Morris will wait to decide Bucs S Tanard Jackson's status

Sometimes you don't realize how fortunate you are to have something until someone takes it away from you.

Such is the case with Bucs safety Tanard Jackson and the opportunity to play football for a living.

Jackson admitted Wednesday he has taken playing in the NFL for granted. He did at least until the NFL took it away from him.

"Realizing that I have a God-given ability and that (your time in this league) is short - it's not something you can take for granted," Jackson said upon his return from a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

"Being away for those four weeks and having time to reflect on what I've done and how I hurt myself, how I hurt the people around me - my teammates and coaches, the people who trusted me - that's what I've been addressing all this time."

Jackson still isn't ready to go public with the reason for his suspension. And while it could be years before anyone knows if Jackson has truly overcome that problem, his coach is hopeful the suspension pushed him a little closer to a full recovery.

"The time away might have been the best thing for him, because the time away has to be what drives you," Bucs coach Raheem Morris said. "You've got to love this game and love your teammates more than you love getting into trouble or missing that kind of time."

If that is the case, then Jackson may indeed be on the road to recovery. After all, he claims to have come back with a much greater appreciation for every aspect of the game.

"I could go on forever about how much I've learned," he said. "But the main thing I've learned is that this is what I love to do. This is what I'm blessed to do. I have a God-given ability and this is where I need to be."

The Bucs won't argue with that. The deep half of their secondary has become a prime target for opposing offenses and their hope is Jackson's presence alone can steer offenses in a different direction.

And maybe it will. The Bucs considered Jackson worthy of a Pro Bowl berth a year ago and Eagles coach Andy Reid backed them up on that claim during a conference call with the Tampa Bay media Wednesday.

"They're getting a Pro Bowl-caliber safety back," Reid said of the third-year pro out of Syracuse. "I don't know how much he's going to play, but I presume it's going to be a lot."

Reid probably presumes right. Though Jackson probably won't be added to the Bucs active roster until Saturday, defensive coordinator Jim Bates said he is sure Jackson is ready to return Sunday.

"Yes, he'll be ready to play," Bates said following the Bucs' workout Wednesday at One Buc Place. "He had a good day (Wednesday). He had a nice interception where he came up from the deep half and he looked good on it."

Jackson wasn't surprised. He said he spent the bulk of his down time working out at his alma mater and made sure to stay in touch with his coaches and teammates on changes to the defense.

"I'm ready for however many snaps they choose to give me, but that's out of my control," Jackson said. "That's up to the head coach and the defensive coordinator. But as far as how I feel, I feel great."

He didn't feel all that great Sunday. For the fourth time in as many weeks, Jackson spent the day watching the Bucs from a couch at either a friend's house or a hotel room near the Syracuse campus. That was the toughest part of serving the suspension, he said.

"Every Sunday watching the game was a low point for me," he said. "Just seeing these guys that I went through training camp with, that I went through the preseason with and the guys that I've played with the past two seasons - being here on the couch watching them - that was the low point."