GREEN BAY Sal Paolantonio and his ESPN TV crew arrived in front of Brandon Jacksons stall inside the Green Bay Packers locker room Friday afternoon with the kind of questions that would have been difficult and uncomfortable for anyone else.

But not for Jackson.

Once the cameraman, Joe, returned after wandering off Cmon, Joe! Jackson playfully yelled Paolantonio told Jackson he wanted to put him on SportsCenter. He began by asking about the revival of the teams running game, then asked specifically about rookie James Starks, the teams new starting running back.

Hes a star in the making, Jackson replied without a tick-tock of hesitation.

And in that very moment which may very well have found its way onto the Worldwide Leader In Sports cutting-room floor Jackson once again showed exactly the kind of professional, team-first guy that he has proven to be all season.

Disappointed that he didnt become the teams featured back and get 20 carries per game in the wake of starter Ryan Grants season-ending ankle injury in Week 1, Jackson never complained publicly, never sulked, and has been the consummate pro throughout. Here he was facing a full-fledged TV onslaught Paolantonio, whom hes seen on ESPN plenty of times, along with a producer, Joe the camera man and a boom mike operator and given the chance to freeze up or give some half-hearted, wishy-washy answer, Jackson instead delivered a glowing review of the guy who essentially got the gig he wanted for himself.

That's what I'm saying, it's not about me, Jackson would explain later, after the ESPN crew departed. I have pride in this team. That's my main focus is this team, helping this team win. Whoever steps up and they're the star, they're the star. My job is to do what I'm supposed to do, do what I have to do, be in the right place at the right time and that's going to work out.

But while soft-spoken, out-of-nowhere Starks figures to be one of the national media darlings when the Packers arrive in Dallas on Monday for the week-long Super Bowl XLV build-up, and Starks will be center stage when the Packers face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cowboys Stadium on Feb. 6, dont underestimate how important Jackson will be to the Packers cause.

In fact, if theres anything that can be taken out of the game the two teams played in December 2009, its that Jackson can, by doing the little things that dont show up on a stat sheet, have a major impact.

In that game, a 37-36 loss at Heinz Field, Jacksons numbers were microscopic: One carry for 1 yard, one reception for 4 yards. And yet, at the NFL Meetings three months later in Orlando, coach Mike McCarthy couldnt stop raving about what Jackson did that day.

You know how you look for different lines in peoples careers? You look for games where guys take big steps in their career. I though the Pittsburgh game was a huge step for Brandon Jackson, as far as being a three-down player, McCarthy said that March morning. All your running backs have the ability to play on first down, but hes done some good things on third down, and also done some good things on special teams. I thought against Pittsburgh that his blitz pickup was as good as Ive seen since (Pro Football Hall of Famer) Marcus Allen in the early 90s. And his confidence and everything from that game, I thought he took a big step. And Im hoping he can maintain that or take it further as we move on.

With those same Steelers and their blitzing defensive scheme looming in Super Bowl XLV, McCarthy revisited those remarks on Friday and even intimated that Jackson, whose snaps have been cut dramatically since Starks 123-yard effort against Philadelphia, will see significant playing time because of his blitz pick-up skills.

Brandon Jackson performed very well last year in the Pittsburgh game, particularly in protection, and thats a big part of it. They have the 3-4 scheme and the ability to try to create matchups with their linebackers, their playmakers on (a running) back, McCarthy explained. There is going to be a point in this game where our running backs are going to have to close the door on their pressure.

James Starks is off to a very good start for a young player, but Brandon Jackson played very well in that game last year.

Jackson played only 12 snaps in last Sundays NFC Championship Game victory over the Chicago Bears as compared to Starks, who played more than 40 but on one of those snaps, he showed why hes so valuable.

On a second-quarter second-and-13 play during the Packers second touchdown drive, Jackson caught an Aaron Rodgers pass out of the backfield, juked All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher and ended up with a 16-yard gain. Three plays later, Starks scored on a 4-yard run to give the Packers a 14-0 lead.

They said, That was the Madden R-2 button, a laughing Jackson said of his teammates reaction in film review.

But it wasnt Jacksons nifty footwork on the play that caught the eye of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin.

If you watch the whole play, he has some protection responsibilities. He chipped No. 75 (defensive tackle Matt Toeaina), knocked him down on the way out. Caught the ball, made a guy miss, protected the ball the way we wanted, Philbin recalled. This guy's done everything they asked him to do. He's made a great contribution. Obviously, Starks as of late has done some nice things from the running back position. John Kuhn, as has been well-documented, has contributed as well at that position. All these guys have helped out to a certain degree. Its been a team effort.

Added Rodgers: "The one thing you have to single out about Brandon is how unselfish he is. He came in his rookie year and was given an opportunity to start. And then from then he's been mostly a third- down back and spot carries. But he's done a great job in that role.

"They're plays like that that get overlooked. They keep drives going and show how important he is to our team."

When the Packers picked Jackson in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft as an early-entry junior, Jackson was hoping he was done with job-share programs like the one hed been part of at Nebraska, where the Huskers had four running backs who all saw action. Instead, after being handed the starting job in training camp, inconsistent play and a shin injury relegated him to backup status.

We had four good running backs at Nebraska. Any one of us could have started anywhere in the nation, in college, said Jackson, who still led the Packers in rushing in the regular season (190 carries for 703 yards) in 13 starts. That was my mentality, that I had to step up, I had to do what I had to do. If it was third downs, if it was special teams, if it was getting one rep or one catch, I have to make that one catch or that one run big. As you can see, that's what I'm doing.

With Starks emergence and Grant expected to return to full health in 2011, Jacksons future in Green Bay is unclear. Hed become an unrestricted free agent if the new collective bargaining agreement parallels the previous deal and grants unrestricted free agency after four NFL seasons, and he could decide to go elsewhere for a better chance to expand his role.

You cant really let too much stuff frustrate you, because at the end of the day this coaching staff and this organization are going to do whatever theyve got to do, whatever they want to do. Complaining is not going to change anything, said wide receiver James Jones, who was in the same 2007 draft class and has experienced similar ups and downs in his playing time. He knows he has a bright future, whether the Packers sign him back or somebody else picks him up. He knows he can play in this league. When you have that insurance and that understanding that you will be somewhere, you know youre going to be OK.

You can only control what you can control. You cant control how many balls get thrown to you, you cant control how many carries you get. You just, when your number is called, make some plays.

Thats exactly what Jackson intends to do on Super Bowl Sunday, whether those plays are nifty catch-and-runs, the occasional handoff or, most likely, a key blitz pick-up that saves Rodgers from a bone-crunching hit.

I'm a firm believer, if you work hard and you do what you're told and you do what you have to do, everything will work out for you in the end. You just reap what you sow, said Jackson, who spent part of Saturday working his way around the locker room with two of his No. 32 jerseys one white, one green and having all of his teammates sign them, including Rodgers. I put a lot into this team. It's time to reap the benefits.

It's been a year of adversity for me. Things have gone well, things have gone OK, but when you're going through adversity, it means you're going somewhere. Obviously, we're in the situation to win the Lombardi Trophy and bring it home. My future is winning this Super Bowl. That's in my future. That's what I'm looking at right now. After the Super Bowl, then that's when all that stuff can be talked about.

ESPNMilwaukee wrote: