May 10, 2013; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Da

After the draft ended the Bills and their fans had to be pretty excited about their new additions.  A few draftees taken were a possible franchise quarterback, a potential number one wide receiver and a good linebacker.  It was something after the draft however that had people talking.  Da ’Rick Rogers went undrafted but didn’t really waste anytime signing on with the Bills.

He would end up not being drafted because of his off field issues while in college.  I have done some reading on this guy and I’ve seen some projections of him being selected as early as the 2^nd round.  Others thought he would go in the later rounds knowing his past and problems that he could bring to an organization.

Coming out of high school Rogers was headed to Tennessee to play his college ball.  His first year wasn’t anything really to be excited about as he didn’t contribute that much in the stats category.   Football aside he didn’t really make the greatest of impressions as he was arrested for disorderly conduct.   His numbers significantly improved in his sophomore year as he put up numbers like 67 catches, 1,040 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns.   Those numbers eventually landed him on the ALL-SEC second team.   He played for the Volunteers up to the start of the 2012 season where he was in the end dismissed for multiple failed drug tests. After that occurred he transferred to Tennessee Tech where he didn’t look to miss a beat.  The numbers he put up at Tech definitely showed he could play: 78 catches, 1,207 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Now back to the Bills signing Rogers and hoping they can help him get back on track.  I’m sure they are telling him your chances are running out and no one wants to see him just waste his talent.  He can be a good player on this team I think as long as he doesn’t have any more off-fields issues.   I say he makes the team and contributes starting right away.  Does he get the chance?

Oct. 21, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson (22) drops a ball during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

With the new coaching staff changing the look of this team, I have some questions in how far they are looking to go. Tuff decisions will have to be made and that means players will be given there walking papers. One player I think they should definitely look at is Fred Jackson.

Fred was undrafted (2003) out of Coe College a division III school. After trying out and not catching on with Chicago, Denver or Green Bay Jackson bounced around before joining the Bills. He played for the National Indoor Football League for 2years and then NFL Europe for 1 year before joining the Bills. He was deemed to small when he first tried coming into the league but the Bills were willing to give him a chance.

In 2007 he made his NFL debut with the Bills and played his way to a starter when he beat out Marshawn Lynch late in the 2009 season. He then carried the load and didn’t do a bad job but was never that complete player in mind. I mean he wasn’t bad but I just thought this team could have gotten more out of that position at the time.

Having only one season were he eclipsed the 1,000 yard plateau in the 2009 season I wondered if he could ever get there again and sustain that for a few consecutive seasons. After advancing to the next season he drew close but came up short of hitting that mark. As 2011 hit we seen for the first time him get into injury trouble and him not being able to play the whole season. Stopping what would have been a great season for Jackson the injury to his fibula in my eyes changed him for the worse. When he returned to play the next season he then got hurt again and then CJ Spiller started to get on people radars. People had already got a glimpse of him the year before but now with a larger body of work fans realized that he could be something good. What Jackson lacked in speed and vision I believe Spiller picked up the slack greatly. This is where I started to think we could do without Jackson.

Going back to his stats he really never wowed anyone. The one season where it looked like it could be something special was actually the downfall to him. Although he has an AVG of 4.5 a carry and 24 total TD’s he does have 13 fumbles with 10 lost. As of late it has been getting worse for Jackson. Fumbles at key times and at the goal line are killers and you just can’t have that. The coaching staff prior it seemed was all about fairness and playing time but hopefully the new guys in charge will award playing time to the player who earns it.

I know Jackson is a leader on this team but as you can see I would like the Bills to go in a different direction. Something that really got to me last year when the whole thing came about “its Fred turn” is what Fred didn’t do. He was struggling and CJ was moving along nicely. Being the leader it was his reasonability to let the coaching staff know he wasn’t up to par and have let CJ continue to get the carries. This is a team game and Fred should have seen what was going on.
I know there’s a lot of Jackson fans but let me know in the comments what you think.