Jackson, Soul take aim at title

Chris Jackson has traveled many miles and he’s accomplished a lot of things since leaving his childhood home in Morrisville, Pa., in Bucks County.

But the Soul’s newly-acquired receiver said his heart was always somewhere in the vicinity of home.

“I’ve always been a true Philly fan as sports goes,” said Jackson, who spent the bulk of his life on the West Coast and still lives in Surprise, Ariz.

“I remember Randall Cunningham and Dr. J. (Julius Erving) and those are people I looked up to,” Jackson said. “Now it’s good to be back home. It’s always nice to have family support or a home-cooked meal or whatever.”

Jackson will begin his tenure with the Soul when the team opens its fifth Arena Football League season at 7 p.m. Saturday against Orlando in the Wachovia Center.

He returns to his home turf mostly because the Soul made it a top priority to upgrade its receiving corps over the offseason. They signed Jackson as a free agent away from the Georgia Force.

In doing so, Soul management believes it has transformed the team into an instant Arena Bowl contender.

“He’s one of the best, if not the best, receiver in the Arena Football League,” said team president Ron Jaworski. “He knows how to get open, he catches the ball and he’s tough. He’s got great work ethic and he’s been an incredible addition for this team.”

Jackson, who turned 33 on Tuesday, also believes he’s playing for a championship contender, even though he’s reluctant to take too much credit.

“They brought me here for a reason,” he said. “And that’s to be the best wide receiver I can be. I just want to have fun and do what I do.”

Jackson will be playing in his eighth AFL season this year after playing his collegiate career at Washington State University.

A highly regarded basketball player at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., he turned to football relatively late in life, when he was convinced by friends to try making the switch.

Still, Jackson comes to the Soul carrying many accolades.

He is the only AFL Player to be named both Rookie of the Year (2000) and Offensive Player of the Year (2003). Playing with current Soul quarterback Tony Graziani while with the Los Angeles Avengers in that season, he had 117 receptions for 1,737 yards and 46 receiving touchdowns.

He has played in 90 AFL games and he’s caught touchdown passes in 88 of them. He also has caught at least one pass in every game he’s played.

He was named first team All-Arena last season, catching 51 touchdown passes with career highs in receiving yards (1,915) and receptions (145). He was twice named Offensive Player of the Game and was twice named Ironman of the Game.

“He’s a dynamic receiver,” Graziani said. “He seems to always be open and he’s that go-to guy we’ve been looking for all these years.”

Coach Bret Munsey thinks he now has the mix of players that will put up lots of points.

He believes the chemistry between Graziani and Jackson, who were teammates in Los Angeles for three seasons, will be the key to the season.

“They have a good feel for each other,” Munsey said. “Now Tony has a guy he feels like when his number is called, he’s going to be open. That’s important on third-and-10 and fourth-and-5. He’s got that now with Chris.”

The father of three, Jackson once harbored hopes of playing in the NFL. He visited several camps during the summers, even while he was playing in the AFL.

“I didn’t want to make a career out of playing arena football,” he said. “I wanted to use it as a stepping stone to get into the NFL. At the same time, though, it was good to have arena football to fall back on.”

Jackson said he maintained a similar mentality until his fifth season in the AFL.

Then he began to realize he would not earn his way in the NFL and he accepted his role as an full-time indoor player.

“Now I look at playing in the AFL as a great way to make a living,” he said. “It’s a very enjoyable sport. I just want to go out and have fun and do what I do. I wouldn’t think of anything else. This is my livelihood, arena football.”

Source: CourierPostOnline