Countdown to Canton: Broncos Who Belong in Hall of Fame: Tom Jackson | No. 13

It's time to shine a light on the careers of those former Broncos who deserve Hall-of-Fame recognition.

Tom Jackson would be coveted in today’s NFL as he was one of the best three-down linebackers from the 1970s. His ability to play the run, the pass, and rush the passer was constantly on display during his 14-year career with the Denver Broncos.

From the linebacker position, Jackson intercepted 20 passes which is more than Hall-of-Famers Chris Hanburger and Junior Seau. Jackson's 40 sacks are tied with another Hall-of-Famer, Bobby Bell. 

Unofficially Jackson had over 1,000 tackles and 94 passes defended. These stats are a testament to how incredible he was at playing sideline to sideline and covering in either a zone defense or man-to-man. He was an all-around linebacker.

Overlooked

For his greatness, Jackson might be the most overlooked player for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A prime example of his greatness being completely ignored was in 1976 when he intercepted seven passes that season, trailing only cornerbacks for the league lead. Yes, only cornerbacks whose job is to play the pass.

That was only one less that season than cornerback Mike Haynes who has been immortalized in Canton. Jackson's year was so good, he is only one off the record for most interceptions by a linebacker in a season. 

Jackson also added four sacks, two fumble recoveries, 76 tackles, and a touchdown. He received no All-Pro awards or even an invite to the Pro Bowl. He had a better year than the award winners Jack Ham and Ted Hendricks.

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Orange Crush

It wasn’t until the famed Orange Crush defense became prominent in 1977 that Jackson received any recognition. That year, he received his first Pro Bowl nod, his first All-Pro award (first-team), and helped the defense lead the team to the Super Bowl. 

After that season, Jackson was recognized in the next two seasons with an All-Pro award (second-team) and two trips to the Pro Bowl. He was then forgotten again for the rest of his career, even though he continued to play at a high level for several more seasons.

In all, Jackson helped guide the Broncos to two Super Bowl berths and was the vocal leader of one of the most iconic defenses in NFL history. His skills were ahead of his time and he would fit right in today with his 4.5-speed, coverage prowess, and his sideline-to-sideline range.

Bottom Line

Jackson was undersized and not flashy, but played the game with greatness. The legendary Paul Zimmerman once nicknamed him the “Sawed-off Butkus” which is a tremendous compliment. 

Jackson's career is littered with highlight-reel plays and his exclusion from the Pro Football Hall of Fame is an injustice.

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Follow Thomas on Twitter @ThomasHallNFL.

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