For Bombers’ Jackson Jeffcoat, football’s all in the family

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This article was published 11/11/2017 (3248 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Blue Bombers defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat looks for inspiration, he doesn’t need to go any further than his dad, Jim Jeffcoat.

The elder Jeffcoat, a man who never missed a game in 12 years as a defensive end with the Dallas Cowboys and spent a total of 15 seasons in the NFL, has a serious gridiron pedigree.

After his playing career, Jeffcoat became a career coach, tutoring defensive linemen in the NFL and most recently in the U.S. college ranks.

“He’ll be watching (and) he’ll be critiquing me,” said Jackson Saturday, on the eve of Winnipeg’s West Division semifinal showdown with the Edmonton Eskimos at Investors Group Field (3:30 p.m.).

But Jackson says he was never pressured to play the game and, in fact, didn’t play football until he was in Grade 6.

“My dad just kinda wanted me to do my own thing,” said Jackson. “He didn’t even want to pressure me to play football. He made sure I became myself. I didn’t have to be Jim Jeffcoat’s son growing up and made sure I didn’t get any bad coaching but he kinda stood off. He knew when I wanted to know something, I’d come to him… Now he coaches me up every once and a while but he has his team he has to deal.”

Jim Jeffcoat, now in his fifth season as the defensive line coach for the Pac 12’s Colorado Buffaloes, enjoyed watching his son’s progress from high school in Plano, Texas to a stellar college career at the University of Texas. But letting his coaches do their work was very intentional.

“My most important thing was to be a father and when you coach them, it’s difficult to be a father because of the things you’ve gotta do and say. Kids don’t understand that,” said Jim Jeffcoat from Boulder, Colo., where the Buffs took on the USC Trojans Saturday afternoon. “I wanted to be his parent. I obviously gave him pointers and talked to him about what it is to be a football player and those things, but I never did want to coach him.

“You’ve gotta be careful about that because you lose your relationship with your child.”

Jackson watched and learned.

“I love playing this game, I’m passionate about it,” said Jackson, a friendly, soft-spoken man off the field. “And so, I mean out here I don’t have to be yell about it but on the field, it’s when you turn it on. You turn on the beast inside and come out and play. I grew up watching my father play and that’s how he was. He was a kind man, gentle man but on the field he was a beast. He was strong, he ran people over. He had 102 1/2 sacks in his career. So he was out there ballin’. That’s what I wanted to do.”

The 25-year-old made a big impression in his first season in the CFL. After a strong training camp, he waited for an opportunity to play that finally came with an injury to Tristan Okpalaugo prior to Week 4. Jackson never came out of the lineup after that, racking up 36 defensive tackles, one interception and seven sacks, tying Jamaal Westerman for the team lead in that category.

A defining moment for Jeffcoat came during a Week 8 game in which he bodyslammed Hamilton Tiger-Cats running back C.J. Gable in the open field, forcing a fumble.

After a back injury curtailed him during his three stops in the NFL, Jackson seems to have found his groove with the Blue Bombers.

“The biggest thing is he’s getting an opportunity to play,” said Jim Jeffcoat, who counts former Blue Bomber Doug Brown (Buffalo Bills) and TSN analyst Chris Schultz (Dallas) as ex-teammates. “And I knew once he got the opportunity to play on a consistent basis he was going to be effective and productive. Because that’s his MO. He’s always, regardless of when he was in high school or college, he’s always been effective once he got the opportunity to play…

“I think it’s always been about health with him. As long as he stays healthy, he can really play anywhere.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14