Broncos safety Kareem Jackson still wants clarification about what is or isn’t considered a proper hit following his return from a two-game suspension for a series of unnecessary roughness penalties.
“I’m unsure as to how to play the game going forward,” Jackson said after his first practice on Thursday. “I’m still going to be in those situations two to three times a week.”
Jackson has been fined on four separate occasions this season for illegal hits, totaling $89,670. The 35-year-old’s high hit on Green Bay Packers rookie tight end Luke Musgrave in Week 7 sparked the NFL to step in and bring down the hammer.
Jackson believes his previous hits were normal football plays. He said his instincts will continue to put him in those situations, but he will try to lower his target as much as possible.
At the time of Jackson’s suspension, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan said Jackson violated Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9 (b)(1), which states that “it is a foul if a player forcibly hits the defenseless player’s head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder, even if the initial contact is lower than the player’s neck, and regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenseless player by encircling or grasping him.”
Jackson said there’s a lot of gray area in the league’s rules. “Nothing is black and white,” he added.
Jackson mentioned that he has had several conversations with Runyan and NFL/NFLPA appeals officer Derrick Brooks but didn’t get the clarity he wanted.
“(I’m) still hanging up the phone with no answers,” he said. “I’m just going to try to lower my target and hopefully don’t end up in the same situation.”
Jackson’s suspension was originally four games before being cut in half after an appeal. Safety Justin Simmons spoke up on his teammate’s behalf while questioning the league’s rules.
“One of the things I have a problem with is the clarity aspect of what’s asked of us,” Simmons said last month. “I’m not saying the rule itself is bad. I agree with the neck or head area, but when a hit is applied to your shoulder, I don’t think that falls under the spectrum.”
Jackson has been proud of how the defense has played in the past two games. The unit has forced nine takeaways against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. Jackson hopes to fit back in and help the defense continue trending in the right direction.
Before Jackson’s suspension, he totaled 42 tackles, two interceptions and three passes defended in seven starts.
While he supported the team from afar, Jackson said he was in “full-time dad mode,” as he had to limit contact with the team.
“(I) wasn’t supposed to talk to anybody, so I tried to stay within the rules that were put in place,” he said. “I don’t know why we can’t talk. There’s a lot of (beep) I don’t know why.”
On Tuesday morning, Jackson received a call from head coach Sean Payton, who had a simple message.
“I told him we’re on a little bit of a roll, so don’t mess anything up,” Payton said.
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