The New Orleans Saints are a daunting opponent. Drew Brees isn’t easy to stop. Lucky for Atlanta Falcons’ Steven Jackson, he doesn’t have to stop Brees. He’ll be working while Brees is off the field — to keep Brees off the field. The running back, who has missed all of preseason, is itching to play.
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“I’m extremely excited for Week 1,” Jackson said, via the Team’s website. “It’s been a training camp that I missed the majority of the time, but I’ve been working hard physically and mentally to prepare for this coming Sunday; I feel good about it.”
He’s probably excited to run over the Saints’ defenders, but he’s also got to follow the game plan. And the Saints will probably play aggressive, which might mean a lot of pass protection from Jackson.
“They do a really good job of mixing in their personnel, bringing a lot of different defensive fronts and blitz packages,” Jackson said of the Saints. “That means our offensive line and the running backs have to communicate and make sure we’re seeing the same picture; we just have to be prepared for it.”
Jackson has a proclivity toward injury. But the running back has had a long and prolific career, and he plans to stay healthy this season. He can thank his medical staff, in advance.
“I think Marty and his training staff are the best in the NFL,” Jackson said. “They’ve shown, time after time, not only with myself, but with the other guys here, that when we return to the field, we’re able to play with the type of capabilities that we had before the injury.”