DeSean Jackson Claims He’s Going To Take Touchdown Record From Jerry Rice
DeSean Jackson has his eyes on one of Jerry Rice’s touchdown records, and this is the season he’s going to take it from the Hall Of Fame wide receiver.
Don’t get too excited though; Jackson isn’t boastful enough to make a claim on any of Rice’s major career receiving records – not yet, anyway. But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver does have his eyes on one relatively obscure, and extremely specific, receiving record. Specifically, he’s set his sights on Rice’s career receiving record of most career touchdown receptions of 60 yards or more.
The 31-year-old tells TMZ Sports that Rice should prepare to see his name removed from that particular list by the end of this season.
“Leave it on me, I got it! It’s done!”
But is it done?
Rice’s record is 23 career touchdown receptions of 60 yards or more. Jackson has 22. So it seems pretty reasonable that he should get there this season. The problem is, he could have said the same thing last season, too, as he was sitting at 22 such TDs at the beginning of the 2017-2018 season. Unfortunately, he wound up with exactly zero 60+ yard TD receptions. And as The Tampa Bay Times reported earlier this year, Jackson also went the 2011-2012 season without a 60-yard bomb.
DeSean Jackson insists he'll break Jerry Rice's TD record. (Well, one of them, anyway…) https://t.co/Ycb8QL5iaU
(via @TMZ, @TMZ_Sports) pic.twitter.com/MT7egdYiAw
— NESN (@NESN) July 23, 2018
On the other hand, he had six such touchdowns in 2009-2010.
And of course, Jackson would already be tied with Rice for the record but for one embarrassing low-light in his career. Back in 2011, he could have strolled right into the end zone with one of the two TD’s he needs to be tied with and then exceed Rice’s record. Unfortunately, he started showboating a little too early, tossing the ball away just a hair short of the goal line, turning the dramatic touchdown into an embarrassing fumble.
But the past is the past, and Jackson, and the Buccaneers, are focusing on the present. Unfortunately, Jackson will need a competent quarterback to throw the ball to him if he hopes to close in on Rice’s record. And the quarterback situation in Tampa Bay is less than ideal.
Jameis Winston, the Bucs’ quarterback of the future, will spend the first three games of the season on the bench for violating the league’s personal conduct rules. That leaves Ryan Fitzpatrick under the center for the Bucs’ opening games. And while Fitzpatrick is a competent quarterback, he doesn’t have the cachet of Jameis Winston. Winston, for his part, turned in an impressive rookie season, but since then, has been bedeviled by injuries and has failed to live up to expectations.
