Jackson knows honor means little
Saturday, June 12, 2004 By STEVE DOERSCHUK
Repository sports writer

Browns defensive end Corey Jackson went from lost
Nevada benchwarmer to NFL Europe Defensive Player
of the Year within 19 months.

Astounding? Yes.

Amazing find for the Browns? Not so fast.

Jackson won the honor this week while his team,
Frankfurt, has been preparing for today’s World
Bowl against Berlin (noon, FOX).

A fine honor, of course, but it is tempered by
recalling that NFL Europe’s 2003 Defensive Player
of the Year was Rashidi Barnes. Barnes has
appeared in three NFL games (none last year)
since the Browns made him a seventh-round pick in
the 2000 draft.

While encouraged, Jackson knows his trophy from
Europe might get laughed out of his locker stall
if he flaunted it in Berea.

“I’m playing well over here,” he said in a phone
interview this week, “but I have to try and apply
it over there when I get back to Cleveland. I
have to find a way to make the team.

“I may not be ready to start in the NFL, but I
can definitely contribute.”

Odds are against him making more than the
practice squad at first.

Defensive end is the Browns’ deepest position.
Courtney Brown, Kenard Lang and Ebeneezer Ekuban
are former first-round draft picks. Mark Word led
the 2002 Browns with eight sacks. Felipe
Claybrooks is regarded as a far more polished end
than Jackson, having spent parts of three seasons
with the Browns.

Jackson led NFL Europe with 9.5 sacks.
Claybrooks, also allocated by the Browns to
Europe this spring, had 8.5 sacks for Cologne.
Cedric Scott, yet another defensive end allocated
to Europe by the Browns, gave the Scottish
Claymores two sacks against Cologne last weekend.

The 6-foot-6 Jackson played a rugged style of
basketball at the University of Nevada. After his
final winter in that sport, he was able to
arrange a one-season stint on the football team.
Coaches were afraid he would be a liability
because he was too raw, so he seldom played.

The Browns liked Jackson’s size, speed and
aggressiveness and brought him to training camp
last year. He wound up getting cut, but Head
Coach Butch Davis became convinced Jackson at
minimum has an NFL body.

“Being in actual games in Europe and getting a
lot of reps helps me out a lot,” Jackson said.

His goal, for now, is to make the Browns’ roster
and earn a $230,000 minimum salary. He has been
paid less than one-tenth that sum in Europe,
where he helped Frankfurt reach today’s
championship game with a 7-3 record.

“I expect a lot out of myself,” he said. “I push
myself very hard. The coaches in Cleveland
expected me to do the best I could.”

Is “best defensive player in Europe” good enough?


n

SAFETY’S STOCK UP: Second-round pick Sean Jones’
season-ending knee injury increases the stock of
safety Ricky Sharpe, who will start for Frankfurt
in today’s World Bowl. Davis has taken note of
Sharpe’s bloodlines. He is a cousin of likely
Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, and of
former Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe. Ricky
Sharpe was one of the final cuts of training camp
last year after joining the Browns as an
undrafted rookie out of San Diego State. He
started all 10 of Frankfurt’s games at free
safety, Earl Little’s position in Cleveland.

You can reach Repository sports writer Steve
Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail:

steve.doerschuk@...


The Browns will have four players in today’s
World Bowl (noon kickoff, FOX):

BERLIN THUNDER (9-1)

No. 87, Richard Alston — The 5-foot-11, 215-pound
receiver averaged 17.2 yards on 28 catches and
led the league with six touchdown receptions.

FRANKFURT GALAXY (7-3)

No. 53, Mason Unck — The 6-2, 240-pound middle
linebacker started 10 games, making 64 tackles
and three interceptions.

No. 98, Corey Jackson — The 6-6, 273-pound
defensive end had 9.5 sacks and was named NFL
Europe’s Defensive Player of the Year.

No. 23, Ricky Sharpe — The 6-1, 196-pound free
safety started all 10 games, making 35 tackles
and two interceptions.






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