Future Hall of Fame Coach Explains What Makes This Bears Rookie Special

Out of every Chicago Bears rookie on the roster this offseason, the most talked-about is of course Mitch Trubisky. Not surprising given he's a quarterback. That just comes with the nature of the position he plays. At the same time this has always been a town driven by defense. Given how long it's been since the Bears had a truly good safety patrolling the back end, people are wondering what to expect from fourth round pick Eddie Jackson. He certainly wasn't the much-hyped Jamal Adams or Malik Hooker, but there has been a steady buzz around the former Alabama standout. After a run at cornerback early in his college career, the program decided to switch him to safety. He responded with six interceptions his first year including a pivotal one to help win the national championship. Unfortunately the sequel in 2016 was ruined by a broken leg. Now people are left wondering if the Bears have just another future bust or finally got it right with Jackson. For answers the Chicago Tribune talked with Alabama head coach Nick Saban. The future Hall of Famer wasn't shy in singing the praises of his former player. He even went so far as to compare him with other Crimson Tide staples like Julio Jones, C.J. Mosley and Dont'a Hightower. After that he explained what will help make him a success in Chicago. Something a lot of defenders just don't have.

Bears rookie Eddie Jackson has that intuition

"He's just one of those instinctive guys that really has a good feel. I coach defensive backs all the time, and I know John Fox did too. You want guys that can tackle. You want guys that can play man-to-man. guys that play the ball in the deep part of the field. It's really hard to teach defensive backs, you know, when do I tackle the guy? When do I intercept the ball? When do I swat (at) the guy? I call it "athletic intuition" to have those kind of innate instincts to be able to track the ball, play the ball, anticipate where the ball is going, know where the reception area is. That's one of the things Eddie always did well. People say the ball just comes to him. It doesn't come to him. He gets in the right place so he gets the ball."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JePUfEjCUwI Last year the Bears coaches made it quite obvious what they were lacking on defense. Playmakers. Guys who could force turnovers and get the ball back to the offense. Whatever magic the Lovie Smith era brought had suddenly vanished. In truth it was a simple case of the right players no longer being on the roster. With Jackson that trend could be changing in a big way. Not only is he a leader, he's also instinctive and boasts the hands of a wide receiver. Put him under the guidance of somebody like Vic Fangio and good things are bound to happen. If anything he represents the first serious attempt by the franchise in a long time to solve this ongoing problem. Saban may be biased, but he's not lying either.