Charles Jackson: More Time Before Practice, More Time In Practice

[husker_fan_from_sweden]

The time that Charles Jackson committed this offseason to learning the nickel position in Nebraska's defense is paying off for the junior defensive back.
Just ask Bo Pelini.

The head coach regularly works with the players in contention at nickel, a spot that might be the most mentally demanding within this defense. Pelini watches film with his nickel backs. He actively coaches them in practice.

And Pelini says Jackson's making progress in the hybrid role.

“He opened up that playbook and spent some time,” Pelini said. “You can just tell by the questions he asks and his approach how far he's come in the last year. It's good to see.”

OWH

So CJax is now playing what might be the most mentally demanding position on the defense but is excelling. Largely because he put in a lot of time in over the winter studying his position. Some times it just takes guys a little longer to figure out that they can't just show up and play. Really glad to hear this about CJax. Hope he keeps it up.

Someone with knowledge in X's and O's....what is it about this position that is so important to the defense? Is it being able to defend run and pass equally?

Its a tough position because you run around about as much as anyone else, and it requires being stout enough to hold ground in the run game. Any nickle corner in the big ten has to have the range to cover the slot while upholding their run game assignment thus making it one of the hardest and vital positions in pelini's D. Cjax and byerson both looked good there in the spring game.

 

[lo country]

You have to cover like a true CB and stuff the run like a LB. Tough position the way Bo likes to use it.

 

[zeWilbur]

All of the above are true but I will try to expand on it a little more. The matchup zone coverage usually puts them in man coverage on the slot receiver. Simple enough. However, they are required to play the run like a linebacker. So now they have to cover while diagnosing long enough to determine whether it is a run or not. This would be hard enough for any db but it gets even worse when you are trying to do it against a receiver that is generally most effective on short, explosive routes.

The risk is that you need someone with:

True DB coverage skills

Block shedding and tackling on par with LBs

Can read the offense pre-snap(at least run or pass, not necessarily the exact play) and be correct >90% of the time. If they get it wrong you may as well have a punter covering the slot. Missing on a run(thinking it was a pass) means the slot is already running the nickel out of the play and now he has to completely changing momentum, fighting through blockers that have a size and angle advantage, and trying to help in the run fit. Most people will lose this scenario almost every time. Missing on a pass(thinking it is a run) means trying to hold up the slot long enough to diagnose run, hoping the jam doesn't let them run completely free, then trying to chase them down from behind before the QB gets the ball there. Most people will lose this scenario almost every time as well.

Someone with any one of these skill is probably pretty high on the depth chart at their position. The tricky part is that all of this has to exist in the same body. The time it takes in the film room to get to that pre-snap read level seems to have been the main thing holding Mr. Jackson back.

The payoff is that your LBs can focus more on the run and your DBs can focus more on the pass at the beginning of the play. Not requiring your other players to do as much(though their jobs are nowhere near simple!) means they can cheat, even if just a little bit. When everyone is doing their job well the defense looks faster because they actually are half a step quicker to their responsibility.

 

[Abdullah the Butcher]

http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/blogpost?blogname=bigten&id=100197

Spring breakout player: DB Charles Jackson

Connect the dots here. Nebraska’s top defensive units under Bo Pelini -- in 2003, his lone year as coordinator, and 2009 in his second year as head coach -- stopped the passing game as well or better than any team nationally.

The linchpin, arguably, to a dominant Pelini secondary is a standout at nickel back. The nickel, highlighted when the Huskers require a fifth defensive back against many of today’s pass-happy offensive foes, demands versatility and intelligence.

Ciante Evans performed admirably as the nickel a year ago.

This spring, Jackson, a junior who has long been a promising figure for Nebraska, emerged as the projected starter. A 2011 signee out of Spring, Texas, who sat out that first fall to clear eligibility hurdles, Jackson has tantalized the Huskers with flashes of athleticism on special teams for the past two seasons.