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Buffalo Bills: You can’t keep ageless wonder Fred Jackson down for long

Fred Jackson returns to practice for the Buffalo Bills

They say you can’t keep the great ones down for long, something which Fred Jackson proved Saturday, with his return to Buffalo Bills practice. His return from a hamstring pull undoubtedly provided a massive boost to a roster that has been dealing with a barely believable amount of injuries recently.

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In that respect, the Fort Worth, Texas native has always been renowned for his ability to recover quickly from injury. Just last year he suffered a groin pull midway through the season, but was back in action just three weeks later.

The sight of Jackson on the practice field is somewhat of a miracle in general. As things stand, he is currently the oldest running back in the NFL.

Ask you can imagine, the media, including Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News, were eager to talk to the 34-year old. Unsurprisingly, he always anticipated returning when he did.

Jackson said: “It was the plan all along, to get out here this week, see if I could push around on it. Felt good out there.”

Jul 31, 2015; Pittsford, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson (22) in a drill during training camp at St. John Fisher College. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, the 2009 All Purpose Yards leader wants to contribute as much as possible. However, he is also aware that he can’t push it, especially with the likes of LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams and Bryce Brown still unavailable.

Jackson said: “It’s definitely something we’ll pay attention to. But, you know, I want to be out here doing as much as I can, too.

“We’ve still got a lot to learn in this offense. so the best thing for me is to be out here participating in practice.”

There were whispers during the offseason, that the 2010 Bills Walter Payton Man of the Year’s roster spot could be in jeopardy with the new regime. In hindsight, this rumor seems decidedly ludicrous.

While Jackson may not be quite as effective as a few years ago, he can still provide a significant contribution. Just last season, he had over 1,000 total offensive yards, including career highs for receptions and receiving yardage.

On top of this, the former NFL Europa player’s leadership is invaluable. Certainly, Rex Ryan is appreciative of the efforts of the veteran running back, as he told Skurski and the rest of the media.

Ryan said: “He looked pretty good. I was happy to see him. He was doing more than I thought he was going to do.

“I was kidding him the other day – his twin brother was out here, and they’re identical twins – ‘you know what, Fred can’t play, but you can play.’ We were thinking about doing that.”

The Bills head coach may well have been surprised by Jackson’s workload in his first practice back. However, spend enough time around him and nothing shocks you about this ageless wonder.

Next: Ronald Darby continues to look and learn

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