Vincent Jackson: Patriots, 49ers or Bears; Which Team Makes the Most Sense?
Published by Chris Trapasso on March 9, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
There seems to be about 10 teams ready to place their names in the Vincent Jackson sweepstakes. In this article, I’ll try to sort it all out and provide the team that makes the most sense for Mr. Jackson.
Actually, for the sake of time, I’ve narrowed the teams down to the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears, as they seem to be three clubs looking for a big-time downfield threat that are viable options.
New England Patriots
With the Patriots comes the enticing situation at quarterback. Yeah, Tom Brady. He’s crazy good. While the tight end tandem of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez was the focal point of the offense in 2011, we’ve seen what Brady is capable of when provided a deep threat.
The AFC East isn’t necessarily weak, but outside of Darrelle Revis, a guy that held Jackson to one catch and 15 yards last year, there isn’t a scary shutdown corner in the division. He’d play for one of the best organizations in football and take trips to the biggest markets in the NFL and Miami.
The Pats’ defense is worth noting. While they have some solid core players, they’re far from an elite group. They did advance to the Super Bowl, though.
Overall, a good situation.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were a field goal away from the Super Bowl, so like the Patriots, they’ll certainly be a championship contender next season.
That’s tempting for Jackson.
The quarterback situation isn’t nearly as ideal with Alex Smith under center. Jim Harbaugh has a imaginative offensive brain, but the team will most likely rely on their balanced running game and premier defense to carry them to the playoffs and beyond next season.
Even with Jackson, I don’t see San Fran shifting much of their offensive focus to the passing game.
Chicago Bears
The Bears make the most sense. Jay Cutler‘s got one of the best arms in the NFL with a gun-slinger mentality. While he’s a much more traditional thrower of the football than Philip Rivers, he plays the game with the same unafraid nature.
Matt Forte was the most vital aspect of the team’s offense in 2011, but with Cutler at the helm, you know the coaching staff would love to give him another Brandon Marshall.
Mike Tice is the offensive coordinator and will likely return the team to a more traditional offensive attack. Mike Martz’s spread system featured far too many deep drops that led to sacks last season.
Devin Hester and Johnny Knox are already in place as the primary deep threats, so teams wouldn’t be able to continually roll coverage Jackson’s way.
The defense isn’t at the 49ers’ caliber, but as we saw in the first 10 games of the 2011 season, it’s good enough to contend in the offensively dynamic NFC.
The Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings all have secondary issues. That’s the final and most underrated bargaining chip the Bears have to land Jackson.
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