Asked on Tuesday where he can improve this season, Kansas City Chiefs DE Tyson Jackson said, "Pass rushing."
After two sacks in his first three years in the league, I think most of us can agree. The Chiefs have said time and time again that defensive ends in the 3-4 defense aren't necessarily designed to pick up a lot of sacks. I'm not sure if they're saying that because it's true (which is mostly is) or because the Chiefs get very little from their defensive ends in pass rushing.
Jackson comes off the field on third downs in the Chiefs defense, something he called "real frustrating".
"I think it's just constantly working at it," Jackson said. "Pass rushing, that's a craft and you constantly have to work at it. I think I did a pretty good job last year trying to get that run 3-4 defense down, and I did a pretty good job at it, and I think this year I'm trying to evolve my game and become a better pass rusher."
This is Jackson's fourth year in the NFL, which is usually a big one. I'd say the majority of the time you know who a player is after three years in the NFL and, for Jackson, that's not someone who rushes the passer. He'll be trying to buck the trend and change his focus in 2012, which would make the Chiefs defense significantly better and more versatile.