Malik Jackson wasn’t expected to be near the top of the team lead in sacks after five weeks. Jackson, along with the rest of the interior defensive line, was thought to be perhaps the lone weakness in a defensive unit with multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro caliber players at cornerback, safety and outside linebacker. But heading into Week 6, there’s Jackson, tied with Von Miller for second on the team with three sacks.
Jackson, however, won’t take any credit for his sack totals and stellar play through the first part of the season. He passes that along to Miller and his teammates.
In his weekly interview with Sports Stampede Radio on Mile High Sports AM 1340, Jackson explained how his teammates set him up for success, and vise versa. It’s a team-first mentality that’s propelling the defense.
“It’s a ‘not me’ mentality,” Jackson said. “No one wants to be the guy to make a mistake.”
The mistakes have been nominal this year for the league’s top defense (yards per game) and the No. 2 scoring defense (points per game). Untimely penalties, often the result of being overly aggressive, might be the only knock on their play so far. Jackson, himself, was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty last Sunday against Oakland that put the Raiders in field goal range.
About his penalty, Jackson says, “I gotta calm down” in those situations where the team gives up a big play or makes a big play.
Denver should have the opportunity to make some big plays Sunday against the Browns. In watching tape on Cleveland, Jackson says he expects them to throw the ball a lot, which means plenty of opportunities for the unit – not any one guy – to get to the quarterback. Something they’v been doing better than any other team in the league so far.
Jackson spoke on that and more in his weekly interview, listen in the podcast below…
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