Ahead of his first regular-season game as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, veteran cornerback Donte Jackson is starting to feel the jitters — in a good way.
Jackson, who enters his seventh NFL season with his first six in Carolina, stated to reporters Wednesday that he’s feeling like a rookie again ahead of Sunday’s Week 1 season-opener against the Atlanta Falcons in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“Oh, it’s super, super exciting, man. I feel like a rookie again,” Jackson said, according to video via Steelers.com. “I feel like it’s my first real game ever, you know? Being this only my second team, being here throughout all this time, having to put in the work, go to Latrobe and do all that, and I always feel like you finally get a chance to just go out there and just let it all fly.
“And Sunday we have a great opportunity to go do something special.”
That excitement for Jackson has been there since the day he was traded to the Steelers, calling his move to Pittsburgh a match made in heaven due to his play style and what the Steelers ask from their cornerbacks under defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
So far, he’s been a solid fit overall, adding dependable leadership and experience to the cornerback position, providing the Steelers with a proven running mate opposite second-year pro Joey Porter Jr.
Entering Year 7 and finally landing with the Steelers after they chased him for so long, Jackson still believes he’s a complete cornerback, too.
In his first six seasons — all with the Carolina Panthers — the former second-round pick played 4,281 snaps in 80 career games. In those 80 career games, Jackson has 303 tackles, 15. tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, 14 interceptions, 46 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one touchdown.
Last season with Carolina, Jackson started 16 games and finished with 59 tackles, five tackles for loss and five pass breakups. He allowed 45 receptions for 588 yards on 57 targets last season, giving up three touchdowns and a QB rating against of 107.7.
In his Steelers debut, he’ll go against a familiar NFC South foe in the Atlanta Falcons, a team Jackson has played 11 times. In those 11 games, Jackson has 34 tackles and three interceptions, which bodes well for the Steelers. He’s comfortable playing in Atlanta and knows its personnel well.
All that, combined with making his Steelers regular-season debut after playing just 22 snaps in the preseason, has Jackson feeling giddy with some good-natured butterflies like he once had as a rookie.
