01-26-2018, 04:09 PM
http://www.inforum.com/sports/4393898-ex...istant-job
MINNEAPOLIS — Former Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson wants to be an NFL head coach, but knows he must pay his dues.
Jackson
said he is finalizing paperwork to be a graduate assistant with an
emphasis on quarterbacks at Alabama State, his alma mater. Jackson last
played in the NFL in 2015, and spent the past two seasons as a high
school assistant.
"I do want to coach
on a professional level,'' Jackson said. "Of course, you have dreams.
... In the back of my head, I do want to be a head coach one day, but
right now I want to be the best quarterback, grad assistant coach that I
can be ... I want to just focus as much as I can on learning the
coaching side.''
Jackson, 34, played for the Vikings from 2006-10
and was with Seattle in 2011, Buffalo in 2012 and the Seahawks from
2013-15. When he was a free agent in 2016, Jackson had hoped to continue
his NFL career before it was derailed due to an arrest.
On June
24, 2016, Jackson was arrested while on vacation in Kissimmee, Fla.,
and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly
pulling a gun on his wife. Jackson disputes much of what was in the
police report, and the charges ended up being dropped on Aug. 3, 2016.
Jackson, though, said the incident resulted in his NFL career ending prematurely. He made the decision to retire later in 2016.
"It
hurt me a whole lot,'' said Jackson, who lives in Montgomery, Ala.
"It's no doubt I would have got a call (from an NFL team) to at least
get a chance to go compete for a backup job, but it didn't happen
because of that. Once they put my name up, of course that's going to
come up and (teams said), 'We don't want to deal with it.' ''
Jackson
said he remains married to his his wife, Lakitta Jackson. He said the
incident was an argument and there was nothing physical and he did not
pull a gun on his wife. He said there was a lot of "false information''
in the police report, which was picked up by the media, but he admits he
hampered the situation by making a false statement to police.
"The
thing about the gun was I didn't tell the truth at first,'' Jackson
said. "I just told them I didn't have a gun, but then they saw the gun
... There was a gun in the condo, but it was up away from the kids (the
couple has three) on top of the cabinet, so nobody was able to get it
but me.''
After the charges were dropped, Jackson served as
quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in 2016 at Sidney Lanier
High School, his alma mater in Montgomery. Last season, he was the
quarterbacks coach at Jefferson Davis High School in Montgomery.
Jackson
earned a degree in psychology from Alabama State in 2014. He is working
on a master's degree in sociology from Troy State, which has a campus
in Montgomery, and will continue to pursue it while coaching.
"I've
got 10 years' experience (in the NFL),'' Jackson said. "From my playing
experience and my knowledge added over up over the years, just
everything, I think I've got so much to give on the coaching end.''
Jackson,
who started 21 regular-season and playoff games for Minnesota, watched
with enthusiasm this season as quarterback Case Keenum helped lead the
Vikings to the NFC championship game. Keenum wore No. 7, the same as
Jackson did.
"I was rooting for them," Jackson said. "(Keenum)
moved around a lot (on different teams) and people didn't give him a
shot, so I was happy for him. Seeing that number out there brought back
memories."
Two more OC candidates
Two more candidates have emerged for the Vikings' offensive coordinator job.
NFL
Media reported that Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan will
interview Monday, Jan. 29, and New Orleans assistant head coach/tight
ends coach Dan Campbell will interview Tuesday, Jan. 30, for the
position, which became open when Pat Shurmur was named last Monday as
New York Giants coach.
A source confirmed the interview with
Campbell, who was a Dallas tight end from 2003-06 when Vikings coach
Mike Zimmer was the Cowboys' defensive coordinator. Zimmer had talked to
Campbell about a possible job as an assistant in January 2016.
Zimmer
is conducting the interviews at his ranch in northern Kentucky.
Candidates known to be interviewing this week are Vikings quarterbacks
coach Kevin Stefanski and Darrell Bevell, Minnesota's offensive
coordinator from 2006-10.
Briefly
Gus
Frerotte, a Vikings quarterback from 2003-04 and in 2008, will attend
his first Super Bowl on Feb. 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium as a guest of Tampa
Bay quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Frerotte said Fitzpatrick paid about
$6,000 face value for six tickets. The group will include Frerotte's two
sons and Fitzpatrick's two sons. "I told (Fitzpatrick) I'll buy the
beer and nachos,'' Frerotte joked. ... Safety Jack Tocho, who was on the
Vikings practice squad, said he has been offered reserve/futures deals
by the Vikings and Houston, and soon will make a decision between the
two.
MINNEAPOLIS — Former Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson wants to be an NFL head coach, but knows he must pay his dues.
Jackson
said he is finalizing paperwork to be a graduate assistant with an
emphasis on quarterbacks at Alabama State, his alma mater. Jackson last
played in the NFL in 2015, and spent the past two seasons as a high
school assistant.
"I do want to coach
on a professional level,'' Jackson said. "Of course, you have dreams.
... In the back of my head, I do want to be a head coach one day, but
right now I want to be the best quarterback, grad assistant coach that I
can be ... I want to just focus as much as I can on learning the
coaching side.''
Jackson, 34, played for the Vikings from 2006-10
and was with Seattle in 2011, Buffalo in 2012 and the Seahawks from
2013-15. When he was a free agent in 2016, Jackson had hoped to continue
his NFL career before it was derailed due to an arrest.
On June
24, 2016, Jackson was arrested while on vacation in Kissimmee, Fla.,
and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly
pulling a gun on his wife. Jackson disputes much of what was in the
police report, and the charges ended up being dropped on Aug. 3, 2016.
Jackson, though, said the incident resulted in his NFL career ending prematurely. He made the decision to retire later in 2016.
"It
hurt me a whole lot,'' said Jackson, who lives in Montgomery, Ala.
"It's no doubt I would have got a call (from an NFL team) to at least
get a chance to go compete for a backup job, but it didn't happen
because of that. Once they put my name up, of course that's going to
come up and (teams said), 'We don't want to deal with it.' ''
Jackson
said he remains married to his his wife, Lakitta Jackson. He said the
incident was an argument and there was nothing physical and he did not
pull a gun on his wife. He said there was a lot of "false information''
in the police report, which was picked up by the media, but he admits he
hampered the situation by making a false statement to police.
"The
thing about the gun was I didn't tell the truth at first,'' Jackson
said. "I just told them I didn't have a gun, but then they saw the gun
... There was a gun in the condo, but it was up away from the kids (the
couple has three) on top of the cabinet, so nobody was able to get it
but me.''
After the charges were dropped, Jackson served as
quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in 2016 at Sidney Lanier
High School, his alma mater in Montgomery. Last season, he was the
quarterbacks coach at Jefferson Davis High School in Montgomery.
Jackson
earned a degree in psychology from Alabama State in 2014. He is working
on a master's degree in sociology from Troy State, which has a campus
in Montgomery, and will continue to pursue it while coaching.
"I've
got 10 years' experience (in the NFL),'' Jackson said. "From my playing
experience and my knowledge added over up over the years, just
everything, I think I've got so much to give on the coaching end.''
Jackson,
who started 21 regular-season and playoff games for Minnesota, watched
with enthusiasm this season as quarterback Case Keenum helped lead the
Vikings to the NFC championship game. Keenum wore No. 7, the same as
Jackson did.
"I was rooting for them," Jackson said. "(Keenum)
moved around a lot (on different teams) and people didn't give him a
shot, so I was happy for him. Seeing that number out there brought back
memories."
Two more OC candidates
Two more candidates have emerged for the Vikings' offensive coordinator job.
NFL
Media reported that Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan will
interview Monday, Jan. 29, and New Orleans assistant head coach/tight
ends coach Dan Campbell will interview Tuesday, Jan. 30, for the
position, which became open when Pat Shurmur was named last Monday as
New York Giants coach.
A source confirmed the interview with
Campbell, who was a Dallas tight end from 2003-06 when Vikings coach
Mike Zimmer was the Cowboys' defensive coordinator. Zimmer had talked to
Campbell about a possible job as an assistant in January 2016.
Zimmer
is conducting the interviews at his ranch in northern Kentucky.
Candidates known to be interviewing this week are Vikings quarterbacks
coach Kevin Stefanski and Darrell Bevell, Minnesota's offensive
coordinator from 2006-10.
Briefly
Gus
Frerotte, a Vikings quarterback from 2003-04 and in 2008, will attend
his first Super Bowl on Feb. 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium as a guest of Tampa
Bay quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Frerotte said Fitzpatrick paid about
$6,000 face value for six tickets. The group will include Frerotte's two
sons and Fitzpatrick's two sons. "I told (Fitzpatrick) I'll buy the
beer and nachos,'' Frerotte joked. ... Safety Jack Tocho, who was on the
Vikings practice squad, said he has been offered reserve/futures deals
by the Vikings and Houston, and soon will make a decision between the
two.