Fred Jackson

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

Sort of took this from another message board, but as most of you are probably aware, Fred Jackson is off to a great start and is currently leading the NFL in rushing after two games. He's now complaining to the media about the fact that the Bills haven't given him a contract extension yet.

Jackson is a big part of the Bills team as he's pretty much exactly what you would ever want from an NFL player as far as the intangibles go, and while he isn't an elite runner, he does everything well, from catching the ball to picking up blitzes to running the ball.

However, this is only his 3rd year being the full-time starter, and in his first two years, his career highs are 1062 yards rushing, 4.5 YPC, 372 yards receiving (all those numbers from his first year), and 7 TDs (last year). Moreover, he's already 30 years old, so it seems that his decline should start kicking in relatively soon.

Do you think the Bills should give him an extension and a big pay day? How many years? About how much money?

Personally, I think they'd be crazy to sign him for anything more than a 3 year deal and only if he's willing to take average starting RB money, but some Bills fans believe that since he's such a late bloomer that he can continue to get better each year until his mid 30's and then decline.

[cjonesfan921]

Not with Spiller right behind him.

[SPTO]

Funny you should mention this because Jason LaCanfora was on the radio here this morning (he makes an appearance twice a week) and he was asked about the various Bills contract situations. According to him the Bills are trying to work out an extension with Fitzpatrick and that's their #1 priority right now. They're miles apart with Stevie Johnson but the feeling is once they finish with Fitzpatrick they'll work hard to get something done with him. As for Jackson the feeling is that the Bills will "franchise tag" him which won't be TOO expensive all things considered.

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

What's the general consensus around here? Does anyone think Jackson is seriously a top 10 RB in the NFL right now? And I mean taking more into account than just a game against a Raiders team that's sucked the past 5-10 years against the run and a Chiefs team that looks worse and worse every week.

[wwharton]

I think he's solid and definitely underrated, but I don't think he's a top 10 RB.

I also don't think it's fair to always try to find the "top [insert # here]" bc then it's not just an evaluation of the player but also of all other players you have to compare him to. I'd rather just say he deserves to sit at the big boy table and not count how many seats are available.

[CM Hooe]

Jackson is good, and Jackson is underrated. But I need to see him perform this well over the continued course of a season, and also - to steal a phrase from Greg Jennings - put the team on his back for a game or two before I entertain the idea of him being a top ten running back.

[SPTO]

I think Jackson is a top 15 or so RB. That's not a slight against him because he's a key part to the Bills success on offense. This spread attack that Gailey is using only works if you get some good yardage by the RB so that it keeps the defense from keying solely on the passing game. Jackson is a very dependable guy and I think he's highly underrated sometimes even by his own team! So I think he deserves a good pay day.

[kingkilla56]

Hes a role guy. Nowhere near top 10.