Will he stay or will he go: Marlin Jackson

BBS just posted a story about Marlin Jackson's recovery from a torn ACL here, so how appropriate is it that we cover his contract status with the team next in this edition of "will he stay or will he go".

Marlin Jackson was drafted in Round 1 (Number 29 overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft. He was a four year starter at Michigan, starting 39 out of 45 games at the DB position (he switched between safety and corner at Michigan) and finishing with 195 tackles, 147 solo, two sacks, one FR, 34 passes defensed, and nine interceptions.  At the end of his junior season, he was being projected to be a surefire top 10 pick, but after a subpar senior season in which he was caught out of position at times and a good but not great combine posting, his draft value dropped him, some thought to the point of a second round talent.  Many questioned his timed speed, and though his skills projected to a safety in the NFL.

Nevertheless, Bill Polian saw enough potential in Marlin to make him their first round draft pick, and so far, he has been a solid cornerback for the Colts. Since being drafted by the Colts, he has shown a toughness and willingness to support the run that is not typically seen in cornerbacks.  He also has good technique, and a good break on the ball, and plays faster than his timed speed.  He has the ability to play in zone coverage or man coverage, though zone coverage is better fit to his abilities.

2005
His first season with the Colts he played primarily in nickel coverage and on special teams. He got his first start at LCB when Nick Harper went down with an injury, and finished the season with 52 tackles, 39 solo, four passes defensed, and one interception.  In the postseason, he provided mostly backup DB duties and special teams coverage, but earned no statistics to be noted.

2006
His sophomore season was a season that began scratching the surface of the potential that Marlin had as a versatile DB.  During this season, he started eight games, six at FS, two at SS, and also was used as reserve CB.  His versatility was a key ingredient to keeping the defense on track while injuries plagued the Colts secondary.  He finished the regular season with 76 tackles, 49 solo, one interception and one pass defensed.  In the postseason, he started one game at RCB and also played a reserve role in the secondary, finish with 15 tackles, 12 solo, one pass defensed, and one ENORMOUS interception booting the Patriots out of the playoffs and leading the Colts to Super Bowl XLI. You can see it here it's just beautiful.

2007
During his third season in the league, he finally got the opportunity he wanted to start at RCB, and did it well.  He started all 16 games at RCB and helped lead the Colts to the NFL's 2nd-ranked pass defense, allowing 172.8 yards/game. He finished this season with enormous numbers, racking up 112 tackles, 1/2 sack, three pressures, one FF, two FR, one interception and five passes defensed.  His phyiscal style play combined with his ability to come up and stuff the run helped lead him to finishing #4 on the team in tackles for the season, and tied for the lead league in FR.  He started the only postseason game played and finished with four solo tackles and a FF, though it was not enough to get a victory against San Diego.

2008
His fourth season saw him continue to progress in his coverage abilities, and proved to the league that he was a force to be reckoned with.  He started the first seven games at RCB before tearing his ACL and being placed on injured reserve, ending his season.  Before he was injured, however, he was on tracke to match or possibly beat his previous season tackle count.  He finished this season with 57 tackles, 46 solo, one pass defensed, and one FF. 

2009
This upcoming season with the Colts looks to be another promising season for Marlin Jackson.  By any standards, his recover from a torn ACL is ahead of schedule, and as long as he doesn't try to push it too hard, he should be back on the field at RCB week 1.  His strong work ethic combined with the comaradarie he has with his teammates should be enough to push the secondary back into the top of the league in terms of passing yards.

Final Words
The re-signing of Kelvin Hayden to a long-term contract all but puts a nail in the coffin for any hopes of signing Marlin Jackson to a long-term deal.  He has not racked up a lot of interceptions in his time with the Colts, which is normally regarded as a measuring stick by NFL standards.  However, his tackling ability, versatility in the secondary, and run-support make him a perfect fit for the Tampa-2 defense that the Colts continue to run.  When he went down with injury, other younger players such as Tim Jennings were able to step up and perform fairly admirably, which pretty much answers all questions as to whether or not the Colts could be successful without him.  In addition, the signing of Jerraud Powers in the 2009 NFL Draft only makes the situation muddier, due to some suggesting that he become the nickel corner, and to begin grooming Tim Jennings to take over Marlin's spot when he leaves after this season. 

As I say with all of the people I have reviewed so far, I really don't want to see him go because I really like his physical paly and safety-style hitting.  However, I'm afraid he too will become a salary-cap loss.