Steve Jackson (defensive back)
Steven Wayne Jackson (born April 8, 1969) is a former American football defensive back for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans who is currently the senior offensive assistant for the Atlanta Falcons. He was selected by Houston in the 3rd round (71st overall) in the 1991 NFL Draft. In 1999, the Titans made it to Super Bowl XXXIV in which Jackson appeared as a substitute;[1] however, they lost to the Kurt Warner-led St. Louis Rams. In 2022, twenty-two years later, Jackson coached the Cincinnati Bengals secondary/cornerbacks in Super Bowl LVI, also losing to Los Angeles Rams. [2]
| Atlanta Falcons | |||||||
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| Position: | Senior offensive assistant | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | April 8, 1969 Houston, Texas | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 188 lb (85 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Houston (TX) Klein Forest | ||||||
| College: | Purdue | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1991 / Round: 3 / Pick: 71 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| As a player: | |||||||
| As a coach: | |||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||
Playing and coaching history
- 1987-90 — Played safety at Purdue.
- 1991-99 — Played safety with Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans.
- 2001-03 — Defensive backs coach, Buffalo Bills.
- 2004-11 — Safeties coach, Washington Redskins.
- 2013 — Assistant secondary coach, Detroit Lions.
- 2016-17 — Assistant DB coach, Tennessee Titans.
- 2018-19 — Assistant DB coach, New York Jets.
- 2020-21 — Secondary/CB coach, Cincinnati Bengals.
- 2022-present — Senior offensive assistant, Atlanta Falcons.
Coaching career
In 2022, Jackson entered his 19th season as a coach and first season as a senior offensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons. Formerly, all prior eighteen seasons were in a defensive capacity including most recently as a cornerbacks coach with the Cincinnati Bengals (2020-2021).[3] He helped lead the team's secondary to Super Bowl LVI, after spending nine seasons as a player in the league (1991-99).
Previously, Jackson spent two seasons (2018-19) with the New York Jets, where he served as the team's assistant defensive backs coach. During his two seasons coaching the Jets DBs, he helped guide S Jamal Adams to consecutive Pro Bowl appearances and first-team AP All-Pro nods. Adams also led the Jets in tackles in both seasons, and was voted by his teammates both years as the Curtis Martin Team Most Valuable Player.
Prior to his time with the Jets, Jackson spent two seasons (2016-17) with the Tennessee Titans as the team's assistant secondary coach. In 2017, he helped guide S Kevin Byard, a third-round selection in ’16, to a standout season that included eight INTs (tied for NFL lead), a Pro Bowl nod and first-team All-Pro honors. Additionally, Jackson aided in the development of CB Adoree’ Jackson, Tennessee's first-round selection in 2017, who was thrust into immediate action as a full-time starter and ended his rookie season with a team-high 17 passes defensed and three FFs (tied for team lead).
Jackson served as assistant secondary coach for one season (2013) with the Detroit Lions, after spending eight years (’04-11) with the Washington Redskins as safeties coach (also added the title of defensive passing game coordinator from ’06-09). His time in Washington was perhaps best known for his work as the position coach for the late Sean Taylor, a 2004 Redskins first-round pick who became one of the NFL's top defensive players before dying tragically in ’07. Jackson was safeties coach for all four of Taylor's NFL seasons, overseeing a rapid development that earned Taylor first-team AP All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors before his untimely death at age 24. Jackson began his NFL coaching career from 2001 to 2003 with the Buffalo Bills, where he served as safeties coach, with an added focus on the team's third- down defense.
Prior to his coaching career, Jackson played safety in the NFL for nine seasons (1991-99), all of which were with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. He entered the league as a third-round draft choice of the Oilers in 1991, and went on to post 14 career INTs and nine sacks. In his final season, he helped the Titans to an AFC Championship and concluded his career in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Before the NFL, Jackson was a four-year starter at Purdue University. As a senior, he earned All-American honors and was named semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to the nation's top defensive back.
Jackson was born April 8, 1969, in Houston, Texas, and went on to attend Klein Forest High School in Houston. He has a daughter, Dominique, and a son, Stephen.
References
- ^ "Super Bowl XXXIV Team Rosters". sportspool.com. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
- ^ "Twenty-Two Years Later, Former Titans Player and Assistant Coach Steve Jackson is Back in the Super Bowl, Once Again vs the Rams". tennesseetitans.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ Dragon, Tyler (January 20, 2020). "Cincinnati Bengals announce Steve Jackson as secondary coach". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
External links
- NFL.com player page