Have you ever thought your eyes deceived you?
Perhaps just walking down the street, and saw something
that you just weren't sure if you really saw what you
thought you saw? Like one time at Mardi Gras, I
saw a woman walking a man on a leash. I know I saw
it, but afterwards, I wondered if my eyes had played
tricks on me. I got that same sort of feeling in
2001, the first time I saw Brandon Jacobs running the
football. It’s just not that common to watch a
guy, 6'4" and 250 lbs., take a pitch, find a seam and
turn up field, and outrun a defense for a long
touchdown. Jacobs spent two seasons making plays
like that for Coffeyville Community College, and never
failed to impress.
While playing at Coffeyville, Jacobs was grooming
himself on the field and in the classroom, having made a
commitment to play at Auburn University right out of
high school. Then, things took a strange twist.
Jacobs had been given offers by Auburn, LSU, Nebraska,
Washington, and TCU. Although he'd committed to
Auburn, he was mulling over a change.
At one point in 2002, Jacobs had come out and said that
he planned to attend LSU instead of Auburn, only to
choose again to honor his prior commitment to Auburn,
even though they already had a logjam of running backs
including Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams. While
that was an honorable stance, perhaps it wasn't the most
prudent.
Jacobs went to Auburn for the 2003 season, and Coach
Tubberville did what he could to get Jacobs some
touches. In the end, he was tied for second on the
team in rushing, with 446 yards, with 6.2 YPC and 3 TDs.
In the games where he did get significant time, fans
were able to see the power and explosion that is
Brandon's trademark, as well as his ability to get
stronger as he wears down a defense.
By the end of the season, there was a lot of disarray in
the Auburn backfield. The Auburn coaches were
talking about moving Brandon to tight end or defensive
end, and Jacobs even had some practices at other
positions, but even though he had the best of
intentions, and wanted to do everything he could to
honor his commitment to Auburn, he knew deep down that
he was a running back and transferring was his best bet
to realize that. It also was his best bet for
showing what he could do to the NFL community.
So at that point, Brandon’s phone started to ring.
There aren't many 250-pound tailbacks who can run a 4.6
forty, and is just as happy with running you over as
outrunning you. Nebraska called, along with
schools like Southern Miss. and Wisconsin, but the NCAA
would have made Jacobs sit a season, before he could
join the team. Since that wasn't an option, he
turned to some of the powerhouse schools in Division
1-AA like McNeese State, Southern Illinois, and
Southwest Missouri State. He finally settled on
Southern Illinois and Coach Kill's creative run-heavy
offense. This would be Jacobs’ chance to be the
feature back, right? Not quite. Brandon
shared carries with the smaller, quicker Arkee Whitlock,
but you didn't have to watch for long to realize that
Coach Kill had a system to maximize both players’ unique
talents. By the end of the season Jacobs lead the
team in rushing with 992 yards, 6.6 YPC, and 19 TDs,
while only starting 3 games.
I had a chance to talk to Brandon about how his
off-season is going and what he's looking forward to at
the next level.
DraftBoardInsider.com:
There's been some talk about you possibly changing
positions in the NFL, like to a FB. I've always
thought of you as a running back only. Where do
you think you fit in at the next level?
Brandon Jacobs: Only a couple of teams have
talked to me about moving…Denver and Jacksonville talked
to me about moving to tight end or fullback, but that's
it.
DBI: You opened a lot of eyes at the Shrine
Game. What were you hoping to accomplish at the
practices and the game?
BJ: I wanted to go out and play good.
A lot of folks think when you play AA ball, it's not the
same, but they can play. I wanted to show everyone
I could play, and yeah, I went in there with a chip on
my shoulder, sure.
DBI: What would you say is the strongest part of
your game, and the one thing you need to improve the
most, for the NFL?
BJ: My strength is running between the
tackles. Yeah, that's my strength. I am best
running between the tackles. As far as a weakness,
I don't know if it's a weakness, but I am working hard
on pass protection. Yeah, I can ‘pass pro’, but
that's what I am working on right now.
DBI: Considering Coach Kill's reputation for
showcasing his running backs, I assume you are happy
with your decision to transfer to SIU, rather than stay
at Auburn another year, in terms of how it's prepared
you for the NFL?
BJ: I love Coach Kill. He is great.
I was happy to be able to play there, and it was a great
system for me. His offense was a reason I picked
SIU, and I am glad I did.
DBI: So, what happens between now, up until
draft day for you?
BJ: I train. I stay out here, and
train. I am getting ready for the Pro Day, and I
am going to run better, so we just train and workout and
get ready for the workouts and the draft.
If Brandon isn't drafted early in this draft, for
whatever reason, it's not because he's not a great
football player, because he is. It will be because
teams don't know exactly what to do with him. He's
been the victim of some strange circumstances, and
through all the transfers and attempts to change
positions, he's always handled himself professionally,
and for the most part, put his commitment to his team
over any personal gains.
Brandon may not be shifty enough, or a good enough
receiver to be a team’s feature back, getting 30 touches
a game, but any combination of size, speed, and power,
much less his, doesn't come along very often. I
don't think he's a Mike Alstott-type fullback, getting
spot carries at the goal line; I think he's a bigger,
faster Eddie George, who just needs to polish the finer
points of his game. When he does that, the
realization by others of what he's always known will be
complete
– he's a running back.
