision comes as no great surprise but it does mark something of a threshold moment for the Bucs. For at least as long as Gruden has been their coach, they have searched in vain for an impact return man.

Aaron "Rocket" Lockett, Mark Jones and Justin Phinisee all were drafted with that role in mind. None made the impact the Bucs were looking for. Now it's Jackson's turn.

He certainly has the speed the Bucs want at that spot. He ran a 4.55 40-yard dash at the combine in February and blew past the Texans' coverage unit on his way to the end zone last week.

On the downside, he stands just 5-foot-10 and weighs 179 pounds. That's a little small, even for a return man, and it's especially small for a receiver. Still, the Bucs are convinced he can help them as a receiver.

That game he had against the Texans pretty much proved their point. The Bucs went to Jackson twice on third down, and on one play he generated so much speed he drew a pass interference penalty.

That allowed the Bucs to move from their own 42-yard line to the Texans' 27, and it set the stage for a 29-yard Matt Bryant field goal that helped Tampa Bay seal a 16-6 victory.

"He was great in that game," Gruden said. "He's still got a long way to go to figure everything out but what you saw against Houston is why we took him when we did."

The move has been called a reach by some. The Bucs acknowledge taking a risk, but it's the same risk, they say, the Bears took in drafting Devin Hester in the second round in 2006. That gamble certainly has paid off.

With 11 returns for touchdown in just two seasons, Hester has quickly emerged as one of the most feared players in football. He doesn't do much as a receiver, but he doesn't have to. Neither does Jackson.

Though they drafted him with the idea of using him as a receiver, the Bucs may be satisfied if Jackson never does anything other than return kicks and punts for them. After all, that means someone else won't have to.

"You look at us last year and Ike Hilliard was our leading receiver, but he had to handle the punt return duties as well," Gruden said. "That's a lot of responsibility to think about as you go to sleep the night before a game."

Hilliard wasn't the only Buc forced into double duty last year. Until Spurlock came around, starting corner Phillip Buchanon returned kicks and punts and receiver Michael Clayton helped out as a kick returner.

All were simply adequate. Jackson is special. He has the potential to make the Bucs' return game truly special, something other teams have to fear and game-plan against. That's what they've been missing.

"We've been on the other side of it," Bucs special teams coach Richard Bisaccia said. "And anytime there's a guy back there that you're worried about, it creates different situations for you.

"You have to ask yourself, do you direction kick away from that guy or go out of bounds with your punt. It's all those things you do against Devin Hester. This guy, well, we hope he turns into that kind of a weapon. We'll see."

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or rcummings@tampatrib.com.

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